[Congressional Bills 111th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Con. Res. 206 Referred in Senate (RFS)]

111th CONGRESS
  1st Session
H. CON. RES. 206


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                            December 9, 2009

        Received and referred to the Committee on Armed Services

_______________________________________________________________________

                         CONCURRENT RESOLUTION


 
Commending the soldiers and civilian personnel stationed at Fort Gordon 
   and their families for their service and dedication to the United 
 States and recognizing the contributions of Fort Gordon to Operation 
Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom and its role as a pivotal 
                 communications training installation.

Whereas in 1940, in preparation for possible involvement in World War II, the 
        United States Army identified a site near Augusta, Georgia, that was 
        suitable for division-level training, and the War Department entered 
        into a $22 million contract to construct the new installation;
Whereas, at the groundbreaking ceremony on October 18, 1941, the new 
        installation was named Camp Gordon in

              

 memory of John B. Gordon, a general in the Civil War and former Georgia 
Governor;

Whereas during World War II, Camp Gordon was home to three Army divisions, 
        namely the 4th Infantry Division, the 26th Infantry Division, and the 
        10th Armored Division until they were deployed to Europe, where all 
        three served with distinction;
Whereas after the war, on November 1, 1948, Camp Gordon began its signal corps 
        tradition by becoming the home of the Signal Corps Training Center;
Whereas by 1950, the need for signalmen for the Army during the Korean War led 
        to a major expansion of the Signal Corps Training Center, making it the 
        largest single source of Army communications specialists;
Whereas, on March 21, 1956, Camp Gordon was made a permanent installation and 
        renamed Fort Gordon;
Whereas the military conflicts in Southeast Asia in the 1960s and 1970s, 
        together with advances in communications-electronics (C-E) technology, 
        placed heavy training demands on Fort Gordon;
Whereas at the height of the Vietnam War, the Signal Corps Training Center was 
        renamed the Southeastern Signal School and became the primary source of 
        personnel for tactical C-E units in Vietnam;
Whereas in September 1965, the Southeastern Signal School activated the Signal 
        Officer Candidate School, from which more than 2,000 officers graduated 
        by February 1968;
Whereas in the post-Vietnam era, as the Army reorganized and modernized, signal 
        training at Fort Gordon progressed to keep pace with rapid technological 
        advances on the modern battlefield, and the Southeastern Signal School 
        was renamed first as the United States Army Signal School and 
        subsequently the United States Army Signal Center at Fort Gordon;
Whereas in June 1986, the United States Army Signal Corp Regiment was 
        established, and Fort Gordon was designated as the regimental home base;
Whereas the Signal Center's efforts included the development of Mobile 
        Subscriber Equipment, the Army's communications architecture and 
        assuming the lead for the Army's Information Mission Area, which 
        included the integration of automation, communications, visual 
        information, records management, and publications and printing;
Whereas in 1990 and 1991, the Signal Center played a vital role in preparing 
        soldiers for deployment during Operation Desert Shield and Operation 
        Desert Storm;
Whereas in the 1990s, Fort Gordon became the home for training most of the 
        personnel within the Department of Defense who operate and maintain 
        satellites and continued to train signal troops of allied and foreign 
        countries;
Whereas Fort Gordon continues to serve as a power projection base for several 
        Signal units responsible for conducting operations overseas;
Whereas approximately 19,000 soldiers are stationed at Fort Gordon, and many of 
        these soldiers have been deployed in Operation Iraqi Freedom or 
        Operation Enduring Freedom multiple times; and
Whereas the strength and unwavering support of the soldiers and their families 
        of Fort Gordon and the entire Augusta community have contributed to 
        making the United States a safe and secure country: Now, therefore, be 
        it
    Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate concurring), 
That Congress--
            (1) recognizes Fort Gordon as the home of the United States 
        Army Signal Corps on the occasion of the 60th anniversary of 
        Fort Gordon serving as the home of the Signal Corps Training 
        Center;
            (2) commends the soldiers, their families, and the civilian 
        personnel at Fort Gordon for their service and dedication to 
        the United States; and
            (3) recognizes the contributions of Fort Gordon to 
        Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom.

            Passed the House of Representatives December 8, 2009.

            Attest:

                                            LORRAINE C. MILLER,

                                                                 Clerk.