[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 48 (Wednesday, April 4, 2001)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E538]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  COMMEMORATING THE 50TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE LOCKHEED-MARTIN PLANT IN 
                           MARIETTA, GEORGIA

                                 ______
                                 

                             HON. BOB BARR

                               of georgia

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, April 4, 2001

  Mr. BARR of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, there is a long list of places most 
Americans associate with the great efforts expended by our military to 
create, nurture, and protect democracy. That list includes names like 
Bunker Hill, Bellau Woods, Midway, Normandy, Chosin, Da Nang, and 
Kuwait City.
  In my opinion, there is another location that is rarely listed on the 
rolls of great American military efforts, but has more than earned a 
place there. That place is Marietta, Georgia, home of Lockheed-Martin 
Aeronautical Systems Company.
  This month, Lockheed-Martin will celebrate the 50th anniversary of 
its plant in Marietta, Georgia. During those years, the plant, and the 
men and women who have worked in it, have contributed immeasurably to 
the survival and prosperity of our nation.
  Lockheed's Marietta plan began life as a factory for Bell Aircraft 
during World War II. By the end of World War II, the Bell plant was the 
biggest employer in Georgia, with over 28,000 employees. According to 
the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, more than one of every 20 people 
living in the metro Atlanta area at the end of the war worked for Bell.
  In 1951, with the challenge of World War II behind us, and a new Cold 
War developing, the Bell plant was taken over by Lockheed. Planes 
manufactured under Lockheed's tenure include America's first production 
bomber, the B-47 Stratojet, the P-3 Orion subhunter, and the mighty C-
5, C-141, and C-130 transports. More recently, the plant has been 
selected as the final assembly site for America's next generation air 
dominance fighter, the F-22 Raptor.
  These aircraft are some of the most storied names in the history of 
American military aviation. They have cleared the skies of enemy 
fighters, deterred nuclear attacks on our shores, carried troops safely 
to battle, supplied them in the field, and saved the lives of countless 
wounded soldiers.
  I hope all Members of the United States Congress will join me in 
offering a hearty ``thank you'' to the men and women of Lockheed-Martin 
Aeronautical Systems Company, in Marietta, Georgia, who continue to 
design, build, and repair the aircraft that keep America free and our 
fighting forces in command.

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