[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 128 (Monday, July 30, 2018)]
[Senate]
[Page S5447]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        CENTENNIAL OF FORT KNOX

  Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, today I am proud to recognize Fort 
Knox, an important asset of our national defense infrastructure in my 
home State, as it celebrates its centennial anniversary. Located in 
Bullitt, Hardin, and Meade Counties, the installation was established 
by Congress in 1918 and has taken an active role in the defense of our 
Nation ever since. Today Fort Knox is a source of pride for the 
community and our Commonwealth, and I would like to take a look back at 
its century of accomplishment.
  Named in honor of the Revolutionary War major general and the first 
U.S. Secretary of War, Henry Knox, the site began as a field artillery 
training range for Camp Zachary Taylor in Louisville. Congress 
purchased 40,000 acres of land in Kentucky to accommodate approximately 
60,000 soldiers. Construction began in July 1918 under the supervision 
of quartermaster W. H. Radcliffe, and Camp Knox served as a facility to 
support troops returning home at the conclusion of the Great War.
  In subsequent years, Camp Knox became a training facility for 
thousands of troops from the National Guard, Reserve Officers Training 
Corps, and Citizens Military Training Camps. One of the citizens who 
trained there was author Robert Penn Warren of Guthrie, KY. Before he 
gained enduring fame for writing ``All the King's Men,'' Warren's first 
published poem ``Prophecy'' appeared in the ``Camp Knox Mess Kit'' in 
1922.
  In 1931, the Army revolutionized our Nation's Armed Forces and formed 
a mechanized cavalry regiment at the facility. The next year, Congress 
gave the installation the name we call it today. Fort Knox was at the 
center of the mechanization of the cavalry, and it can proudly take 
credit for developing many of the tactics that helped win World War II.
  As a vital contributor to our national security, Fort Knox has served 
wide-ranging roles throughout its 100 years. For instance, in 1937, it 
became the home of the U.S. bullion depository and the guardian of our 
Nation's most valuable assets and, at times, some of the world's most 
precious possessions. During the darkest days of the Second World War, 
the depository guarded the U.S. Declaration of Independence and the 
Constitution.
  Fort Knox is also the proud home of the General George Patton Museum 
and Center of Leadership, a tourist destination honoring one of the 
giants of American military history.
  While we celebrate the installation's remarkable history, we also 
recognize that Fort Knox continues to play a dynamic and integral role 
in our conventional force structure and our State's economy. In 2009, 
the Army Human Resources Command relocated to Fort Knox and led to the 
construction of the Army Human Resources Center, the largest project in 
the base's history. It's also the home to the Army's Recruiting Command 
and Cadet Command, which hosts thousands of Army cadets each year for 
Cadet Summer Training. Most recently, the First Theater Sustainment 
Command moved to Fort Knox in 2017. These units add an indispensable 
benefit to our national security, and I am proud to have each one of 
them in Kentucky. Further, the installation has been recognized on 
numerous occasions in the Army's Communities of Excellence program and 
has developed a highly recognized energy savings program. At the same 
time, the surrounding community has established a number of supportive 
initiatives to help military families and transitioning Army personnel 
pursue regional employment opportunities.
  From its origin as a camp with 40,000 acres, this multifunctional 
military installation has grown to cover approximately 109,000 acres 
and is the sixth largest urban area in Kentucky. The centennial 
celebration is bigger than the Army, involving a passionate community 
that supports the installation and the men and women serving there. It 
is my utmost privilege to join each of them in sending my 
congratulations to Fort Knox and to all of the Army personnel there for 
reaching this milestone. During the many events planned to mark the 
occasion, I wish them all the very best and would like to once again 
thank them for all they do to keep our nation safe. I urge all of my 
Senate colleagues to join me.

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