[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 114 (Tuesday, July 12, 2022)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E715-E716]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




            HONORING THE 801ST ENGINEER CONSTRUCTION COMPANY

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. MIKE THOMPSON

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, July 12, 2022

  Mr. THOMPSON of California. Madam Speaker, I rise today along with 
Congressman John Garamendi, to honor the 801st Engineer Construction 
Company of the 397th Engineer Battalion, U.S. Army Reserves for its 
exceptional service in the restoration of the Mare Island Naval 
Cemetery in Vallejo, California.
  The 801st Engineer Construction Company was first established on July 
8, 1942 and was activated in Northern Ireland in the same year. 
Additionally, individual soldiers from the company were mobilized in 
support of the Korean and Vietnam wars. In 1975, the company relocated 
to the Oakland Army Base before relocating to Vallejo on July 25, 2000.
  The 801st Engineer Construction Company has been instrumental in the 
revitalization process of the Mare Island Naval Cemetery, which had 
fallen into disrepair over the last 30 years. The challenging 
restoration of this 2.5-acre cemetery began after the City of Vallejo 
applied for the Department of Defense Innovative Readiness Training 
Program to begin transforming Mare Island Naval Cemetery into a proper 
burial site for our veterans.
  Soldiers from the 801st Engineer Construction Company, the 322nd 
Engineer Vertical Construction Company, senior leaders from the 416th 
Theater Engineer Command, and

[[Page E716]]

volunteers began the work in the cemetery in August 2019, cutting down 
invasive trees and overgrowth, restoring and cleaning of headstones, 
repairing the drainage system, and fixing the perimeter retaining wall. 
After four years of hard work, they have nearly completed this 
extensive project.
  The Mare Island Naval Cemetery, the oldest naval cemetery on the West 
Coast, is home to over 860 soldiers, marines, and sailors who served in 
conflicts such as the War of 1812 and World War I. It is also home to 
dozens of their relatives who are interred there. The work of the 801st 
Engineer Construction Company has allowed us to restore this cemetery 
back to a sacred final resting place for our brave men and women in 
uniform and their families.
  Madam Speaker, there is no doubt that the 801st Engineer Construction 
Company has played a vital role in ensuring the Mare Island Naval 
Cemetery is preserved for generations to come. Therefore, it is fitting 
and proper that we honor the company and its soldiers here today.

                          ____________________