[Congressional Record Volume 171, Number 30 (Thursday, February 13, 2025)]
[Senate]
[Page S979]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
By Mr. KAINE (for himself and Mr. Warner):
S. 603. A bill to designate the General George C. Marshall House in
the Commonwealth of Virginia, as an affiliated area of the National
Park System, and for other purposes; to the Committee on Energy and
Natural Resources.
Mr. KAINE. Mr. President, today, I am joining with Senator Mark
Warner to again introduce legislation to designate the General George
C. Marshall House, also known as the Dodona Manor, in Leesburg, VA, as
an affiliated area under the National Park Service. This same bill
passed unanimously in the Senate at the end of the 118th Congress.
The legislation will be the final step in the yearslong effort to
recognize the Dodona Manor as a unit of the National Park System. It
will also promote the public appreciation of the significant historic
contributions made by U.S. military leader and statesman George C.
Marshall.
George C. Marshall was an American hero, playing a significant role
in the Allied victory in World War II and serving as an architect of
one of the most significant foreign policy initiatives in our country's
history. He led a lifetime of public service, serving as Chief of Staff
to the Army during America's entry into World War II, as Secretary of
State, where he orchestrated the historic Marshall Plan to rebuild
Europe following the war and provided counsel to Presidents Roosevelt
and Truman, and as Secretary of Defense after the onset of the Korean
war. He acquired Dodona Manor while serving as the Chief of Staff of
the U.S. Army in 1941 and lived there until his death in 1959.
Today, the George C. Marshall House is dedicated to preserving and
advancing General Marshall's life's work and legacy by hosting
international exchanges, historical exhibits, and community events, and
supporting educational programming based on General Marshall's desire
to inspire future leaders. The legislation would bring greater
resources, including technical assistance, accessibility improvements,
and new programming, to this historical site and enable the Marshall
House to improve and expand its work.
I am hopeful that this designation will provide new resources to
preserve, honor, and celebrate General Marshall's legacy at this
historic site, and I am pleased that companion legislation is also
being introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives by my colleague
Representative Suhas Subramanyam.
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