[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 155 (2009), Part 22]
[House]
[Pages 29710-29711]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




COMMENDING THE SOLDIERS AND CIVILIAN PERSONNEL STATIONED AT FORT GORDON

  Ms. BORDALLO. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to 
the concurrent resolution (H. Con. Res. 206) 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, as amended.
  The Clerk read the title of the concurrent resolution.
  The text of the concurrent resolution is as follows:

                            H. Con. Res. 206

       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.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentlewoman from 
Guam (Ms. Bordallo) and the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Rooney) each 
will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from Guam.


                             General Leave

  Ms. BORDALLO. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members 
have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks 
on the resolution under consideration.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentlewoman from Guam?
  There was no objection.
  Ms. BORDALLO. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I might 
consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise today to support House Concurrent Resolution 206, 
commending the dedication of soldiers, civilian personnel, and families 
stationed at Fort Gordon, Georgia, and recognizing the 60th anniversary 
of Fort Gordon as the vital training center of the United States Army 
Signal Corps.
  Fort Gordon has a long and storied history of preparing our soldiers 
to effectively utilize technological advances on the battlefield. Now, 
Fort Gordon is training our soldiers in the advanced communication 
technologies needed to execute missions in Operation Iraqi Freedom and 
Operation Enduring Freedom.
  I also want to commend the civilian personnel at Fort Gordon who are 
key members of the United States Army Signal Corps team and whose hard 
work and dedication to the mission are critical to the United States 
Army's success. To be the best, we need soldiers and civilians working 
together.
  And finally, I want to express my gratitude to the families stationed 
at Fort Gordon. While their loved ones train for long hours and deploy 
overseas for extended periods of time, the families remain supportive 
and steadfast, understanding the sacrifice that comes from keeping the 
United States safe and secure. I also commend the entire Augusta, 
Georgia, community who rally around the great men and women of Fort 
Gordon.
  Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank my colleague, Mr. Broun of the 
State of Georgia, for his work in bringing this resolution to the 
floor, and I ask all my colleagues to support House Concurrent 
Resolution 206.
  I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. ROONEY. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of House Concurrent Resolution 
206, which commends the soldiers, civilian personnel, and their 
families stationed at Fort Gordon, Georgia, for their service and 
dedication to the United States.
  I want to commend Representative Paul Broun of Georgia for sponsoring 
this legislation which has drawn wide support of other Members as 
cosponsors, including a great number of non-Georgians.
  Mr. Speaker, Fort Gordon has been an important site of Army training 
for more than 60 years. Initially a training area for newly formed 
combat divisions preparing for battle in World War II, the 4th 
Infantry, the 26th Infantry, and the 10th Armored Divisions trained at

[[Page 29711]]

the then-Camp Gordon before they were deployed to combat in Europe and 
distinguished themselves in hard fighting across France, the Low 
Countries, and Germany.
  After the war, the newly designated Fort Gordon became the home of 
the Army's Signal Corps. In every conflict since, from Korea through 
today's wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, Fort Gordon has trained Army 
combat communicators in their essential combat duties.
  This is why it is, therefore, right and proper that we recognize Fort 
Gordon, the home of the Army Signal Corps, for its outstanding 
contributions to our Nation. I urge all Members to support this 
resolution.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. GINGREY of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I rise today as a cosponsor of 
H. Con. Res. 206, a 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.
  Fort Gordon dates to 1940, when the United States Army recognized a 
need for a military installation near Augusta, Georgia that could aid 
in combat during the ensuing Second World War. The groundbreaking 
actually took place in 1941, and the base was originally named Camp 
Gordon after John B. Gordon, a general during the Civil War and former 
Governor of Georgia. During World War II, Camp Gordon was home to the 
4th Infantry Division, 26th Infantry Division, and 10th Armored 
Division of the Army until they were deployed to Europe. However, in 
1948, Camp Gordon became the home of the Signal Corps Training Center--
for which it is most commonly known today.
  Throughout the Korean war the need for signalmen grew, and the Signal 
Corps Training Center became the largest single source for Army 
communications specialists. Camp Gordon was also made a permanent 
installation in 1956 and was renamed Fort Gordon. Further, during the 
Vietnam war era and after, communications specialists became an 
absolutely necessary component of highly technological and modernized 
warfare, and Fort Gordon was recognized as an exemplary institution for 
these soldiers as the Signal Corps Training Center came to be known as 
the United States Army Signal Center at Fort Gordon.
  Fort Gordon and the troops and families stationed there were 
instrumental in Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm, and during 
the 1990s the installation was responsible for training most of the DoD 
personnel who operate and maintain satellites, as well as training 
signal troops of allied and former nations.
  Currently, approximately 19,000 soldiers are stationed at Fort 
Gordon, and Augusta has been a welcome home to all of them. To this 
day, the base continues its tradition of success in the Signal Corps, 
as it trains soldiers for deployment into theater in Iraq and 
Afghanistan. On behalf of Georgia's 11th Congressional District, I am 
proud of the continued dedication to the safety and security of the 
United States of the men and women at Fort Gordon and thank them for 
their nearly 60 years of service to this Nation. Georgia has been 
blessed with an abundance of willing men and women who are committed to 
ensuring freedom and liberty for America, and I thank each of them for 
their service.
  I believe that the brave men and women at Fort Gordon and every 
military installation who sacrifice for our present freedoms deserve 
our fullest support. Our Nation's service men and women represent the 
best our country has to offer, and they must be treated with the 
respect and honor they deserve. As we ask these courageous soldiers, 
sailors, airmen, and marines--and their families--to do more and more, 
it's only right we continue doing all we can for them. Commending the 
accomplishments and service of our troops at Fort Gordon is just one 
small example of the gratitude that every American should express to 
our troops at home and abroad.
  With that, Mr. Speaker, I ask all of my colleagues to support this 
resolution.
  Mr. BROUN of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to commend the 
soldiers, civilians, and military families stationed at Fort Gordon for 
their service and dedication to the United States, and to honor the 
lineage of Fort Gordon as an indispensable communications installation 
and training center in our Nation's history.
  Fort Gordon was originally conceived as Camp Gordon on October 18, 
1941, as an answer to America's fight in WWII Europe. Camp Gordon was 
home to three Army Divisions--the 4th Infantry Division, the 26th 
Infantry Division, and the 10th Armor Division. All served with 
distinction in the liberation of Europe from the Nazi tyranny. It was 
not until March 21, 1956, that Camp Gordon was given permanent status 
and renamed Fort Gordon.
  Since that time, Fort Gordon's soldiers and civilians have 
continuously served with distinction in Vietnam, Operations Desert 
Shield and Desert Storm, and in current operations in Iraq and 
Afghanistan. All the while, the military family members were providing 
support while dealing with the hardship of long and often times 
multiple deployment separations.
  In June 1986, the United States Army Signal Regiment was established 
and Fort Gordon was designated as the home base for the regiment. Fort 
Gordon is home not only to the Army's premier signal training center, 
but it is also home to deploying active and reserve Army units. The 
soldiers in these units take the lessons learned from the battlefield 
in order to incorporate the lessons into the signal training curriculum 
and in research and development. This functional and technical analysis 
has lead to the development of mobile subscriber equipment, the Army's 
communication architecture and information mission area, which include 
integration of automation, communications, and visual information.
  Fort Gordon's role as a communications leader was not achieved 
through individuality but through a combined effort of the Army and the 
citizens of Augusta who together have fostered a strong community. 
Margret Mead said it best when referring to the strength of a 
community, ``never doubt that a small, group of thoughtful, committed 
citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever 
has.'' These committed Augusta citizens were and are an essential part 
of Fort Gordon's history that has led to a safer and secure America.
  Ms. BORDALLO. Mr. Speaker, at this time I have no further requests 
for time, and I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentlewoman from Guam (Ms. Bordallo) that the House suspend the rules 
and agree to the concurrent resolution, H. Con. Res. 206, as amended.
  The question was taken.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. In the opinion of the Chair, two-thirds 
being in the affirmative, the ayes have it.
  Ms. BORDALLO. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.
  The yeas and nays were ordered.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX and the 
Chair's prior announcement, further proceedings on this motion will be 
postponed.

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