Delaware News

National Guard Headquarters to be Named for Beau Biden

Former Governor Jack Markell (2009-2017) | News | Office of the Governor | Date Posted: Tuesday, November 10, 2015



Governor announces Armed Forces Reserve Center will honor former Attorney General and Guard Member

Wilmington, DE – Governor Markell announced today that the state will honor the late Beau Biden, a former Attorney General and a Major in the Army National Guard, by naming Delaware’s Armed Forces Reserved Center after him. A ceremony unveiling new signage for the “Major Joseph R. (Beau) Biden III Armed Forces Reserved Center” will take place in the spring.Delaware Joint Armed Forces Reserve Center Photo

“Beau lived every day with a remarkable determination to making Delaware’s communities and our world a better place, from defending the country abroad to protecting children and our most vulnerable citizens as Attorney General to his dedication to family as a model husband and father,” said Markell. “It is only fitting that his name will forever be associated with an organization of men and women who go to extraordinary lengths to serve their state and country.”

Biden, who died of brain cancer in May, enlisted in the Army Guard in 2003, rising to the rank of Major. In 2008, he deployed to Iraq for a year as a member of the 261st Theater Tactical Signal Brigade. He earned the Legion of Merit and Bronze Star for his service.

Following successful stints in the U.S. Attorney’s Office and private practice, Biden won election as Attorney General in 2006 and served two, four-year terms. His tenure was marked by strengthening state protections for children, including increased prosecution of child sex abuse, more stringent state laws, and the creation of the Child Predator Task Force and Child Victims Unit.

“Nothing made Beau more proud than putting on his uniform and reporting for duty,” said Hallie Biden, Beau’s widow. “He adored his brothers and sisters in the Delaware National Guard and what they represented in our state. The men and women who walk through the doors of this building are the finest we have – we’re honored that he will forever be associated with them.”

The state-of-the-art Armed Forces Reserve Center was dedicated in August 2014, following two years of construction on the 106,000 square foot facility that now houses the Army and Air National Guard as well as the local U.S. Navy Reserve.

The building, which was conceived to foster operational efficiency by locating similar functions together and providing servicemen and women with the most advanced technology, received gold level status in the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) program, which recognizes best-in-class building strategies and practices. Features include LED lights, room occupation light sensors, dual ballast florescent lights in the hall ways that dim and illuminate based on human presence, geothermal heating and air conditioning, roof mounted solar panels, and underground water storage tanks that help eliminate storm run-off from the property.

During the week, approximately 175 Soldiers, Airmen, and Sailors occupy the building, with that number rising to more than 320 personnel on training assembly weekends.

“Like his father, Beau dedicated his life to serving the citizens of his state and country,” said Major General Frank Vavala, Adjutant General for the Delaware National Guard. “Major Biden’s exemplary commitment embodied the Citizen-Soldier concept and we could not think of anyone more deserving or worthy of having his name on this state of the art building occupied by the men and women of our military.”

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National Guard Headquarters to be Named for Beau Biden

Former Governor Jack Markell (2009-2017) | News | Office of the Governor | Date Posted: Tuesday, November 10, 2015



Governor announces Armed Forces Reserve Center will honor former Attorney General and Guard Member

Wilmington, DE – Governor Markell announced today that the state will honor the late Beau Biden, a former Attorney General and a Major in the Army National Guard, by naming Delaware’s Armed Forces Reserved Center after him. A ceremony unveiling new signage for the “Major Joseph R. (Beau) Biden III Armed Forces Reserved Center” will take place in the spring.Delaware Joint Armed Forces Reserve Center Photo

“Beau lived every day with a remarkable determination to making Delaware’s communities and our world a better place, from defending the country abroad to protecting children and our most vulnerable citizens as Attorney General to his dedication to family as a model husband and father,” said Markell. “It is only fitting that his name will forever be associated with an organization of men and women who go to extraordinary lengths to serve their state and country.”

Biden, who died of brain cancer in May, enlisted in the Army Guard in 2003, rising to the rank of Major. In 2008, he deployed to Iraq for a year as a member of the 261st Theater Tactical Signal Brigade. He earned the Legion of Merit and Bronze Star for his service.

Following successful stints in the U.S. Attorney’s Office and private practice, Biden won election as Attorney General in 2006 and served two, four-year terms. His tenure was marked by strengthening state protections for children, including increased prosecution of child sex abuse, more stringent state laws, and the creation of the Child Predator Task Force and Child Victims Unit.

“Nothing made Beau more proud than putting on his uniform and reporting for duty,” said Hallie Biden, Beau’s widow. “He adored his brothers and sisters in the Delaware National Guard and what they represented in our state. The men and women who walk through the doors of this building are the finest we have – we’re honored that he will forever be associated with them.”

The state-of-the-art Armed Forces Reserve Center was dedicated in August 2014, following two years of construction on the 106,000 square foot facility that now houses the Army and Air National Guard as well as the local U.S. Navy Reserve.

The building, which was conceived to foster operational efficiency by locating similar functions together and providing servicemen and women with the most advanced technology, received gold level status in the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) program, which recognizes best-in-class building strategies and practices. Features include LED lights, room occupation light sensors, dual ballast florescent lights in the hall ways that dim and illuminate based on human presence, geothermal heating and air conditioning, roof mounted solar panels, and underground water storage tanks that help eliminate storm run-off from the property.

During the week, approximately 175 Soldiers, Airmen, and Sailors occupy the building, with that number rising to more than 320 personnel on training assembly weekends.

“Like his father, Beau dedicated his life to serving the citizens of his state and country,” said Major General Frank Vavala, Adjutant General for the Delaware National Guard. “Major Biden’s exemplary commitment embodied the Citizen-Soldier concept and we could not think of anyone more deserving or worthy of having his name on this state of the art building occupied by the men and women of our military.”

###

image_printPrint

Related Topics:  , , , , , ,


Graphic that represents delaware news on a mobile phone

Keep up to date by receiving a daily digest email, around noon, of current news release posts from state agencies on news.delaware.gov.

Here you can subscribe to future news updates.