NEW CASTLE, Del. — Delaware's new National Guard headquarters in New Castle will be named for the late Beau Biden, a two-term attorney general who served in Iraq with the Delaware Army National Guard.
Gov. Jack Markell, who made the announcement on Tuesday, will formally rename Delaware's Armed Forces Reserve Center as the Major Joseph R. (Beau) Biden III Armed Forces Reserve Center during a ceremony in the spring.
"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," Markell said in a statement. "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."
The 106,000-square-foot reserve center adjacent to the New Castle County Airport was dedicated in August 2014 after two years of construction. It houses the Army and Air National Guard as well as the local U.S. Navy Reserve. About 175 soldiers, airmen, and sailors work out of the building, Markell said, and the number rises to more than 320 military personnel on assembly weekends.
"Like his father, Beau dedicated his life to serving the citizens of his state and country," Maj. Gen. Frank Vavala, adjutant general for the Delaware National Guard, said in a statement. "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."
