September 20, 2002
For Immediate Release

Congressman Kirk and Secretary Principi Participate in Ground Breaking Ceremony for Key Project in $1 Billion Reconstruction Plan at Great Lakes Naval Training Center and Host Veterans Town Hall Meeting

North Chicago, IL -- U.S. Rep. Mark Kirk (R-IL) joined by Secretary of Veterans Affairs Anthony J. Principi and Rear Adm. Ann E. Rondeau, commander, Naval Training Center, helped break ground today commemorating the start of construction on a $200 million recruit barracks facility which is a key project in the $1 billion recapitalization currently underway at Recruit Training Command, Great Lakes.

“Today, more than a thousand miles from salt water, we are rebuilding the Navy right here at Great Lakes,” said Congressman Kirk. “I am dedicated to providing our men and women in uniform with the best training facilities and equipment before they deploy to protect our freedom and way of life. I am very pleased to be joined today by Secretary of Veterans Affairs Anthony Principi. This project would not have been possible without brokering a landmark agreement between the Navy and the Veterans Administration. By allowing these barracks to be built on land once owned by the Veterans Administration, we will save millions of taxpayer dollars in construction costs while allowing the Navy to build a world class training facility for sailors headed to the fleet.”

In February of this year, Kirk welcomed Secretary of the Navy Gordon R. England and Deputy Secretary of Veterans Affairs Dr. Leo S. Mackay, Jr., to North Chicago to sign atransfer agreement for a 48-acre parcel of land previously owned by the VA. Today’s ground breaking symbolizes the start of construction on two of seven planned self-contained barracks which will house 1,000 recruits, enhance training facilities, and improve living conditions for Sailors in basic training.

Following the ground breaking ceremony at Great Lakes, Congressman Kirk and Secretary Principi convened a veterans town hall meeting at North Chicago VA Medical Center.

Kirk, a long-time supporter of keeping the North Chicago VA Medical Center open and enhancing the sharing agreement between the VA hospital and Naval Hospital Great Lakes, applauded the task force recently commissioned by President Bush to recommend improved coordination between VA and DoD health care systems. In his Fiscal Year 2003 Budget Request, President Bush highlighted plans for a joint medical facility in North Chicago.

“We have long stood for the simple principle that veterans health care should be offered where veterans live,” said Congressman Kirk. “We have come a long way from the days there was talk of closing this veterans hospital. I am dedicated to upgrading veterans health care while fostering cooperation with the Navy. A joint VA/DoD facility designed to serve a growing Navy population at Great Lakes and a veterans population expected to decline over the next ten years, seem to be the right direction for providing excellent active duty and veterans health care at reduced taxpayer expense. Together, our two great federal institutions in Lake County can support the men and women who have served our country with distinction in the past and those who defend our nation today.”

# # #