Washington, DC, May 15, 2007 -

U.S. Congressman John Carter (R, Round Rock), House Republican Conference Secretary, today presented an Extension of Remarks to the House of Representatives honoring the City of Killeen on its 125^th birthday.

“I am proud to represent the people of Killeen in Congress,” said Representative Carter. “Killeen has grown from a small railroad town to the home of the world’s largest military station. Killeen makes supporting its soldiers and their families their top priority, and I am pleased to support this mission and the residents of this great Central Texas city.”

Extensions of Remarks allow Congress members to have comments not made on the House floor inserted in the Congressional Record. The text of the Extension of Remarks honoring Killeen is below:

Subject: Honoring the City of Killeen on its 125th Birthday

The City of Killeen, Texas will celebrate its 125th birthday May 15th, 2007.

The City of Killeen was born May 15, 1882, when the Santa Fe Railroad extended its line westward. Named for Frank P. Killeen, an official of the railroad in Galveston, some believe that Killeen may have been among the railroad dignitaries on the train that arrived to mark the beginning of the town, but it has never been confirmed. The town of about 300 people became a shipping point of the area for agricultural products, cotton in particular.

In the next 60 years, the city prospered and grew to over 1,200 people. But in 1942, this small railroad town became home to military post Camp Hood. The military camp’s impact was tremendous more than quintupling Killeen’s population in its first few years.

After World War II, the Army was looking for a place to train soldiers in tank destroyer tactics, and Killeen fit the bill. Camp Hood was named for Confederate General John Bell Hood. The initial installation covered 160,000 acres, most of Killeen’s best farming land, forcing many families from their homesteads. In 1950, the camp was declared a permanent post changing its name to Fort Hood.

Killeen was now a military town, so its goal became to make it the best town for military families to live. Supporting our soldiers and their families is still the top priority today.

The town and the fort grew together. Killeen worked to develop infrastructure that would incorporate the military base and its needs. Immediate needs were water leading to the construction of Belton Lake and later, Stillhouse Hollow Reservoir; the construction of better highways to meet military and civilian travel needs; major construction to provide housing; and an accompanying growth in retail business.

This small agriculture turned railroad turned military town now has a population of over 100,000 people and is bustling with commerce. Killeen has a young, diverse populous served by good schools and affordable housing and will continue to thrive in its next 125 years.