2025 SESSION

ENROLLED

SENATE RESOLUTION NO. 273

Commending Hawkins-Reeve Post 7916 of the Veterans of Foreign Wars.

Agreed to by the Senate, February 19, 2025

WHEREAS, Hawkins-Reeve Post 7916 of the Veterans of Foreign Wars in Occoquan, an affiliate of one of the oldest and largest war veterans service organizations in the country, has fulfilled its mission to “honor the dead by helping the living” for more than 78 years; and

WHEREAS, Hawkins-Reeve Post 7916 was conceived shortly after World War II by a group of 37 combat veterans in the areas of Occoquan, Woodbridge, and Lorton and was officially established on June 27, 1946; and

WHEREAS, Hawkins-Reeve Post 7916 honorably takes its name from United States Naval Reserve pilot Lieutenant Junior Grade Claggett Hartwood Hawkins and United States Army Air Corps pilot Second Lieutenant Charles Douglas Reeve, who both died in the line of duty in 1944; and

WHEREAS, members of Hawkins-Reeve Post 7916 are a select group of esteemed veterans of foreign wars of the United States who have been carefully chosen before being conferred membership into the post; and

WHEREAS, the past and present members of Hawkins-Reeve Post 7916 include veterans of World War II, as well as conflicts in Afghanistan, Bosnia, Cambodia, Cyprus, the Dominican Republic, Haiti, Grenada, Iraq, Korea, Kuwait, Laos, Lebanon, Libya, Panama, Serbia, Somalia, Syria, Uganda, and Vietnam; and

WHEREAS, from its first post commander, Walter J. "Mac” McGuire, to its current and 71st post commander, Jeffery A. “Doc” Lett, Hawkins-Reeve Post 7916 has been ably guided by a succession of thoughtful and experienced leaders; and

WHEREAS, the members of Hawkins-Reeve Post 7916 give generously of their time to organize Memorial Day and Veterans Day remembrances and POW/MIA ceremonies, lay wreaths and flags at Quantico National Cemetery, and provide meals to individuals in need, while actively supporting various other organizations and endeavors in the community; and

WHEREAS, for eight consecutive years, Hawkins-Reeve Post 7916 has received the prestigious “All-American” performance designation, which recognizes it as one of the top Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) posts among more than 6,300 posts worldwide; and

WHEREAS, in recognition of its accomplishments, Hawkins-Reeve Post 7916 has been lauded by the National VFW headquarters through placements in recruiting videos, podcasts, and national articles, as well as with its selection as April 2021 Post of the Month; and

WHEREAS, with great compassion and concern for the well-being of their fellow veterans, the members of Hawkins-Reeve Post 7916 have made an impact on countless lives, earning the esteem and admiration of all Virginians; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED by the Senate of Virginia, That Hawkins-Reeve Post 7916 of the Veterans of Foreign Wars hereby be commended for its dedication and legacy of service; and, be it

RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the Senate prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to Hawkins-Reeve Post 7916 of the Veterans of Foreign Wars as an expression of the Senate of Virginia's high regard for the organization's contributions to the Commonwealth.