Lockheed Martin Volunteers Create Record of Valley Forge Troops

By Gail Repsher Emery, Staff Writer


OCT. 27 ? Employees of Bethesda, Md.-based Lockheed Martin Corp. and the National Park Service in Valley Forge, Pa., today unveiled the Valley Forge Muster Roll, the first automated record of nearly 30,000 soldiers who served at Valley Forge during the Revolutionary War.


More than 30 Lockheed Martin Management & Data System employees donated more than 2,000 hours during the past 18 months, working with National Park Service officials to computerize thousands of historical documents containing the soldiers' information.


"The Muster Roll project has breathed life into the Valley Forge story and given human scale to the trials and accomplishments of the common soldier," said Arthur Stewart, superintendent of the Valley Forge National Historical Park.


The public will be able to search soldiers' records at two interactive kiosks in the park's visitor center. In addition, the volunteers also constructed a Web site, www.nps.gov/vafo/home.htm, which can access the database from any location.


"It is the selfless giving of our employees that truly reflects the spirit of M&DS. I am very proud of their accomplishment," said Marc Hansen, president of the division.


The business unit employs about 7,500 workers in Pennsylvania, Arizona, California, Colorado and the Washington metropolitan area.