Del. Richard L. Anderson, R-Va. 51Woodbridge, Va. –– On Saturday evening, July 16th, Del. Richard L. Anderson (R-Prince William), a native of Roanoke now representing Prince William County in the Virginia General Assembly, will serve as the keynote speaker at the annual banquet at the American Legion State Convention in Roanoke, Va. Officials of the American Legion Department of Virginia estimate that 1,000 members will attend from across the Commonwealth of Virginia.
Anderson represents the 51st House District, which under redistricting now stretches from the edge of Occoquan in the east across Prince William County to Brentsville and Nokesville in the west.
Del. Anderson was invited to give keynote remarks at the banquet in his role as Chair of the General Assembly Military and Veterans Caucus, which serves as a clearing house for introduced legislation intended to care for 830,000 veterans who reside in Virginia. During the past two legislative sessions of the General Assembly, Del. Anderson introduced or co-patroned a number of military and veteran-friendly bills that Gov. Bob McDonnell signed into law after passage by the Virginia House and Senate.
In addition to his House duties, Del. Anderson has focused on veteran issues as a member of the Virginia Commission on Military and National Security Facilities, a member of the Virginia Board of Veterans Services, and as a member of the General Assembly National Guard Caucus.
The delegate is also the historian and a life member at American Legion Post 364 in Woodbridge, as well as a life member at Veteran of Foreign Wars Post 1503 in Dale City.
Del. Anderson retired from the U.S. Air Force as a full colonel in 2009 after a 30-year military career. Later that same year, he was elected to represent the 51st House District in the Virginia General Assembly. Del. Anderson’s wife, Ruth, retired from the U.S. Air Force Nurse Corps as a colonel-selectee in 2001 after a 21-year military career. Together, they served a total of 51 years in uniform.
Del. Anderson’s remarks will focus on Gov. McDonnell’s goal of making Virginia the “most veteran-friendly state in the nation.” Having assisted in shaping state-level programs for the military and veteran community, Anderson will convey a message to conferees at the banquet about the Governor’s plans for Virginia Veterans.
In preparing to leave for Roanoke on Saturday morning, Del. Anderson stated that “I’m looking forward to returning to my hometown for the weekend and to spending the afternoon and evening with the great veterans and families of the American Legion Department of Virginia. It will be a privilege to convey a personal message from the Governor and the General Assembly, and to return to Richmond ready to do more for Virginia’s veterans.”
