| 1 | House Resolution |
| 2 | A resolution recognizing April 19, 2011, as "Florida Wing, |
| 3 | Civil Air Patrol Day" in the State of Florida. |
| 4 |
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| 5 | WHEREAS, the Civil Air Patrol was established on December |
| 6 | 1, 1941, one week before the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, by |
| 7 | citizens who were concerned about the defense of America's |
| 8 | coastline, and |
| 9 | WHEREAS, under the jurisdiction of the United States Army |
| 10 | Air Forces, Civil Air Patrol pilots flew more than 500,000 hours |
| 11 | and were credited with sinking two enemy submarines and rescuing |
| 12 | hundreds of crash survivors during World War II, and |
| 13 | WHEREAS, President Harry Truman established the Civil Air |
| 14 | Patrol as a federally chartered benevolent civilian corporation |
| 15 | on July 1, 1946, and on May 26, 1948, the United States Congress |
| 16 | passed Public Law 557, which permanently established the Civil |
| 17 | Air Patrol as the auxiliary of the United States Air Force and |
| 18 | charged the patrol with three primary missions: cadet programs, |
| 19 | emergency services, and aerospace education, and |
| 20 | WHEREAS, in October 2000, Congress passed Public Law 106- |
| 21 | 398, which designated the Civil Air Patrol as a volunteer |
| 22 | civilian auxiliary of the United States Air Force when its |
| 23 | services are provided to any department or agency of the Federal |
| 24 | Government, and |
| 25 | WHEREAS, the Civil Air Patrol's cadet program offers |
| 26 | children and young adults from ages 12 to 21 training in the |
| 27 | areas of leadership, ethics, decisionmaking, and physical |
| 28 | fitness and endurance, as well as the opportunity to fly in |
| 29 | military aircraft and compete for scholarships toward earning |
| 30 | pilot's licenses, and |
| 31 | WHEREAS, the goal of the Civil Air Patrol's aerospace |
| 32 | education program is to foster and cultivate student interest in |
| 33 | aerospace through the promotion of aviation, technology, |
| 34 | engineering, and aerospace studies in the classroom, and |
| 35 | WHEREAS, the Civil Air Patrol's emergency services program |
| 36 | provides crucial services for United States citizens, such as |
| 37 | inland search and rescue operations, reconnaissance for homeland |
| 38 | security, and disaster relief and support to local, state, and |
| 39 | national organizations, and |
| 40 | WHEREAS, the Civil Air Patrol is composed entirely of |
| 41 | volunteer members from all walks of life, including medical and |
| 42 | business professionals, law enforcement officers, clergy |
| 43 | members, educators, and others, whose sole purpose is to serve |
| 44 | the citizens of the United States and the State of Florida, and |
| 45 | WHEREAS, one of the largest and most active Wings in the |
| 46 | Civil Air Patrol is the Florida Wing, with over 4,100 members, |
| 47 | and |
| 48 | WHEREAS, Florida Wing, Civil Air Patrol has flown over |
| 49 | 7,441 hours over the past year in support of its task to serve |
| 50 | the citizens of the State of Florida and has executed over 400 |
| 51 | missions in the state, including United States Air Force |
| 52 | training missions and reconnaissance support for the Deepwater |
| 53 | Horizon incident, NOW, THEREFORE, |
| 54 |
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| 55 | Be It Resolved by the House of Representatives of the State of |
| 56 | Florida: |
| 57 |
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| 58 | That April 19, 2011, is recognized as "Florida Wing, Civil |
| 59 | Air Patrol Day" in the State of Florida. |
| 60 | BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this resolution be |
| 61 | presented to the Florida Wing, Civil Air Patrol as a tangible |
| 62 | token of the sentiments expressed herein. |