Florida Senate - 2016                            (NP)    SR 1460
       
       
        
       By Senator Altman
       
       16-01886-16                                           20161460__
    1                          Senate Resolution                        
    2         A resolution honoring the Florida National Guard and
    3         recognizing January 12, 2016, as “Florida National
    4         Guard Day.”
    5  
    6         WHEREAS, as the military arm of the Governor and the people
    7  of this state, the Florida National Guard stands ready to
    8  respond immediately to a call from the Governor in times of
    9  crisis or emergency, and
   10         WHEREAS, the Florida National Guard traces its lineage back
   11  to 1565 when the first muster of a civilian militia took place
   12  in St. Augustine, making Florida’s militia the oldest in the
   13  nation, and
   14         WHEREAS, the Florida National Guard today stands strong
   15  with approximately 12,000 of the best soldiers and airmen this
   16  nation has ever known, and
   17         WHEREAS, the men and women of the Florida National Guard
   18  and their families willingly make sacrifices during times of
   19  crisis, including hurricanes, fires, floods, and other natural
   20  disasters, and while serving domestically and around the world
   21  in various military operations, and
   22         WHEREAS, more than 18,400 men and women of the Florida
   23  National Guard have answered the call to federal active duty,
   24  without reservation, since the attack on our nation on September
   25  11, 2001, and
   26         WHEREAS, these dedicated men and women have served with
   27  distinction and honor during Operation Enduring Freedom,
   28  Operation Iraqi Freedom, and Operation New Dawn and continue to
   29  serve in Operation Noble Eagle, Operation Freedom’s Sentinel,
   30  Operation Inherent Resolve, and Operation Observant Compass,
   31  which take these dedicated National Guard members far from their
   32  families and friends while they ensure our safety at home, and
   33         WHEREAS, the employers of members of the Florida National
   34  Guard have made significant sacrifices in conducting business
   35  during the absence of these employees, ensuring that they will
   36  have jobs when they return home, and
   37         WHEREAS, the men and women of the Florida National Guard
   38  are involved in hundreds of community service projects across
   39  the state each day while preparing for their federal duty,
   40  protecting the citizens of this state during emergencies, and
   41  contributing to local programs that add value to the quality of
   42  life in the United States of America and this state, NOW,
   43  THEREFORE,
   44  
   45  Be It Resolved by the Senate of the State of Florida:
   46  
   47         That in honor of the significant contributions and
   48  consistent readiness of the Florida National Guard, and in
   49  grateful acknowledgment of the faithful service of its dedicated
   50  soldiers and airmen, January 12, 2016, is recognized as “Florida
   51  National Guard Day.”
   52         BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this resolution, with
   53  the Seal of the Senate affixed, be presented to Major General
   54  Michael A. Calhoun, Adjutant General of Florida, as a tangible
   55  token of the sentiments of the Florida Senate.