By Senators Keiser, Nelson, Palumbo, Hunt, Zeiger, McCoy, Conway, Rivers, Miloscia, and Fain

WHEREAS, On June 21, 1947, Tacoma resident Harold Dahl and his son allegedly sighted six flying discs over Puget Sound near Vashon-Maury Island, an event now commonly known as "The Maury Island Incident"; and

WHEREAS, On June 22, 1947, Mr. Dahl alleges he was warned not to talk about what he saw by a man dressed in a black suit; and

WHEREAS, On June 24, 1947, pilot Kenneth Arnold alleges he saw nine unidentified flying objects ("UFO's") near Mt. Rainier; and

WHEREAS, These controversial sightings helped launch a pop culture phenomenon of UFO sightings across the United States during the summer of 1947, which became known as "The Summer of the Saucers"; and

WHEREAS, On August 8, 1947, two weeks after the Washington sightings, a UFO is alleged to have crashed outside Roswell, New Mexico, and this alleged crash has since become the most well-known alleged UFO incident in history; and

WHEREAS, On August 1, 1947, Army Air Corp Intelligence Officers Capt. William L. Davidson and 1st Lt. Frank M. Brown, who interviewed Harold Dahl about his sighting, lost their lives when the B-25 Bomber they were piloting crashed outside of Kelso, Washington; and

WHEREAS, Following the tragic deaths of Davidson and Brown, Harold Dahl publicly claimed his sighting at Maury Island was a hoax; and

WHEREAS, Special Agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation conducted an investigation of the deaths of Davidson and Brown and ultimately concluded that Dahl did not recant his story but that his claim of hoax was itself a fabrication to avoid further public attention and ridicule; and

WHEREAS, The Maury Island Incident and its surrounding circumstances have made immeasurable contributions to Washington State's cultural heritage and to popular culture worldwide, including most recently the 2014 award-winning motion picture "The Maury Island Incident," and the 2015 web series "The Maury Island Incident," produced in conjunction with the Washington FilmWorks Innovation Lab and Motion Picture Competitiveness Program; and

WHEREAS, On April 1, 2017, the 3rd Annual Burien UFO Festival will be held in the newest hipster hangout of downtown Olde Burien with wide community participation and good humor; and

WHEREAS, On the seventieth anniversary of the seminal UFO sightings events, the Washington State sightings should be recognized for both their prominence and primacy in the modern era of UFO popular culture;

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, That the Washington State Senate pause to acknowledge the seventieth anniversary of the June 21, 1947, Maury Island Incident; the 1947 "Summer of the Saucers" popular culture phenomenon launched worldwide by these controversial events; and the first reference to the characters now popularly known as "men in black"; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That the Washington State Senate recognize and honor the heroism and service of Army Air Corp Intelligence Officers Capt. William L. Davidson and 1st Lt. Frank M. Brown, who lost their lives following their investigation of the Maury Island Incident when their airplane crashed outside of Kelso, Washington, on August 1, 1947; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That copies of this resolution be immediately transmitted by the Secretary of the Senate to the Air Force Historical Research Agency, to the Vashon-Maury Island Heritage Association, to the Des Moines Historical Society, to the Highline Historical Society, to the Burien Historical Society, to the Longview-Kelso Historical Society, and to the Washington State Historical Museum.