SENATE RESOLUTION

                            8719

By Senators Sheldon, B., Kastama, Prentice, Franklin, Snyder, Spanel, Hale, West, Haugen, Kohl-Welles, Poulsen, McAuliffe, Fraser, Winsley, Oke, Jacobsen, Regala, Carlson, Swecker, Parlette, Roach, Honeyford, Gardner, Fairley, Keiser, Sheldon, T., Eide, Costa, Shin, Benton, Brown, Deccio, Finkbeiner, Hargrove, Hewitt, Hochstatter, Horn, Johnson, Kline, Long, McCaslin, McDonald, Morton, Rasmussen, Rossi, Sheahan, Stevens, Thibaudeau, and Zarelli

     WHEREAS, It is the tradition of the Washington State Senate to honor those who serve in our armed forces, risking their lives to protect our own; and

     WHEREAS, Two Bremerton-based vessels left Washington on July 23, 2001, anticipating one-hundred and eighty days of routine deployment to enforce the no-fly zone over southern Iraq; and

     WHEREAS, The unconscionable terrorist attacks on our country September 11 changed all that; and

     WHEREAS, After the attacks, the aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson, commissioned in 1982, moved into position in the North Arabian Sea near Afghanistan and set up for a mission that may have been the most arduous in ship=s history; and

     WHEREAS, No carrier stayed on station longer or launched more air strikes than the Vinson, whose crew and air wing of 6,000 men and women worked twelve to fifteen hours a day, seven days a week; and

     WHEREAS, The first shot fired in the AWar on Terrorism@ came from the USS Carl Vinson; and

     WHEREAS, The Carl Vinson could not have carried out its work without the support of the USS Sacramento, the Navy=s oldest fast-combat supply ship; and

     WHEREAS,  As naval forces from the United States, Great Britain, Australia, Canada, Italy and Japan arrived in the waters off Pakistan, the USS Sacramento became one of the most important assets in the war against terrorism, completing a total of one hundred and sixty eight alongside replenishments with forty-three different ships, transferring more than thirty-four million gallons of fuel, 3,300 lifts of ammunition, and thousands of pallets of food, stores, parts and mail; and

     WHEREAS, Practically every gallon of fuel used by, and every bomb dropped in Afghanistan, from a Carl Vinson jet came from the USS Sacramento; and

     WHEREAS, After seventy-three grueling days in support of AOperation Enduring Freedom,@ in addition to more than one-hundred days at sea elsewhere B and after traveling 51,343.2 nautical miles, the equivalent of more than two times around the world, the USS Carl Vinson and the USS Sacramento are headed home this month; and

     WHEREAS, Those on board the USS Carl Vinson and the USS Sacramento are heroes and an inspiration to others; and

     WHEREAS, Everyone on board these vessels has helped heal our country during a time of crisis; and

     WHEREAS, All residents of Washington appreciate their dedication and the sacrifices they have made for the good of us all;

     NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, That the Washington State Senate do hereby recognize the selfless service of the crews of the USS Carl Vinson and USS Sacramento, and welcome the crews home; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That copies of this resolution be immediately transmitted by the Secretary of the Senate to Captain Steven R. Kremer, Commanding Officer of Naval Station Bremerton, Captain Richard B. Wren, Commanding Officer of  the USS Carl Vinson and Captain J. D. Cloyd, Commanding Officer of the USS Sacramento.

I, Tony M. Cook, Secretary of the Senate,

do hereby certify that this is a true and

correct copy of Senate Resolution 8719,

adopted by the Senate January 18, 2002.

TONY M. COOK

Secretary of the Senate