SENATE RESOLUTION

                                 8657

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

     WHEREAS, The Washington State Senate takes honor in recognizing residents who have dedicated their life to service; and

     WHEREAS, Helmut ABrownie@ Braunsteiner of Tacoma, has been a leader and a volunteer throughout his life, demonstrating the difference one person can make in so many others= lives; and

     WHEREAS, Brownie was born in Austria in 1926 and was forced into the Hitler Youth Organization until the Nazis discovered his mother was Jewish; and

     WHEREAS, Brownie escaped to America with his family in October of 1939; and

     WHEREAS, In 1944, Brownie began his 27 year career in the Army, serving in World War II, Korea and Vietnam; and

     WHEREAS, Because he spoke fluent German, Brownie acted as an interpreter-translator at the Nuremberg War Crimes Trials in 1945, and in 1961 he tutored former President John F. Kennedy in Berlin on the exact pronunciation of JFK=s famous phrase of unity, AIch bin ein Berliner;@ and

     WHEREAS, Brownie turned to volunteerism because, as a patriotic person thankful to enjoy the fruits of American freedom, he felt he owed the United States a favor; and

     WHEREAS, For thirty years, Brownie has been a full-time volunteer for veterans organizations, coordinating Veterans of Foreign Wars volunteers for the VA Hospital at American Lake and chairing the Pierce County Veterans Advisory Council; and

     WHEREAS, In 1987, Brownie helped found Fife=s Veterans Independent Enterprises of Washington, which rehabilitates homeless drug- or alcohol-dependent vets B housing them in its own facilities and placing them in jobs in its workshop; and

     WHEREAS, After developing diabetes, Brownie has volunteered countless hours with the Diabetes Association of Pierce County; and

     WHEREAS, The Diabetes Association of Pierce County, established in 1978, is a local nonprofit organization that has screened 96,825 people for diabetes at no charge B and Brownie has conducted ninety percent of those screenings; and

     WHEREAS, Brownie tries to help people detect diabetes in time to prevent severe complications B going so far as to check if they=ve been to a doctor about their condition three weeks after the test; and

     WHEREAS, Brownie, who recently celebrated his seventy-fifth birthday, was diagnosed with terminal lung cancer a few months ago, and has been given four to six months to live;

     NOW, THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, That the Washington State Senate does hereby recognize the outstanding contributions, selfless volunteerism, patriotism and endless devotion made by Brownie Braunsteiner to the people of Washington and the United States; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That copies of this resolution be transmitted immediately from the Secretary of the Senate to Helmut ABrownie@ Braunsteiner and his family,

the Diabetes Association of Pierce County and the Veterans Independent Enterprises of Washington.

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

do hereby certify that this is a true and

correct copy of Senate Resolution 8657,

adopted by the Senate April 6, 2001.

TONY M. COOK

Secretary of the Senate