By Senators Honeyford, Hargrove, Hatfield, Hill, Becker, Bailey, Parlette, Kohl-Welles, O'Ban, Mullet, Dammeier, Brown, Fraser, Billig, Braun, Keiser, Conway, Hewitt, Warnick, Ranker, Padden, Schoesler, and Roach

WHEREAS, The Civil Air Patrol was commissioned December 1, 1941, just days before the attack on Pearl Harbor, for the purpose of liaison flying and interdiction of infiltrators on the East Coast and southern border of the United States, and thereafter the Civil Air Patrol insignia, a red three-bladed propeller in the Civil Defense white-triangle-in-blue-circle, began appearing; and

WHEREAS, When German submarines began to prey on American ships, the Civil Air Patrol's mission grew to include a 1,000-member coastal patrol, 64 of whom died in service and 26 of whom were lost at sea; and

WHEREAS, After a crew was forced to watch in vain as a grounded submarine off Cape Canaveral, Florida escaped before the military arrived, Civil Air Patrol planes were issued bombs and depth charges, and thereafter the Civil Air Patrol coastal patrol flew 24 million miles and found 173 submarines, ultimately attacking 57, hitting 10, and sinking 2; and

WHEREAS, By presidential executive order, the Civil Air Patrol became an auxiliary of the United States Army Air Forces on April 28, 1943, and several months later the Germans withdrew coastal U-boat operations "because of those damned little red and yellow airplanes"; and

WHEREAS, On December 10, 2014, the Civil Air Patrol was awarded the Congressional Gold Medal in honor of the founding members' role in protecting our coasts against deadly German U-boat attacks during World War II and carrying out other vital wartime missions; and

WHEREAS, The Congressional Gold Medal marks the first major recognition of the volunteer services by the men, women, and teenagers who joined the Civil Air Patrol to serve their country during World War II; and

WHEREAS, Richard Hagman and Warren Davis are residents of Washington State and among the fewer than 100 founding patrol members believed to be alive today, and are joined by James Campbell and Gordon Ebbert, who both recently passed away; and

WHEREAS, During the postwar years, the Civil Air Patrol was put to work in search and rescue missions, saving the United States millions of dollars in operational costs as the only organization with the equipment and training to perform this vital job, with military aircraft being far too expensive to operate and flying too fast to accurately spot downed planes and personnel; and

WHEREAS, During the deadly 2014 Oso mudslide, the Civil Air Patrol flew vital supplies to areas unreachable by heavier aircraft, and ground teams helped to evacuate cities and towns; and

WHEREAS, The Civil Air Patrol has a cadet program with over 23,000 participants between the ages of 12 and 20, one of its major attractions being its aerospace program, which provides both classroom and practical instruction in flight and rocketry, and offers each cadet the opportunity to participate in orientation flights in both powered and glider aircraft while learning search and rescue techniques and other valuable skills, emphasizing military history, leadership, and service within the squadron and to the community as a whole; and

WHEREAS, Over 16,000 students in kindergarten through 6th grade completed the Aerospace Connections in Education program developed by the Civil Air Patrol and the United States Air Force; and

WHEREAS, Today's Civil Air Patrol continues its service and commitment to our state and country with three primary missions: Aerospace education, cadet programs, and emergency services; and

WHEREAS, In Washington State alone, the Civil Air Patrol is composed of approximately 725 senior members and 604 cadets, who flew their 11 aircraft 2,100 hours in 2014 alone in service to our state, at a value of 3 million dollars in volunteer hours; and

WHEREAS, The Washington Wing was ranked first for hours flown per aircraft among all wings in the Civil Air Patrol Pacific Region, which includes wings from Alaska, California, Hawaii, Nevada, Oregon, and Washington, and was ranked 14th for hours flown per wing out of the 57 Civil Air Patrol units nationwide;

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, That the Washington State Senate recognize the Washington State wing of the Civil Air Patrol for its courageous and unwavering dedication to our citizens; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That a copy of this resolution be immediately transmitted by the Secretary of the Senate to Colonel James P. Furlong, Commander of the Civil Air Patrol Washington Wing.