WHEREAS, Joint Base Lewis-McChord (JBLM) has a legacy of significance to the United States and to the world that brings honor and pride to the entire state of Washington; and

WHEREAS, Camp Lewis, as it was then known, began construction in May of 1917 under the direction of Captain David L. Stone; who, in less than 90 days, created one thousand seven hundred fifty-seven buildings as well as four hundred twenty-two other structures with light and heat, exhibiting the "can do" spirit that inhabits the exploits of JBLM to this day; and

WHEREAS, In 1927, just to the north of Camp Lewis, Pierce County residents established an airfield of the highest quality; in 1939, that airfield was transferred to the United States Government and would later become McChord Field; and

WHEREAS, On February 1, 2010, Camp Lewis, later known as Fort Lewis, and McChord Field, later known as McChord Air Force Base, consolidated facilities and became Joint Base Lewis-McChord; and

WHEREAS, The first recruits to Camp Lewis became the "Ninety-First Division" or the "Wild West Division," which served in numerous battles in World War I, including the Meuse-Argonne offensive and the Battle of Flanders, and captured more than 2,200 German soldiers; and

WHEREAS, In 1940, McChord Field was the General Headquarters of the Air Force Northwest District; and

WHEREAS, With the outbreak of World War II, Colonel Dwight David Eisenhower, who later became President of the United States, was assigned to Fort Lewis as commander to the 15th Infantry Regiment and while there was promoted and placed in command of the entire pacific coast defense; and

WHEREAS, The first military group to arrive at McChord Field was the 17th Bombardment Group that patrolled the west coast for enemy submarines after the December 7, 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor and destroyed an imperial Japanese submarine near the mouth of the Columbia River on December 24, 1941; and

WHEREAS, Colonel James H. "Jimmy" Doolittle came to McChord and selected ten aircrew members to participate in the courageous 1942 Doolittle Raid on Tokyo, which was the first American strike against the homeland of imperial Japan after the attack on Pearl Harbor; and

WHEREAS, During World War II, Fort Lewis contributed and deployed many divisions that were essential to the war effort, and McChord Field continued to play a strategic, vital, and heroic role until the close of World War II; and

WHEREAS, Both institutions were essential for the war efforts that followed, including the Korean War, the Vietnam War, and the Cold War; and

WHEREAS, In 1972, Fort Lewis was given the task of making up a volunteer Army; for this, the 9th Infantry Division was reactivated and became the first volunteer division in the United States Army; and

WHEREAS, During the Reagan administration, Fort Lewis was selected to be the testing ground for molding the Army into a highly skilled, efficient fighting machine with lighter mobilized units capable of rapid deployment; and

WHEREAS, Fort Lewis and McChord played a strategic role in the First Gulf War; Operation Desert Storm; and, following the September 11, 2001, terror attacks, played a key role in Operation Iraqi Freedom, Operation Enduring Freedom, and to homeland security; and

WHEREAS, In 2004, Task Force Olympia was activated to deploy units into Iraq, including reserves, National Guards, Marines, Australian officers, and several subordinate units including the 3rd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division and the 1st Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division; and

WHEREAS, McChord Field, individually and as a part of JBLM, has an honorable and lifesaving record of humanitarian relief; and

WHEREAS, JBLM represents thirty percent of the Pierce County economy; is its largest employer, and is the second largest employer in the state; and has a 6.1 billion dollar impact on our economy; and

WHEREAS, JBLM is among the largest and most important bases in the United States, and currently supports over one hundred twenty-five thousand military retirees and more than thirty-two thousand family members who live both on and off base and enjoy Washington as their home; and

WHEREAS, The remarkable deeds of the men and women who have served at JBLM are too numerous to recount, and many have never been told due to the full measure of sacrifice given to the cause of freedom; and

WHEREAS, The gratitude the world owes them for their role in securing liberty is beyond measure;

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, That the Washington State Senate recognize the 100th anniversary of JBLM, which began in 1917 with land gifted for use as a permanent army post to the federal government by the citizens of Pierce County, which would in return give the United States and the world support and protection in our darkest hours so that we might live free.