 
Assembly Resolution No. 381
 
BY: M. of A. Lupardo
 
        COMMEMORATING  the  80th  Anniversary of Civil Air
        Patrol
 
  WHEREAS, The State of New York takes great pride in recognizing  and
honoring  those  organizations  selflessly  dedicated  to protecting our
country  and  improving  the  health  and  well-being   of   communities
throughout the State and our nation; and
 
  WHEREAS,  This  Legislative  Body is justly proud to commemorate the
80th Anniversary of the Civil Air Patrol; and
 
  WHEREAS, The Civil Air Patrol  has  two  categories  of  legislative
memberships;  one  for  the  national legislative unit designated as the
Congressional Squadron, and the other for state  legislative  squadrons;
and
 
  WHEREAS,  Each  year,  on  the  first  day  of  December, this vital
organization remembers the sacrifices of  its  earliest  members,  whose
extraordinary  contributions  to  America  continue today in its citizen
volunteers' vigilant service to country and community; and
 
  WHEREAS, Civil Air Patrol (CAP) was founded  on  December  1,  1941,
less  than  one  week  before the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor led to
America's involvement in World War II; its members quickly proved  their
worth   by  conducting  aerial  patrols  on  their  own,  heroism  which
discouraged and eventually helped  stop  deadly  German  U-boat  attacks
along United States coastlines and waterways; and
 
  WHEREAS,  On  May 26, 1948, Congress passed a law designating CAP as
the  Air  Force  Auxiliary  with  three  primary  missions  -  emergency
missions, cadet programs, and aerospace education; and
 
  WHEREAS,  The  wartime service of CAP's "subchasers" helped stop the
loss of American and Allied merchant vessels, saving the lives of untold
thousands of sailors and countless millions of dollars of  war  materiel
destined for the battlefields in Europe and the Pacific; and
 
  WHEREAS,  In addition to coastal patrols, CAP aircrews assisted with
other essential wartime missions on the home front, such as  search  and
rescue,  disaster  relief,  border  patrol,  forest  fire patrol, target
towing for military practice and transporting critical supplies; and
 
  WHEREAS, Recent high-visibility CAP missions have included responses
to the COVID-19 Pandemic, donating over 40,000 days of service to  their
communities,  states  and  the nation; tornadoes, forest fires, Hawaiian
and Pacific Coast tsunamis, hurricanes Katrina, Sandy, Harvey, Irma  and
Maria,  wildfires  in  the Southwest and in California, Midwest flooding
and September 11 terrorist attacks; and
 
  WHEREAS, Those services provided by Civil  Air  Patrol's  World  War
II-era  veterans  earned  CAP  a  Congressional  Gold Medal, the highest
civilian honor bestowed by Congress, on December 10, 2014; and
 
  WHEREAS, Today, more than 61,000 CAP members continue  to  build  on
the terrific foundation forged by their forefathers; and
 
  WHEREAS,  As  a top resource for disaster relief, CAP is often first
on the scene, providing aerial photography and damage assessment to help
emergency officials pinpoint critical infrastructure needs in real  time
as  well  as ground team support, often providing door-to-door services,
which includes water, food and supply delivery for victims; and
 
  WHEREAS, Furthermore, Civil Air Patrol reaches tens of thousands  of
the   country's   school-age   children   and  their  teachers,  with  a
comprehensive selection  of  academic  programs  that  stress  the  STEM
subjects  of  science,  technology, engineering and math, in addition to
programs that encourage a drug-free lifestyle; and
 
  WHEREAS, CAPs  membership  includes  more  than  475  chaplains  who
fulfill  critical needs for deployed U.S. military chaplains and provide
counseling services for soldiers and their families, as well as disaster
victims; and
 
  WHEREAS,  In  addition,  to  its  partnership  with  Wreaths  Across
America,  CAP  annually  honors military veterans by helping sponsor and
place tens of thousands of wreaths at the graves of fallen  soldiers  at
U.S. cemeteries nationwide and overseas; and
 
  WHEREAS,  Under  the luminous direction of Major General Mark Smith,
CAP's legacy lives on in today's all-volunteer force, which continues to
contribute to America's defense by providing aerial  reconnaissance  for
homeland   security,   giving  Air  Force  fighter  pilots  practice  in
protecting airspace and helping train United States military troops  for
service overseas; and
 
  WHEREAS,   Over   its   distinguished   80-year   history,  CAP  has
demonstrated continuous service to the residents and  communities  which
it serves; and
 
  WHEREAS,  The success of CAP is in direct correlation to the efforts
of  its  volunteers,  whose  involvement  is,  and  always   has   been,
characterized  by an impressive commitment, an unbridled enthusiasm, and
an uncompromising standard of excellence in all endeavors on  behalf  of
the organization and the communities it serves; and
 
  WHEREAS,  It  is  the  sense  of  this  Legislative  Body  that when
individuals and organizations of such noble aims and accomplishments are
brought to our attention, they should be celebrated  and  recognized  by
all the citizens of this great Empire State; now, therefore, be it
 
  RESOLVED,  That  this Legislative Body pause in its deliberations to
commemorate the 80th Anniversary of Civil Air Patrol; and be it further
 
  RESOLVED, That a copy of this  Resolution,  suitably  engrossed,  be
transmitted  to  Major  General Mark Smith, National Commander and Chief
Executive Officer, Civil Air Patrol.
Commemorating the 80th Anniversary of Civil Air Patrol

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