Whereas Orville and Wilbur Wright secured the patent for their powered airplane in 1906, affording them the opportunity to compete for contracts with the Army;
Whereas the United States Army Signal Corps made its first purchase of an airplane, the Wright Military Flyer, in 1909 at a cost of $30,000;
Whereas the Wright Military Flyer carried a passenger over a distance of 125 miles;
Whereas today’s military aircraft can travel around the world without landing;
Whereas the importance of military aviation and air superiority in battle was first demonstrated in World War I;
Whereas, during World War II, United States Naval aviation was decisive in reversing the Japanese advance and winning the war in the Pacific;
Whereas United States Army Air Corps played a crucial role in executing strategic bombing campaigns in both the European and Pacific theaters;
Whereas the National Security Act of 1947 established the United States Army Air Corps as a separate military branch, the United States Air Force;
Whereas the Vietnam War brought about new, more modern fighter jets and bombers, including the F–105 Thunderchief and the F–4 Phantom;
Whereas military aviators continue to provide invaluable offensive, defensive, logistical, and intelligence support to the Armed Forces;
Whereas military aviators have been on the front lines of combat and humanitarian missions in Iraq and Afghanistan;
Whereas the increase in technology over the last century has made military aircraft an essential component in the safety and security of the United States homeland; and
Whereas the National Air and Space Museum of the Smithsonian Institution will commemorate the centennial of military aviation with programs and exhibits throughout 2009: Now, therefore, be it
That the House of Representatives recognizes 100 years of military aviation and expresses its continued support for military aviators of the United States Armed Forces.
Lorraine C. Miller,Clerk.