[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 618 Agreed to Senate (ATS)]

<DOC>






115th CONGRESS
  2d Session
S. RES. 618

Commemorating the 50th anniversary of the commissioning of the USS John 
                              F. Kennedy.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                            August 23, 2018

    Mr. Nelson (for himself, Mr. Rubio, Mr. Warner, and Mr. Kaine) 
 submitted the following resolution; which was considered and agreed to

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
Commemorating the 50th anniversary of the commissioning of the USS John 
                              F. Kennedy.

Whereas the USS John F. Kennedy (CV-67) was named in honor of the 35th president 
        of the United States;
Whereas, on May 27, 1967, President John F. Kennedy's 9-year-old daughter, 
        Caroline Kennedy, christened the USS John F. Kennedy at the Newport News 
        Shipbuilding and Drydock Company in Newport News, Virginia;
Whereas, on September 7, 1968, during the height of the Cold War, the USS John 
        F. Kennedy entered service at its home port of Naval Station Norfolk in 
        Norfolk, Virginia, as the only ship of her class and the last 
        conventionally powered carrier built for the United States Navy;
Whereas the USS John F. Kennedy was a stalwart for the Atlantic Fleet of the 
        United States Navy, sailing to Europe, Africa, and the Middle East, and 
        across the Arctic and Pacific Oceans;
Whereas, on March 28, 1977, the USS John F. Kennedy became the first United 
        States aircraft carrier to make a port call at Dubrovnik, Yugoslavia;
Whereas, on December 4, 1983, the USS John F. Kennedy launched 10 sorties to 
        bomb Syrian anti-aircraft and artillery positions near Hammana, Lebanon, 
        in response to attacks against aircraft of the United States Armed 
        Forces;
Whereas, on July 3 and 4, 1986, the USS John F. Kennedy hosted more than 8,000 
        people during the International Naval Review honoring the 100th 
        anniversary of the Statue of Liberty and hosted President Ronald Reagan 
        on Independence Day;
Whereas, on January 4, 1989, the USS John F. Kennedy launched two F-14 aircraft 
        from Fighter Squadron 32 to intercept and destroy 2 hostile MiG-23s from 
        the Libyan Air Force;
Whereas, on December 29, 1990, the USS John F. Kennedy entered port in Jeddah, 
        Saudi Arabia, as the first United States aircraft carrier to visit Saudi 
        Arabia;
Whereas, on January 17, 1991, the USS John F. Kennedy launched its first strikes 
        in Operation Desert Storm as part of a multi-country coalition to drive 
        the military of Iraq out of neighboring Kuwait;
Whereas, from the beginning of hostilities on January 16, 1991, to their 
        cessation on February 28, 1991, the USS John F. Kennedy launched 2,895 
        aircraft sorties, executed 114 strikes, and flew 11,263 combat hours;
Whereas, on September 22, 1995, the USS John F. Kennedy was transferred to Naval 
        Station Mayport in Jacksonville, Florida, as the new home port of the 
        vessel;
Whereas, on November 1, 1999, the USS John F. Kennedy became the first United 
        States aircraft carrier to make a port call in Al Aqabah, Jordan, and 
        hosted the King of Jordan;
Whereas, on September 11, 2001, the USS John F. Kennedy was called upon to 
        secure the mid-Atlantic seaboard to ``help calm a fearful and shocked 
        nation'';
Whereas, from March 11 to July 17, 2002, the USS John F. Kennedy deployed and 
        launched strikes in support of Operation Enduring Freedom, and those 
        strikes dropped 64,000 pounds of ordnance on Taliban and Al Qaeda 
        targets;
Whereas, from July 10 to November 20, 2004, the USS John F. Kennedy deployed in 
        support of Operation Iraqi Freedom and launched 8,296 aircraft sorties, 
        which dropped 54,000 pounds of ordnance;
Whereas, on December 13, 2004, the USS John F. Kennedy returned from its final 
        deployment;
Whereas the USS John F. Kennedy was decommissioned at her final homeport of 
        Naval Station Mayport in Jacksonville, Florida, on March 23, 2007, 
        stricken from the Naval Vessel Register on October 16, 2009, and lays in 
        wait at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, pending final disposition or the 
        call to serve again in the United States Navy; and
Whereas, from August 23 to 26, 2018, the former crews and supporters of the USS 
        John F. Kennedy will meet in Norfolk, Virginia, to honor the 50th 
        anniversary of the commissioning of the vessel: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the Senate--
            (1) recognizes the 50th anniversary of the commissioning of 
        the USS John F. Kennedy (CV-67); and
            (2) honors the USS John F. Kennedy, its crew, and all of 
        the courageous sailors and Marines of the United States who 
        have served on board in the past.
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