[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 85 (Thursday, June 25, 1998)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1232]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




         CONGRATULATING THE NOAA CORPS ON ITS 81ST ANNIVERSARY

                                 ______
                                 

                       HON. CONSTANCE A. MORELLA

                              of maryland

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, June 25, 1998

  Mrs. MORELLA. Mr. Speaker, this year marks the 81st anniversary of 
the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Commissioned Corps. 
Known as ``America's Seventh Service,'' the officers of the NOAA Corps 
are an integral part of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric 
Administration who serve with distinction throughout this multi-
disciplinary scientific organization. I am proud to congratulate the 
NOAA Corps for 81 years of dedicated service to our Nation.
  The NOAA Corps was designed to allow for flexibility in the 
assignment of professionals to remote, hazardous, or otherwise arduous 
duties throughout the wide range of vital environmental and stewardship 
activities encompassed by NOAA. Corps officers today combine such 
unique qualifications as: research ship and aircraft operations; 
technical expertise with advanced academic backgrounds in hydrography, 
geodesy, fisheries sciences, meteorology, and oceanography; and 
leadership in technical program and data management contributing to the 
coherence, integrity, and effectiveness of the administrative structure 
of NOAA.
  The dedicated scientists, engineers, and officers of the uniformed 
NOAA Corps have a long and decorated tradition of providing mobility, 
flexibility, operational, and professional skills in the unique 
response capability to our Nation. The Corps houses experts in nautical 
charting and hydrographic surveying. These functions are vital to our 
national interest to ensure the continued safe navigation of trade. 
NOAA Corps pilots provide critical operations when conducting low-
altitude penetration missions of hurricanes and tropical storms in 
support of weather research and prediction. Corps officers supply the 
data collection and management that are requisite to ensuring accurate 
fisheries stock, turtle, and marine mammal assessments.
  The Corps has contributed on many occasions over the recent decades 
in providing valuable scientific and engineering skills, especially in 
times of national emergencies. The Corps made immediate vital 
contributions during both Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm. 
NOAA provided ship, aircraft, and technical skills during the Golf War 
to assess the oil-based environmental damages caused by Iraq. Shore 
personnel contributed scientific expertise in hazardous materials 
management, while a NOAA ship carried scientists in the Gulf to 
evaluate the extent of environmental damages. In another recent 
example, NOAA Corps officers and ships provided crucial survey support 
in response to the TWA Flight 800 recovery effort. The Corps swiftly 
located the wreckage of TWA Flight 800 and created highly detailed map 
products which greatly facilitated the retrieval of wreckage by Navy 
divers.
  Today, the NOAA Corps expertly performs its missions, whether in 
charting our Nation's coastline, assessing our fisheries stocks, or 
flying into hurricanes for scientific research and the humanitarian 
need to produce better safety warnings for the protection of life and 
property. NOAA Corps officers serve in NOAA research laboratories and 
program offices throughout the Nation and in remote locations around 
the world. These officers remain ready to apply their science and 
service skills to the many problems facing the United States in the 
management and study of oceanic and atmospheric resources.
  I extend my warmest congratulations to the men and women of the NOAA 
Corps on this 81st anniversary. The expertise and flexibility that the 
Corps has demonstrated in the past will serve the Nation for years to 
come. The NOAA Corps has reached a celebrated milestone, and I wish it 
an even greater future.

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