[Congressional Record Volume 162, Number 65 (Wednesday, April 27, 2016)]
[Senate]
[Pages S2496-S2497]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




SENATE RESOLUTION 445--RECOGNIZING THE 100TH ANNIVERSARY OF COAST GUARD 
AVIATION AND THE CONTRIBUTION OF COAST GUARD AVIATORS TO NAVAL AVIATION 
            AND THE SAFETY AND SECURITY OF THE UNITED STATES

  Mr. THUNE (for himself, Mr. Nelson, Mr. Rubio, Mr. Booker, and Mr. 
Wyden) submitted the following resolution; which was considered and 
agreed to:

                              S. Res. 445

       Whereas, on December 17, 1903, members of the United States 
     Lifesaving Service stationed at Kill Devil Hills, North 
     Carolina, assisted the Wright brothers during their first 
     successful flight;
       Whereas April 1, 1916, marks the official establishment of 
     Coast Guard aviation as the date on which the first Coast 
     Guard aviator, Third Lieutenant Elmer F. Stone, reported to 
     United States Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida, for 
     flight training;
       Whereas, on August 29, 1916, Congress authorized the 
     Secretary of the Treasury to establish 10 Coast Guard air 
     stations;
       Whereas Coast Guard First Lieutenant Elmer F. Stone--
       (1) took off from the Naval Air Station at Rockaway, New 
     York, on May 8, 1919, and landed in Lisbon, Portugal, on May 
     27, 1919, completing the first successful trans-Atlantic 
     flight; and
       (2) was later assigned to duty with the United States Navy 
     as a test pilot, during which First Lieutenant Stone aided in 
     the development of shipboard catapult systems and arresting 
     gear for use on United States Navy aircraft carriers;
       Whereas in early 1925--
       (1) the first permanent Coast Guard air station was 
     established at Ten Pound Island, Massachusetts; and
       (2) Lieutenant Commander Carl von Paulsen, with approval of 
     the Commandant of the

[[Page S2497]]

     Coast Guard, initiated the transfer to the Coast Guard of a 
     surplus Navy aircraft for 1 year and during that year, 
     Lieutenant Commander von Paulsen coordinated daily patrols to 
     combat alcohol smuggling in the waters off New England;
       Whereas the Coast Guard Air Station Floyd Bennett Field in 
     Brooklyn, New York, was designated as a helicopter training 
     base on January 14, 1942, at which
       (1) the Coast Guard led the rotary wing training program of 
     the military; and
       (2) by 1944, Coast Guard instructor pilots had trained 125 
     military helicopter pilots from the United States and Great 
     Britain and 200 helicopter mechanics;
       Whereas, on January 3, 1944, despite high winds and blowing 
     snow that closed all of the airfields in the New York area, 
     Commander Frank Erickson, the first Coast Guard helicopter 
     pilot, flew a Sikorsky helicopter from New York City to Sandy 
     Hook, New Jersey, to deliver 2 cases of blood plasma for 150 
     injured United States Navy sailors, completing the flight in 
     just 14 minutes and conducting the first lifesaving 
     helicopter flight;
       Whereas, on March 15, 1946, the Coast Guard first used 
     aircraft to scout for ice and determine the limits of the ice 
     fields along critical North Atlantic shipping lanes in 
     support of the International Ice Patrol and since that date, 
     Coast Guard surveillance aircraft have conducted the primary 
     reconnaissance work for the International Ice Patrol, 
     monitoring for ships transiting the North Atlantic the 
     movement of icebergs throughout thousands of square miles of 
     ocean;
       Whereas, on December 17, 1951, President Harry Truman 
     presented to the Coast Guard, the Department of Defense, and 
     the helicopter industry the Collier Trophy in a joint award 
     for outstanding development and use of rotary-winged aircraft 
     for air rescue operations;
       Whereas Bobby Wilkes--
       (1) on March 25, 1957, was designated as Coast Guard 
     aviator number 735; and
       (2) was the first African-American--
          (A) Coast Guard aviator;
          (B) promoted to the rank of captain in the Coast Guard; 
     and
          (C) to command a Coast Guard air station;
       Whereas, on January 9, 1963, the Coast Guard received the 
     first of 99 HH-52A helicopters, which was instrumental in the 
     rescue of more than 15,000 people during its 26 years of 
     service, more lives than have been rescued by any other 
     helicopter;
       Whereas, on March 31, 1967, the Coast Guard established an 
     aviator exchange program with the United States Air Force 
     that authorized Coast Guard pilots to serve with combat 
     search and rescue forces during the Vietnam War and as part 
     of the program, 11 Coast Guard pilots served heroically with 
     Air Force pilots on harrowing missions behind enemy lines 
     during the rescue of downed United States airmen;
       Whereas, on March 4, 1977, Janna Lambine was designated as 
     Coast Guard aviator number 1812, becoming the first woman 
     Coast Guard aviator;
       Whereas, on October 9, 1982, a Coast Guard aircraft 
     participated in the first rescue mission using a satellite 
     search and rescue system;
       Whereas, on October 30, 1984, Congress authorized the Coast 
     Guard to establish a Rescue Swimmer program to train 
     personnel to rescue incapacitated people from the water and 
     since that date, Coast Guard Rescue Swimmers have 
     demonstrated exceptional bravery and dedication during the 
     rescue of innumerable people from the ocean under extreme 
     conditions;
       Whereas Commander Bruce E. Melnick--
       (1) on June 5, 1987, became the first Coast Guard aviator 
     to participate in the space program; and
       (2) in October 1990, serving as a mission specialist aboard 
     STS-41, became the first Coast Guard aviator to complete a 
     space mission;
       Whereas, on February 13, 1991, during Operation Desert 
     Storm, 2 HU-25A Falcon jets from Air Station Cape Cod, 
     equipped with specialized oil detection technology--
       (1) were deployed to Saudi Arabia to serve with the 
     interagency oil spill assessment team;
       (2) provided a critical service by mapping over 40,000 
     square miles to locate every drop of oil on the water after 1 
     of the worst oil spills in history;
       Whereas, on June 24, 2005, Lieutenant Junior Grade Jeanine 
     McIntosh-Menze was designated as Coast Guard aviator number 
     3775, becoming the first African-American woman Coast Guard 
     aviator;
       Whereas in the weeks following Hurricane Katrina, 1 of the 
     worst natural disasters in United States history, the heroic 
     efforts of Coast Guard flight crews contributed to--
       (1) the rescue of more than 33,000 people; and
       (2) the delivery of nearly 2,000,000 pounds of relief 
     supplies;
       Whereas, on October 29, 2012, during Hurricane Sandy, the 
     heroic efforts of Coast Guard flight crews contributed to the 
     rescue of 14 sailors aboard the HMS Bounty, during which the 
     Coast Guard flight crews located the shipwrecked sailors and 
     performed, at great personal risk, a helicopter-borne night 
     rescue in 18-foot seas and gale-force winds; and
       Whereas, since 1916, 4,493 Coast Guard aviators have been 
     trained at Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida--
       (1) in preparation for assignment to operational Coast 
     Guard air stations; and
       (2) in support of the national defense, law enforcement, 
     and maritime safety, security, and stewardship missions of 
     the Coast Guard around the world: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the Senate--
       (1) recognizes 100 years of Coast Guard aviation; and
       (2) honors past and present Coast Guard aviators who have 
     served in support of the safety and security of the United 
     States.

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