[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 121 (Wednesday, July 18, 2018)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1031]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




CONGRESSIONAL TRIBUTE FOR THE EMPLOYEES OF FLEET READINESS CENTER-EAST 
                   IN HONOR OF THEIR 75TH ANNIVERSARY

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. WALTER B. JONES

                           of north carolina

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, July 18, 2018

  Mr. JONES. Mr. Speaker, today, I rise to recognize a vital strategic 
asset for Marine aviation. Fleet Readiness Center-East (FRC-East) has 
been generating combat air power for America's Marines and naval forces 
for 75 years. The organizational history begins December 16, 1943, when 
it opened as the Assembly and Repair Department at Marine Corps Air 
Station, Cherry Point, North Carolina to perform aircraft maintenance 
for the air station and nearby airfields.
  After distinguished and commendable service in the final years of 
World War II, the facility's name changed to the Overhaul and Repair 
Department. With the advent of the jet age, the depot continued to 
expand to meet the needs of combat aviation during the Korean War.
  In the mid-1960s, the Depot specialized in Navy and Marine Corps 
rework and had become a vital source in supporting fleet operations 
during the Vietnam War. In 1967, the facility was organizationally 
detached from Marine Corps Air Station, Cherry Point and placed under 
Navy management as a naval air rework facility. In 1968, the facility 
ranked as the second largest industrial plant in North Carolina.
  The late 1970s saw significant changes and modernization for the 
facility. It was during this period that the facility attained the 
highest degree of productivity in its history. The Depot received 
numerous awards for excellence in productivity and cost reduction.
  During the 1980s and 1990s, the Depot received many upgrades to 
improve productivity, support and expand the aviation capabilities to 
keep current with new technology and workload. In November 1987, a team 
departed for the third time in history to Antarctica to repair an 
aircraft that had crashed nearly 16 years earlier. The facility was 
then renamed the Naval Aviation Depot.
  The Depot provided assistance to the fleet in Operations Desert 
Shield/Desert Storm in Iraq with field team deployments to various 
locations for engines, components, aircraft, ground support equipment 
and squadron support. Since this time, FRC-East supported the War in 
Iraq and Afghanistan and the Global War on Terrorism.
  Today, FRC-East has grown to become the largest industrial employer 
east of Interstate 95 with 119 buildings and 2.1 million square feet, 
spanning over 147 acres valued at $1.36 billion. The workforce includes 
more than 3,900 employees, which provide aircraft, engine and component 
maintenance, engineering and logistics support for U.S. forces and 24 
foreign nations.
  On this 75th anniversary year, I would like to thank the outstanding 
employees of FRC-East for their continued outstanding service and 
support to our nation, our allies, and its Eastern North Carolina 
community. I wish FRC-East continued success for its next 75 years of 
support to our warfighters.

                          ____________________