[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 152 (2006), Part 5]
[House]
[Page 6834]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




            RECOGNITION OF NAVAL AIR STATION WHIDBEY ISLAND

  (Mr. LARSEN of Washington asked and was given permission to address 
the House for 1 minute.)
  Mr. LARSEN of Washington. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to thank the 
Department of Defense for its recognition of Naval Air Station Whidbey 
Island as a model military installation for the country. Base Commander 
Captain Syd Abernethy and the Island County community will accept the 
Annual Commander-in-Chiefs Award for Installation Excellence on Friday.
  This award recognizes the hard work and exceptional efforts of the 
people who operate NAS Whidbey, and I praise that team effort, from the 
men and women on the ground to those in the sky. They make this 
installation run.
  The community and the residents of Oak Harbor and Island County play 
an integral role in protecting and promoting NAS Whidbey. It is their 
support year after year that makes NAS Whidbey great.
  NAS Whidbey has emerged as a national center of electronic warfare 
and anti-submarine warfare operations. These missions will be pivotal 
to creating the type of military the Department of Defense wants to 
build in the upcoming years. NAS Whidbey will likely have to 
accommodate tremendous growth in the future, and this award shows that 
the team and infrastructure are in place to do the job.

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