[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 159 (2013), Part 9]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 12354]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




  CELEBRATING THE SEVENTIETH ANNIVERSARY OF NAVAL AIR STATION WHITING 
                                 FIELD

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. JEFF MILLER

                               of florida

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, July 24, 2013

  Mr. MILLER of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the 
70th anniversary of Naval Air Station Whiting Field.
  Rich in its military history, Northwest Florida is home to several 
military installations that continue to play an essential role in 
contributing to our Nation's defense, including Naval Air Station 
Whiting Field located in Santa Rosa County. For seventy years, Whiting 
Field has provided support and training for some of our military's best 
aviation warfighters, and Northwest Florida is grateful and proud of 
its service to our community and our Nation.
  In 1943, just months after the death of its namesake, Captain Kenneth 
Whiting, Whiting Field was already turning into a key naval air 
training facility. The need to quickly train elite aviators for 
missions led to Whiting Field becoming an efficient military flight 
school in a matter of months. The commissioning ceremonies for NAS 
Whiting Field were held on July 16, 1943, only six days after the 
invasion of Sicily. Whiting Field then became a leading training 
facility for our Nation's aviators that helped carry the United States 
to victory in World War II.
  Whiting Field's storied history that includes a pilot training 
grounds and prisoner-of-war camp for German soldiers during World War 
II, a once home to the Blue Angels Flight Demonstration Team and the 
Navy's first jet training unit has today become the busiest Naval 
Aviation Station in the world where more than twelve hundred service 
personnel complete their essential flight training annually. It is 
situated on 12,000 acres, with 13 outlying fields and three separate 
and fully operational airfields. Whiting Field supports six Training 
Squadrons and two Instructor Squadrons, which comprises 141 T-6Bs and 
124 TH-57s. Eleven percent of all of U.S. Department of Defense's 
flying hours are flown there, amounting to approximately 1.5 million 
annual flight operations. In fact, the majority of naval aviators can 
claim that they performed a substantial portion of their initial flight 
training at Whiting. Many helicopter students could say the same, 
resulting in hundreds of flights occurring each day. I am proud to have 
such a wonderful facility in Northwest Florida that is responsible for 
producing some of the best aviators in the world.
  On behalf of the United States Congress, I am pleased to recognize 
Whiting Field for reaching this important milestone. My wife Vicki 
joins me in congratulating the military and civilian personnel at 
Whiting Field and wishing them continued success in their mission to 
provide the best services and material support for training U.S. Navy, 
Marine Corps, Air Force, Coast Guard, and International student 
aviators.

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