Alcee Hastings: “I would like to begin in great sincerity by thanking the gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. Sensenbrenner) and the gentleman…”

“I would like to begin in great sincerity by thanking the gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. Sensenbrenner) and the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Conyers), the chairman and ranking member of the Committee on the Judiciary, for allowing this resolution to be brought to the floor. Their stewardship of that distinguished committee is an inspiration to me, and I appreciate their taking the time to review my request on such short notice. The 60th anniversary gala of the Civil Air Patrol is being held here in Washington, D.C., this Saturday evening; so, honestly, their diligence in steering this resolution through the committee is timely indeed. In 1938 as the winds of war began to stir over Europe and East Asia, a group of concerned American pilots began to advocate for the creation of a civilian air defense. Their concerns about American involvement in the coming world conflict proved to be prophetic. The Civil Air Patrol, commonly known as CAP, was organized on December 1, 1941, 6 days before the attack on Pearl Harbor. Over the course of the Second World War, CAP volunteers would log more than 500,000 flying hours performing coastal patrols to search for enemy submarines, search and rescue missions, and cargo and courier flights for military personnel. Their efforts freed countless Army Air Corps enlistees to fight at the front and contributed greatly to homeland defense.”