WHEREAS, the Virginia Wing of the Civil Air Patrol has played a vital role for the Commonwealth during the COVID-19 pandemic, while continuing to fulfill its standard duties; and

WHEREAS, the Civil Air Patrol (CAP) is the longtime auxiliary of the United States Air Force and a valued member of its Total Force, with 60,000 members operating a fleet of 560 single-engine aircraft and 1,994 small unmanned aircraft system (sUAS); and

WHEREAS, CAP performs about 90 percent of continental inland United States search and rescue missions as tasked by the Air Force Rescue Coordination Center and is credited with saving an average of 82 lives annually; and

WHEREAS, the Virginia Wing of CAP has 2,000 members and 23 units throughout the Commonwealth and operates 23 vehicles, 12 single-engine aircraft, and 30 sUAS to provide support for search and rescue, disaster relief, homeland security, and drug interdiction operations; and

WHEREAS, the Virginia Wing plays a leading role in the Commonwealth in science, technology, engineering, mathematics, aerospace, and cybersecurity education; and

WHEREAS, the Virginia Wing's members serve as mentors to more than 1,000 young people in the Commonwealth participating in the CAP Cadet Program; and

WHEREAS, in 2020, the Virginia Wing supported the Virginia Department of Emergency Management and the Virginia National Guard in providing logistics and transportation of COVID-19 test kits and samples to the Eastern Shore; members of the Virginia Wing contributed 199 days of service supporting the fight against the pandemic both in the field and in incidence command posts and emergency operations centers; and

WHEREAS, the Virginia Wing has supported food warehouses and facilitated food distribution in the Counties of Prince William and Culpeper; personnel from nine different units processed and moved 635,000 pounds of food to be used by individuals and families in those areas; and

WHEREAS, the Virginia Wing supported the Commonwealth before and after Hurricane Isaias in summer 2020 by providing pre-storm and post-storm assessment of shoreline areas in the Tangier, Bayside, and Eastern Shore regions for the Virginia Department of Emergency Management and pre-storm and post-storm photo assessment of major shipping lanes, maritime aids to navigation (buoys), and Norfolk harbor for the United States Coast Guard, as well as post-storm photo assessment of the intercoastal waterways between North Carolina and Norfolk harbor; and

WHEREAS, the Virginia Wing also provided post-storm photo and damage assessment of major tornado damage in multiple counties; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED by the Senate of Virginia, That the Virginia Wing of the Civil Air Patrol hereby be commended for its commitment to serving and safeguarding the Commonwealth; and be it

RESOLVED FURTHER, that the Clerk of the Senate prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to the Virginia Wing of the Civil Air Patrol as an expression of the Senate of Virginia's admiration for the hard work and dedication of its members.