| 1 | House Resolution |
| 2 | A resolution recognizing April 18 through April 25, 2004, |
| 3 | as Military Working Dog Team Week in Florida. |
| 4 |
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| 5 | WHEREAS, beginning in World War I, military working dog |
| 6 | handlers and their dogs have been a vital part of our Armed |
| 7 | Forces operations, from combat missions in World War II, Korea, |
| 8 | and Vietnam to their extensive use in the war on drugs, fighting |
| 9 | domestic and international terrorism, and the current war on |
| 10 | terrorism and homeland security, and |
| 11 | WHEREAS, handlers and their dogs have trained and worked |
| 12 | side by side as scout, sentry, tracker, bomb and mine detector, |
| 13 | military police, messenger, booby trap, search and rescue, and |
| 14 | tunnel teams, and |
| 15 | WHEREAS, the use of the United States military working dog |
| 16 | teams has been credited with reducing the American casualty rate |
| 17 | in Korea by 60 percent where they were used, and military |
| 18 | working dog teams participated in over 80,000 missions in |
| 19 | Vietnam and tens of thousands of hours of duty were performed by |
| 20 | the sentry dog teams, and |
| 21 | WHEREAS, military working dog teams are still active on |
| 22 | military bases across Florida, the United States, and the world, |
| 23 | protecting our freedom and keeping us safe, and |
| 24 | WHEREAS, dogs have abilities that the most advanced |
| 25 | technology cannot match, rendering them invaluable to personnel |
| 26 | serving in the Armed Forces, and |
| 27 | WHEREAS, Florida is proud to recognize the United States |
| 28 | Armed Forces military working dogs and their handlers who, as |
| 29 | teams, have given of themselves to ensure our continued freedom, |
| 30 | liberty, and American way of life, NOW, THEREFORE, |
| 31 |
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| 32 | Be It Resolved by the House of Representatives of the State of |
| 33 | Florida: |
| 34 |
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| 35 | That The House of Representatives of the State of Florida |
| 36 | hereby proclaims April 18 through April 25, 2004, as Military |
| 37 | Working Dog Team Week in Florida, in honor of America's military |
| 38 | working dogs and their handlers, and calls upon our citizens to |
| 39 | recognize the outstanding contributions these soldiers have made |
| 40 | and continue to make in the defense of our great nation. |