Florida Senate - 2017                            (NP)    SR 1778
       
       
        
       By Senator Stargel
       
       
       
       
       
       22-02055A-17                                          20171778__
    1                          Senate Resolution                        
    2         A resolution honoring the Florida National Guard and
    3         designating March 21, 2017, as “Florida National Guard
    4         Day.”
    5  
    6         WHEREAS, as the military arm of the Governor and the people
    7  of this state, the Florida National Guard stands ready in times
    8  of crisis or emergency to respond immediately to a call from the
    9  Governor, and
   10         WHEREAS, the Florida National Guard traces its lineage back
   11  more than 450 years to 1565 when the first muster of a civilian
   12  militia took place in St. Augustine, making Florida’s militia
   13  the oldest in the nation, and
   14         WHEREAS, today’s Florida National Guard stands strong with
   15  approximately 12,000 of the best soldiers and airmen this nation
   16  has ever known, and
   17         WHEREAS, the men and women of the Florida National Guard
   18  and their families willingly make sacrifices during times of
   19  hurricanes, fires, floods, and other natural disasters, serving
   20  domestically and around the world in contingency operations, and
   21         WHEREAS, more than 20,000 men and women of the Florida
   22  National Guard answered the call to federal active duty
   23  following the attack on our nation on September 11, 2001, and
   24  served with distinction and honor during Operation Enduring
   25  Freedom, Operation Iraqi Freedom, and Operation New Dawn, and
   26  continue to serve in Operation Noble Eagle, Operation Freedom’s
   27  Sentinel, Operation Inherent Resolve, and Operation Observant
   28  Compass, which continue to take these dedicated guard members
   29  far from their families and friends while they ensure we are
   30  safe at home, and
   31         WHEREAS, the employers of guard members and their families
   32  make significant sacrifices to conduct their businesses during
   33  the absence of these employees, while still providing a job for
   34  them when they return home, and
   35         WHEREAS, the men and women of the Florida National Guard
   36  remain involved in hundreds of community service projects across
   37  the state while preparing for their federal duty, protecting the
   38  residents of this state during emergencies, and contributing to
   39  local programs, NOW, THEREFORE,
   40  
   41  Be It Resolved by the Senate of the State of Florida:
   42  
   43         That in honor of the significant contributions and
   44  consistent readiness of the Florida National Guard and to
   45  gratefully acknowledge the faithful service of its dedicated
   46  soldiers and airmen, March 21, 2017, is recognized as “Florida
   47  National Guard Day.”