Bill Text: SC H4169 | 2011-2012 | 119th General Assembly | Introduced

South Carolina House Resolution 4169 (Prior Session Legislation)

Introduced

Bill Title: Paul Rommel

Spectrum: Slight Partisan Bill (Republican 76-48)

Status: (Passed) 2011-05-03 - Introduced and adopted [H4169 Detail]

Download: South_Carolina-2011-H4169-Introduced.html

A HOUSE RESOLUTION

TO CONGRATULATE PAUL ROMMEL OF TEGA CAY ON WINNING THE PRESTIGIOUS WRIGHT BROTHERS MASTER PILOT AWARD, PRESENTED BY THE FEDERAL AVIATION ADMINISTRATION (FAA) AT THE RECENT QUIET BIRDMEN PILOT FRATERNITY GATHERING IN CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA.

Whereas, the House of Representatives is pleased to learn that Paul Rommel of Fort Mill has been presented the coveted FAA Wright Brothers Master Pilot (WBMP) award; and

Whereas, the FAA Wright Brothers Master Pilot award is bestowed on deserving aviators who have been active pilots for fifty years; and

Whereas, since the award's inception in the 1940s, fewer than fourteen hundred pilots have received this honor; and

Whereas, WBMP award winner Paul Rommel's aviation career is filled with significant accomplishments. Mr. Rommel began his career prior to World War II and was an engineer on the Douglas B-18 in Trinidad when the United States entered the war. Shortly thereafter, he was selected for Royal Air Force pilot training in England; and

Whereas, after earning his wings, he was transferred to the Army Air Corps, becoming a rare recipient of wings from both England and the United States; and

Whereas, Mr. Rommel then went on to the fly "The Hump" in C-46s and C-47s, his World War II mission being to supply the Chinese who were fighting the Japanese. The aircraft used were twin-engine cargo planes that flew very heavily laden over the Himalayas. The terrain, in fact, was so high that if an aircraft lost an engine, it could not sustain altitude above the ground. It has been said that the ground below the entire route was scattered with pieces of aircraft; and

Whereas, as a result of his nine hundred fifty hours of Hump missions, Paul Rommel was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross; and

Whereas, after the war, he continued with the Oklahoma Air National Guard in P-51s, F-84s, and F-86s while serving as a corporate pilot in the employ of a prominent oil company; and

Whereas, grateful for his distinguished work as a pilot, the House of Representatives takes great pleasure in recognizing Paul Rommel upon the occasion of his receiving the FAA Wright Brothers Master Pilot award. Now, therefore,

Be it resolved by the House of Representatives:

That the members of the South Carolina House of Representatives, by this resolution, congratulate Paul Rommel of Tega Cay on winning the prestigious Wright Brothers Master Pilot award, presented by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) at the recent Quiet Birdmen pilot fraternity gathering in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Be it further resolved that a copy of this resolution be provided to Paul Rommel.