SENATE RESOLUTION NO. 657

	WHEREAS, The Senate of the State of Texas is pleased to 
recognize the Air Force News Agency, the United States Air 
Force's official news and information organization, on the 
occasion of its 25th anniversary and to honor the men and women 
who have served the nation and the City of San Antonio since its 
inception; and

	WHEREAS, The Air Force News Agency has served as the 
primary news and information organization for the United States 
Air Force since the agency was organized on June 1, 1978; and

	WHEREAS, The Air Force News Agency currently has more than 
480 men and women stationed around the world in 28 locations 
gathering news, information, and images about the United States 
military missions; and

	WHEREAS, The Air Force News Agency is capable of providing 
news, information, and images in the widest array of formats to 
the American public and the world, including print, television, 
radio, Internet, and telephone formats; and

	WHEREAS, The Air Force News Agency provides a critical 
service to senior leaders and commanders of the United States 
Department of Defense and the United States Air Force by 
providing news, information, and images to service members 
wherever they are stationed around the world; and

	WHEREAS, The Air Force News Agency helps ensure the morale 
and readiness of the men and women of the United States military 
components around the world by covering and reporting on the 
critical services they provide to their nation, to their family 
members, and to the American public, thereby improving morale and 
readiness; and

	WHEREAS, The Air Force News Agency has recently 
contributed to Operation Enduring Freedom, Operation Noble 
Eagle, Operation Anaconda in Afghanistan, and Operation Iraqi 
Freedom; and

	WHEREAS, During Operation Desert Shield and Operation 
Desert Storm, the Air Force News Agency's Air Force Broadcasting 
Service delivered continuous radio and television news and 
information to coalition forces through the American Forces 
Desert Network; and

	WHEREAS, The Air Force News Agency's Air Force News Service 
provides news, information, and images about the men and women of 
the United States Air Force through its official web site, Air 
Force Link, to more than 2.8 million Internet users every week, 
biweekly television news programs to more than 800 television 
stations and cable systems, and print news stories and images to 
more than 30,000 subscribers every weekday; and

	WHEREAS, The Air Force News Agency's Army and Air Force 
Hometown News Service annually provides more than 800,000 news 
releases to 12,000 daily and weekly hometown newspapers of 
active, Reserve and Guard service members and distributes more 
than 13,500 holiday greetings to 1,085 television stations and 
2,906 radio stations each holiday season; and

	WHEREAS, The men and women of the Air Force News Agency 
have served the state of Texas as honorable community citizens by 
their voluntary service to Habitat for Humanity, the San Antonio 
Children's Shelter, the annual Combined Federal Campaign, the 
annual Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure to support breast cancer 
research, Adopt-A-Highway, local blood drives, and numerous 
other community events; now, therefore, be it

	RESOLVED, That the Senate of the State of Texas,
78th Legislature, hereby pay tribute to the United States Air 
Force's Air Force News Agency on the occasion of its 25th 
anniversary and express appreciation to the men and women who 
have served while assigned to that agency; and, be it further

	RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution be prepared as an 
expression of esteem from the Texas Senate.
                                                                           Madla




________________________________ 
    President of the Senate
 
    I hereby certify that the 
above Resolution was adopted by 
the Senate on April 22, 2003.



________________________________ 
    Secretary of the Senate



________________________________ 
     Member, Texas Senate