HR528: Commending Colonel Dean E. Gould.

HOUSE RESOLUTION NO. 528

Offered February 17, 2021
Commending Colonel Dean E. Gould.
Patrons-- Freitas, Avoli, Fowler, Reid, Simonds and Wiley

WHEREAS, Colonel Dean E. Gould, who has served as the commander of the Virginia Wing of the Civil Air Patrol since February 4, 2017, will retire on April 10, 2021; and

WHEREAS, Dean Gould’s operations focus ensured that the Virginia Wing of the Civil Air Patrol (Virginia Wing) was well-trained and equipped and enabled the unit to execute more than 70 search and rescue, disaster relief, and homeland security missions, resulting in 27 successful finds supporting the Commonwealth; and

WHEREAS, as a direct result of Dean Gould’s leadership and the partnerships he fostered, the Virginia Wing supported COVID-19 disaster relief efforts on state and local levels, with volunteers collectively contributing more than 470 days of work and handling more than 430,000 pounds of bulk food, medical supplies, and community support goods over a nine-month period; and

WHEREAS, the Virginia Wing Cadet Program earned the Cadet Program Mission Award each year of Dean Gould’s command, and the Virginia Wing had 16 units earn the Quality Cadet Unit Award in 2020, the most units to earn the award in the history of the Virginia Wing; and

WHEREAS, under Dean Gould’s command, the Virginia Wing produced 20 Spaatz Awards, the highest cadet achievement award attainable, earned by less than one percent of the nation’s cadets; and

WHEREAS, Dean Gould is an active pilot who loves to fly with cadets, training at least six new mission pilots so far and providing check-rides for another six each year; and

WHEREAS, under Dean Gould’s command, Virginia Wing Aerospace Education earned the Mid-Atlantic Aerospace Education Mission Award; his leadership in aerospace education led to Virginia Wing’s partnership with Dynamic Aviation to co-host science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) events in the rural western area of the Commonwealth; and

WHEREAS, a joint venture of Virginia Wing Aerospace Education and Suffolk County Public Schools to supply aerospace education STEM kits to middle school students during the COVID-19 pandemic has facilitated a creative approach for STEM training; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, That Colonel Dean E. Gould hereby be commended for his commitment to the Commonwealth and the nation during his tour as the commander of the Virginia Wing of the Civil Air Patrol; and, be it

RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to Colonel Dean E. Gould as an expression of the House of Delegates’ admiration for his dedication and assistance to the Commonwealth.