[Congressional Bills 111th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 1411 Introduced in House (IH)]
111th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. RES. 1411
Honoring the service and commitment of the 111th Fighter Wing,
Pennsylvania Air National Guard.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
May 27, 2010
Ms. Schwartz submitted the following resolution; which was referred to
the Committee on Armed Services
_______________________________________________________________________
RESOLUTION
Honoring the service and commitment of the 111th Fighter Wing,
Pennsylvania Air National Guard.
Whereas the 111th Fighter Wing's roots date back to the establishment of the
103rd Observation Squadron on 27 June 1924, in the sod fields of the
Philadelphia Airport;
Whereas on 17 February 1941, the 103rd was ordered to active service, performing
antisubmarine patrols off the coast of New England;
Whereas the squadron deployed to the China-Burma-India (CBI) Theater of World
War II in 1943, executing support operations for the duration of the
war;
Whereas the 391st Bombardment Group (Medium), constituted on 15 January 1943,
earned the Distinguished Unit Citation for its service during World War
II, performing ground attack missions in France and the Low Countries in
advance of the invasion of Normandy, and Germany in support of in and in
the aftermath of the Battle of the Bulge;
Whereas in 1946, both the 391st, then redesignated the 111th Bomb group (Light),
and the 103rd Squad were designated to the Pennsylvania Air National
Guard;
Whereas the 111th Composite Wing was activated in April 1951, performing
strategic bombing and reconnaissance missions in support of the United
States efforts in the Korean War;
Whereas in 1963, the 111th ended its 39-year history at Philadelphia Airport,
and moved into new housing on the north end of the Willow Grove Naval
Air Station;
Whereas during the Vietnam War, the 111th conducted reconnaissance and
observation missions, helping to coordinate critical communication
between ground forces and fighter aircraft;
Whereas in 1995, the newly designated 111th Fighter Wing volunteered for
deployment to Kuwait, where they conducted Combat Search and Rescue
alert, Kill Box flights over Iraq, Airborne Forward Air Control, and
joint training missions in support of Operation Southern Watch;
Whereas 1999, the 111th again deployed to Al Jaber, Kuwait, to support joint
combat flight operations for Operation Southern Watch;
Whereas immediately following the attacks of September 11th, the 111th Fighter
Wing voluntarily deployed on very short notice to support joint combat
operations for Operation Southern Watch and Operation Enduring Freedom;
Whereas between 2002-2003, the wing was the lead unit for short notice,
voluntary, out-of-cycle Air Expeditionary Force deployments to Bagram
AB, Afghanistan, performing joint combat flight operations with U.S.
Army, Special Forces and coalition ground troops despite total `black
out' conditions, a substantial number of mines on and around the
airfield, extreme weather conditions, and unremitting enemy shelling;
Whereas in 2003, the 111th once again volunteered for deployment to Al Jaber,
Kuwait, directly supporting coalition armor forces during the invasion
from the Kuwaiti border;
Whereas the 111th Fighter Wing was awarded the Air Force Outstanding Unit Award,
with Valor, for voluntarily deploying to austere bases in two separate
combat operations within a five-month period;
Whereas the unit was also awarded the Reserve Family Readiness Award in 2003 and
the Air National Guard Distinguished Flying Unit Award in 2004;
Whereas in its 86-year history, the wing has flown aircraft that includes the
JN-4 Jenny, PT-1 Trusty, BT-1, O-1 Bird Dog, O-2H Skymaster, O-11
Curtiss Falcon, O-38, O-47A, O-47B, O-49 Vigilant, O-52 Owl, O-57
Grasshopper, P434-1, L-4 Grasshopper, L-1B Vigilant, P-39 Airacobra, P-
40 Warhawk, B-25 Mitchell, P-38 Lightning, A-26 Invader, B-26 Marauder,
B-29 Superfortress, RB-29 Superfortress, F-51 Mustang, T-33 Shooting
Star, F-84 Thunderjet, F-94 Starfire, F-89 Scorpion, C-97
Stratofreighter, U-3A Blue Canoe, O-2 Skymaster, OA-37 Dragonfly, OA-10A
Thunderbolt II, and the A-10 Thunderbolt II;
Whereas the members of the 111th Fighter Wing of the Pennsylvania Air National
Guard have served with courage, selflessness, and compassion in every
role they have been asked to fulfill, and have earned the respect and
gratitude of the citizens of Pennsylvanian and all Americans;
Whereas, while the Base Realignment and Closure Commission of 2005 removed the
111th's flying mission, the unit will continue proudly serving the
United States through new missions; and
Whereas the ruling of the Base Realignment and Closure Commission of 2005 marks
the ``End of an Era'' for the 111th Fighter Wing at Willow Grove Naval
Air Station: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
(1) recognizes the exemplary service of members of the
111th Fighter Wing of the Pennsylvania Air National Guard; and
(2) honors and thanks all members of the 111th Fighter Wing
of the Pennsylvania Air National Guard, past and present, for
their tremendous contributions to the defense and security of
the United States.
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