[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.
                                 <all>