[Congressional Bills 111th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 420 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

111th CONGRESS
  2d Session
S. RES. 420

Honoring the members of the Army National Guard and Air National Guard 
 of the State of Oklahoma for their service and sacrifice on behalf of 
              the United States since September 11, 2001.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                           February 23, 2010

    Mr. Inhofe (for himself and Mr. Coburn) submitted the following 
   resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Armed Services

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
Honoring the members of the Army National Guard and Air National Guard 
 of the State of Oklahoma for their service and sacrifice on behalf of 
              the United States since September 11, 2001.

Whereas members of the Army National Guard and Air National Guard of the State 
        of Oklahoma reside throughout the State and come from various 
        communities, backgrounds, and professions;
Whereas the Army National Guard and Air National Guard of the State of Oklahoma 
        are composed of several units, including the Joint Forces Headquarters, 
        the 45th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, the 45th Fires Brigade, the 90th 
        Troop Command, the 189th Regional Training Institute, Camp Gruber Joint 
        Maneuver Training Center, the 137th Air Refueling Wing, the 138th 
        Fighter Wing, the 205th Engineering Installation Squadron, and the 219th 
        Engineering Installation Squadron;
Whereas, since September 11, 2001, units and members of the Army National Guard 
        and the Air National Guard of the State of Oklahoma have been deployed, 
        and are continuously being deployed, in support of United States 
        military operations at home and abroad;
Whereas the 45th Infantry Brigade mobilized in 2003 for Operation Enduring 
        Freedom and deployed more than 700 soldiers to Afghanistan to provide 
        training to Afghan Security Forces;
Whereas the 45th Infantry Brigade Combat Team mobilized in 2007 for Operation 
        Iraqi Freedom and deployed more than 2,700 soldiers to provide command 
        and control and conduct security force and detainee operations, 
        representing the largest single deployment for the Oklahoma Army 
        National Guard since the Korean War;
Whereas the 45th Fires Brigade mobilized in 2008 for Operation Iraqi Freedom and 
        deployed more than 1,000 soldiers to provide command and control and 
        conduct security force operations;
Whereas 90th Troop Command units mobilized for Operation Iraqi Freedom and 
        Operation Enduring Freedom and deployed more than 2,600 soldiers to 
        conduct combat support and combat service support missions;
Whereas the 189th Regional Training Institute and Camp Gruber Joint Maneuver 
        Training Center have provided professional training to military and 
        nonmilitary personnel to enhance domestic security and prepare units for 
        deployments abroad;
Whereas the Oklahoma Army National Guard mobilized in 2005 and deployed more 
        than 2,500 soldiers to support relief operations in response to 
        Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, including assisting law enforcement 
        agencies with traffic control and security, transporting and 
        distributing food, water, and ice, conducting search and rescue and 
        ground and air evacuations, providing generator support, and performing 
        other missions to protect life and property;
Whereas the 137th Airlift Wing mobilized in 2003 for Operation Iraqi Freedom and 
        deployed to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia as part of the largest C-130 
        wing assembled in history, transporting troops, food, supplies, and 
        equipment to United States forces in Iraq;
Whereas the 137th Airlift Wing mobilized in 2003 for Operation Enduring Freedom 
        and deployed to Uzbekistan, providing critical airlift and logistical 
        support for United States forces in Afghanistan;
Whereas between 2003 and 2006, the 137th Airlift Wing transported 39,368 troops 
        and 11,170 tons of critical cargo to United States forces in Iraq and 
        Afghanistan;
Whereas the 137th Airlift Wing mobilized in 2005 and deployed one of the first 
        C-130 units to support relief operations in response to Hurricane 
        Katrina, including evacuating hospital and nursing home residents to 
        safety by air, providing critical logistical support, and airlifting 
        2,500 members of the Oklahoma Army National Guard to population centers 
        to provide aid to hurricane victims;
Whereas the 138th Fighter Wing mobilized in 2005, 2007, and 2008 for Operation 
        Iraqi Freedom and deployed to Iraq to provide close air support and 
        engage in combat missions, during which the 138th Fighter Wing expended 
        109,000 pounds of combat ordnance and successfully destroyed numerous 
        targets; and
Whereas, since September 11, 2001, the 138th Fighter Wing has flown numerous Air 
        Sovereignty Alert missions in the United States, protecting high value 
        domestic targets against attack and contributing to homeland defense, 
        and in 2008 the 138th Fighter Wing was recognized as the most active 
        alert facility in the United States: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the Senate--
            (1) expresses its gratitude to the members of the Army 
        National Guard and Air National Guard of the State of Oklahoma 
        and their families for their service and sacrifice on behalf of 
        the United States since September 11, 2001; and
            (2) recognizes the citizen-soldiers and airmen of the 
        Oklahoma National Guard as invaluable to the national security 
        of the United States, vital to defending against threats both 
        foreign and domestic, and essential for responding to State and 
        national emergencies.
                                 <all>