[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 97 (Thursday, June 27, 1996)]
[Senate]
[Page S7170]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




   TRIBUTE TO NORTH DAKOTA AIR FORCE PERSONNEL INJURED IN BOMBING IN 
                         DHAHRAN, SAUDI ARABIA

  Mr. CONRAD. Madam President, I rise today to express my deep 
condolences to the families of the 19 Americans who the Air Force 
reports were killed in Tuesday's blast in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia. I know 
that the thoughts and prayers of all Senators are also with the more 
than 300 people who were injured and their families, but I would like 
to make my colleagues aware that 3 of those who were wounded serve in 
my State, North Dakota.
  Madam President, approximately 60 Air Force personnel from air bases 
in Minot and Grand Forks in my home State are currently in the Persian 
Gulf theater. Many of them have been serving on a temporary basis in 
Dhahran with the 4404th Composite Wing, which is helping to enforce the 
no fly zone over Iraq. In light of reports that reverberations from the 
blast were felt nearly a hundred miles away in Bahrain, we must be 
thankful that more people were not killed, and that the three 
individuals from Grand Forks AFB who were hurt suffered only very minor 
injuries. It is my understanding that they have had an opportunity to 
speak with their families, and have been given necessary medical care.
  Although the names of the injured are being withheld for the time 
being, I want to take this opportunity to pay tribute to the fine work 
that these injured servicemembers and all North Dakota personnel in the 
Gulf have done for our country. Duty in the Persian Gulf is, by all 
accounts, an extremely challenging assignment. The desert environment 
is unyielding, and the culture is vastly different from what 
servicemembers are used to in the United States. Tuesday's blast also 
reminds us of the area's political instability, and the fact that the 
gulf is one of the few places in the post-cold war world where American 
forces daily face the real threat of attack.
  In the face of these challenges, personnel from the Grand Forks and 
Minot bases have performed extremely well. They have been a tribute to 
their fine installations, our State, the U.S. Air Force, and our 
country. I am proud of every member of the Air Force assigned to North 
Dakota, and offer my special thanks to the men and women from Minot and 
Grand Forks who are in the gulf today. It is because of your vigilance 
and hard work that all of us back home can sleep well at night.
  President Clinton and Saudi authorities have vowed that those 
responsible for this shameful attack will be brought to justice, and I 
echo their sentiments that this cowardly act will not sway our resolve 
in the gulf. I have no doubt that North Dakota's personnel in the 
region will play an outstanding role in dealing with the aftermath of 
the blast, and on behalf of my colleagues in the Senate, wish to extend 
my sincere wishes for a quick recovery to the 3 servicemembers from 
Grand Forks AFB who were injured.

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