[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 23 (Thursday, February 27, 1997)]
[House]
[Page H681]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                              INTRUDER DAY

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from Virginia [Mr. Pickett] is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. PICKETT. Mr. Speaker, tomorrow the Navy honors the retirement of 
an old friend, the A-6 Intruder. Attack Squadron 196 and Attack 
Squadron 75 will stand down the final two Intruder squadrons in 
simultaneous ceremonies at Whidbey Island, WA, and Virginia Beach, VA, 
respectively.
  As the backbone of carrier attack aviation for the past 36 years, the 
A-6E Intruder stood ready to deliver its formidable payload in any 
weather, day or night. The A-6 put teeth in the term ``carrier forward 
presence.'' It saw combat in Vietnam, Lebanon, Libya, in the waters of 
the Arabian Gulf, and over the shores of Kuwait and Iraq. It delivered 
iron bombs, laser-guided bombs, and every air-to-ground missile 
available in the Navy inventory for the past three decades.
  The Intruder was never the prettiest plane on the flight deck, but it 
was always the hardest working. The pilots and bombardier/navigators 
who flew the Intruder affectionately referred to its Grumman ironworks 
origin. Some swore the aircraft was made of solid steel. Whether the 
shells and missiles it faced flew from Hanoi or Baghdad, many an A-6 
returned to the carrier full of holes, but ready to see combat soon 
after a few steel patch jobs.
  We also honor the thousands of Intruder maintainers, both past and 
present, who kept this 18-ton bombing machine flying day and night, at 
sea and ashore. Foreign terms such as fly-by-wire and heads-up display 
never passed the lips of these hardworking men and women. Metal, 
pulleys, oil, and hydraulic fluid kept this archetype of attack 
airborne.
  Finally, let us remember the Intruder crews who never returned. In 
service to our Nation, they paid the ultimate price flying this machine 
that they loved. We miss them still, and will never forget them. From 
this day on, the Navy must continue to carry on the spirit of Intruder 
attack. Whenever the Navy rolls in hot, a bit of Intruder history rolls 
in with it.

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