[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 86 (Thursday, June 19, 1997)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1258-E1259]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


                   A SALUTE TO THE 106TH RESCUE GROUP

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. MICHAEL P. FORBES

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, June 19, 1997

  Mr. FORBES. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to salute the 106th Rescue 
Group, the oldest flying unit in the Air National Guard. The group has 
an exceptional history which parallels the greatest U.S. military 
efforts of the 20th century, and its proud members have proven to be a 
source of outstanding service and dedication to their Long Island 
neighbors.
  In the years immediately following World War I--when aviation first 
became a powerful force of warfare--Long Island aviators returned from 
Europe to organize the 102d Observation Squadron. In the following 
years, they flew observation missions for New York's 27th Division, and 
then were called to fight in the European and Pacific theaters during 
World War II, which they did with honor and determination. The valor 
that American aviators demonstrated in the war, along with the great 
technological advancements in warfare aviation that had been made since 
World War I, inspired the creation of the Air National Guard in 1946. 
Having fought so courageously over the war-torn cities of Germany and 
the aerial minefields of the Pacific, the 102d Squadron became part of 
the Air National Guard, and they were assigned to the 106th Bomb Wing 
in Brooklyn. The 106th became equipped with the era's finest aircraft 
as the Korean war exploded, and its members piloted the B-29 
Superfortress--a great American innovation in the realm of bombers--as 
they aided in the effort to stave off North Korea.
  Returning to Brooklyn after their service to the United States, the 
106th Bomb Wing members turned in their bombers for the chance to fly 
medical airlift missions. Later, the 106th would fly heavy transport 
missions throughout the world for the Air Force, and then, as conflict 
arose in Southeast Asia, they were asked to fly regular missions in 
support of the American forces fighting in Vietnam. While flying 
refueling missions to support Air Force fighters in Europe in 1970, the 
106th moved to its current location at the Suffolk County Airport in 
Westhampton Beach. Since 1975, the 106th has taken on search and rescue 
missions, where they have shown true human dedication, perseverance, 
and the will

[[Page E1259]]

to succeed. Surely, all of the group's Long Island neighbors have 
benefited greatly from this work.
  They have touched the lives of citizens and military personnel from 
Brooklyn to Montauk, from Europe to Asia. On the 50th anniversary of 
the inception of the U.S. Air Force, it is important to note the 
contribution that some of Long Island's finest--the members of the 
106th--have had on the history of military aviation, and the protection 
of the ideals of liberty and freedom across the globe. The men and 
women of our Nation's Air National Guard have flown the world's skies 
proudly for the past 50 years, maintaining peace in times of 
understanding, and aiding the young men and women of the U.S. military 
in times of war. The service the 106th provides today is unparalleled 
in its importance, and I call upon my fellow Members of Congress to 
join me in honoring them for their work on behalf of the Air National 
Guard in the past 50 years, and on behalf of the 271 lives they have 
saved in search and rescue missions since 1975.

                          ____________________