[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 106 (Friday, July 31, 1998)]
[Senate]
[Page S9607]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                 IDAHO'S 116TH--THE SNAKE RIVER BRIGADE

 Mr. KEMPTHORNE. Mr. President, I rise today to offer my praise 
for the men and women of the Idaho National Guard as they prepare to 
complete their exercise at our nation's crown jewel for desert warfare 
training.
  It is, Mr. President, the National Training Center (NTC) at Fort 
Irwin, California. It is in those harsh and challenging conditions that 
our Army and National Guard personnel receive the best training of any 
armed force in the world.
  I had the pleasure of spending this past weekend with the 116th 
Cavalry Brigade of the Idaho Army National Guard as they conducted 
Operation Desert Avenger at the NTC. The 116th, also called the Snake 
River Brigade, is only the second National Guard brigade to train at 
NTC in eight years. And from what I saw, Mr. President, they are more 
than holding their own.
  Under the leadership of The Adjutant General, Major General Jack 
Kane, Brigade Commander Colonel Lawrence LaFrenz, Sergeant Major Austin 
Cummins and Brigade Sergeant Major Patrick Murphy, the men and women of 
the 116th have set an example that all future National Guard units will 
be hard-pressed to match.
  Mr. President, the Snake River Brigade spent over two years preparing 
for their training rotation at NTC. Not only was there the logistical 
problems associated with getting more than 1,700 Idahoans and their 
equipment to California, but they supplemented the Idaho Guard with 
units from 41 other states and Canada. Nearly 5,000 men and women of 
the National Guard are taking part in Operation Desert Avenger. One can 
only imagine the myriad of details that had to be handled to make this 
exercise a success. Think of all the planning that had to be done years 
ahead of the actual training. Mr. President, under the guidance of the 
Adjutant General and his staff, I believe Idaho's 116th Brigade has 
developed the model for how Guard units should prepare for this high 
intensity training.
  Not only was the Snake River Brigade prepared, they performed above 
expectations. While these training exercises are not a test, the 
performance is observed and evaluated. The goal is to make the 
leadership and troops perform to the best of their ability. On the day 
I visited, the 116th beat the opposition forces. That is significant. 
Active duty Army units that come to NTC on a regular basis that don't 
do that. Those Idahoans can now go home with their heads held high. 
Talking with the tank crews, artillery units and support teams later, 
you can see the devotion they have and how high morale is. I'll tell 
you, Mr. President, had there been a National Guard recruiter on the 
field right after that battle, many of those soldiers would have 
immediately signed up for another tour of duty.
  All Idahoans can be proud of the citizen-soldiers of the Snake River 
Brigade, and I would like to salute them here in the United States 
Senate.
  These men and women are on call, prepared to defend our freedom. Mr. 
President, we owe a tremendous debt of gratitude to the families of 
these patriots, who support them at home, and to the employers, who 
allow them the time away from work to attend training like NTC.

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