[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 8 (Friday, January 22, 2010)]
[Senate]
[Pages S155-S156]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         SUBMITTED RESOLUTIONS

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   SENATE RESOLUTION 395--COMMEMORATING THE 150TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE 
                FOUNDING OF THE COLORADO NATIONAL GUARD

  Mr. UDALL of Colorado (for himself and Mr. Bennet) submitted the 
following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Armed 
Services:

                              S. Res. 395

       Whereas on January 23, 1860, the history of the Colorado 
     National Guard began when the first General Assembly of the 
     Jefferson Territory authorized the formation of 2 independent 
     militia companies, the Jefferson Rangers and the Denver 
     Guards, both of which were disbanded after the Colorado 
     Volunteers were established as the official Colorado 
     Territorial Militia;
       Whereas after Colorado became a State in 1876, the Colorado 
     State Militia was activated on dozens of occasions to protect 
     public rights, safety, and property;
       Whereas during World War I, nearly all units of the 
     Colorado National Guard were called into service, serving as 
     replacements on the front lines as well as carrying out 
     crucial artillery support roles in most of the major 
     campaigns near the end of the war;
       Whereas during World War II, Colorado National Guard units 
     served in both the European and Pacific theaters, providing 
     crucial indirect fire support throughout the Pacific, 
     significantly contributing to the invasion of Italy and 
     southern France, and partaking in the liberation of the 
     Dachau concentration camp in April 1945;
       Whereas a year prior to the establishment of the United 
     States Air Force in September 1947, the 120th Tactical 
     Reconnaissance Squadron (Fighter) was federally recognized 
     and redesignated as the 120th Fighter Squadron (Single-
     Engine), thus becoming the first federally recognized unit of 
     the Air National Guard;
       Whereas the Colorado National Guard was called into Federal 
     service in 1950 during the Korean War and in 1961 during the 
     Berlin Crisis;
       Whereas in 1968 the 120th Tactical Fighter Squadron of the 
     Colorado Air National Guard became one of the first Air 
     National Guard units to be mobilized and the first of 4 
     fighter units to be deployed for combat operations in the 
     Vietnam War;
       Whereas in 1990 and 1991, the Colorado National Guard was 
     called into Federal service to support Operation Desert 
     Shield/Storm in the Persian Gulf and enforce the United 
     Nations-mandated no-fly zone over Iraq during Operations 
     Northern and Southern Watch;
       Whereas the Colorado National Guard was called into Federal 
     service in 1994 to help provide stability in Haiti and in 
     1999 as part of Operation Joint Forge in the Balkans;
       Whereas in recent years, the Colorado National Guard has 
     supported various anti-drug and search-and-rescue missions 
     and assisted the citizens of Colorado during numerous natural 
     disasters and State emergencies;
       Whereas hours after the attack on the World Trade Center 
     and the Pentagon on September 11, 2001, the Colorado National 
     Guard was activated to bolster airport security at 14 major 
     airports across the State and the Pueblo Chemical Depot, with 
     Colorado Guardsmen, as part of Operation Noble Eagle, 
     launching the first defensive aircraft over the city of 
     Denver within minutes of the terrorist attacks and initiating 
     the Air Sovereignty Alert mission, which continues today with 
     airmen and aircraft on alert 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, 
     to protect our Nation from aerial threats;
       Whereas since September 11, 2001, more than 6,500 Colorado 
     National Guard members have served in Iraq and Afghanistan in 
     support of Operations Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom, 
     with more than 550 Colorado National Guard members currently 
     deployed in support of both missions and another 160 members 
     preparing for mobilization;
       Whereas the 3rd Battalion of the 157th Field Artillery 
     Regiment, which traces its lineage back to the Civil War, is 
     currently deployed in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom and 
     is the largest Colorado Army National Guard unit to deploy 
     since World War II;
       Whereas in 1985, the Colorado National Guard established 
     the High-Altitude Army Aviation Training Site (HAATS) to 
     instruct rotary wing aviators on how to better operate in 
     hostile, high-altitude, and power-limited environments;
       Whereas HAATS is the only United States military school 
     teaching such specialized techniques and has provided 
     critical training to helicopter aviators in Iraq and 
     Afghanistan;
       Whereas in 1993, the Colorado National Guard was among the 
     first to form a partnership under the auspices of the State 
     Partnership Program with the Republic of Slovenia, and in 
     2002, formed a second partnership with the Hashemite Kingdom 
     of Jordan;
       Whereas the more than 3,700 citizen soldiers of the 
     Colorado Army National Guard are based in 20 communities 
     across Colorado, and the more than 1,500 citizen airmen of 
     the Colorado Air National Guard are based at Buckley Air 
     Force Base in Aurora, Colorado, as well as in Greeley and 
     Colorado Springs, Colorado;
       Whereas the citizen soldiers and airmen of the Colorado 
     National Guard have served with courage and selflessness and 
     have

[[Page S156]]

     earned the respect and gratitude of Coloradans and all 
     Americans; and
       Whereas the Colorado National Guard continues to build on 
     its heritage as a ready, reliable, and relevant community-
     based force that is always ready and always there, whether to 
     protect our homeland against attacks, to support civil 
     authorities, or to defend freedom overseas: Now, therefore, 
     be it
       Resolved, That the Senate--
       (1) recognizes the 150th anniversary of the founding of the 
     Colorado National Guard and its exemplary service to the 
     State of Colorado and the Nation;
       (2) thanks the members of the Colorado National Guard and 
     their families for their service and their sacrifice on 
     behalf of the State of Colorado and the Nation;
       (3) pledges its continued support in providing the Colorado 
     National Guard with the resources necessary to ensure its 
     readiness to perform State and Federal missions;
       (4) expresses condolences to the families of those members 
     of the Colorado National Guard who made the ultimate 
     sacrifice and gave their lives while serving in the Colorado 
     National Guard; and
       (5) honors the dedication of the members of the Colorado 
     National Guard who play a central role in protecting the 
     United States and the freedoms and liberties of its citizens.

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