[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 9 (Monday, January 25, 2010)]
[Senate]
[Pages S203-S204]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
150TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE FOUNDING OF THE COLORADO NATIONAL GUARD
Mr. SPECTER. Mr. President, on behalf of the leader, I ask unanimous
consent that the Committee on Armed
[[Page S204]]
Services be discharged from further consideration of S. Res. 395 and
the Senate proceed to its consideration.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
The clerk will report the resolution by title.
The assistant legislative clerk read as follows:
A resolution (S. Res. 395) commemorating the 150th
anniversary of the founding of the Colorado National Guard.
There being no objection, the Senate proceeded to consider the
resolution.
Mr. SPECTER. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the
resolution be agreed to, the preamble be agreed to, the motions to
reconsider be laid upon the table, with no intervening action or
debate, and that any statements relating to the resolution be printed
in the Record.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
The resolution (S. Res. 395) was agreed to.
The preamble was agreed to.
The resolution, with its preamble, reads as follows:
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;
=========================== NOTE ===========================
On page S204, January 25, 2010, the Record reads: Whereas in
1968, in response to the USS Pueblo incident, the 120th Tactical
Fighter Squadron of the Colorado Air National . . .
The online Record has been corrected to read: Whereas in 1968,
the 120th Tactical Fighter Squadron of the Colorado Air National
Guard became one of the first Air National . . .
========================= END NOTE =========================
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 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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