[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 65 (Thursday, May 12, 2011)]
[Senate]
[Page S2925]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                 UH-72 LAKOTA LIGHT UTILITY HELICOPTER

 Mr. JOHNSON of South Dakota. Mr. President, I wish to speak 
today to honor the inception of the UH-72 Lakota Light Utility 
Helicopter into the active fleet of the South Dakota National Guard D 
Company 1/112th Security and Support Battalion. On May 15, a ceremony 
will be held at the Crazy Horse Monument in the Black Hills of South 
Dakota--the traditional homeland of the proud Lakota Sioux for whom 
this aircraft has been named. After nearly a decade of development, the 
Light Utility Helicopter program offers the UH-72 Lakota as a state-of-
the-art aircraft which will provide medical support to members of our 
military.
  The UH-72 Lakota stands as a defining symbol of the continued 
partnership between the U.S. military and the Sioux people. Native 
Americans from all reaches of this Nation have proven, time and again, 
their willingness to serve in the U.S. military to protect our 
freedoms. In fact, members of Native American tribes like the Lakota 
have historically served, and continue to serve, at a higher per-capita 
rate than any other ethnic group in America. In its medical evacuation, 
homeland security, and drug enforcement aircraft capacities, I know the 
UH-72 Lakota will do this legacy proud, wherever it serves.
  Per Department of Defense regulations, military helicopters are named 
after Native American tribes, and the UH-72 joins the ranks of other 
distinguished service helicopters like the H-60 Black Hawk, the H-64 
Apache, the H-66 Comanche, and many others. Naming the UH-72 after a 
tribe with such a distinct and honorable history of bravery and service 
is a tribute to Native American heritage as potent as the service the 
aircraft itself will provide.
  I commend the developers of this new aircraft for their hard work in 
the design and testing phases, as well as the pilots and crews whose 
input so critically enhanced the UH-72 as a finished product. I was 
pleased to have the opportunity to view the Lakota up close at a 
Rosebud Pow Wow a few years ago. I wish the pilots and crews of each of 
the D Company 1/112th Security and Support Battalion, as well as those 
serving in other regions, the best of luck with this new aircraft. 


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