[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 139 (Friday, November 14, 2014)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1592-E1593]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




IN RECOGNITION OF THE 25TH ANNIVERSARY OF COMBAT OPERATIONS OF THE 55TH 
                        ELECTRONIC COMBAT GROUP

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. RON BARBER

                               of arizona

                    in the house of representatives

                       Friday, November 14, 2014

  Mr. BARBER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the 55th 
Electronic Combat Group, the Compass Call mission, and its 25th 
anniversary of combat operations in defense of our great nation. 
Compass Call is a United States Air Force mission that uses modified C-
130s to fly above contested airspace, jamming

[[Page E1593]]

enemy command and control communications. By targeting enemy 
navigation, radar and data systems, Compass Call helps save lives on 
the ground and in the air.
   This Saturday, current and past members of the Compass Call mission 
will be taking part in a reunion in Tucson, Arizona, my home district. 
Since Operation Just Cause ended the military dictatorship of Manuel 
Noriega in Panama, Compass Call has been flying in every major conflict 
over the past 25 years.
   Spanning the last eleven years, Compass Call has provided 
exceptional electronic warfare protection for the United States and 
allied forces in Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. 
To date, the mission has amassed 37,000 combat hours and there is a 
high likelihood that at this moment, there is an EC-130H flying 
overhead providing coverage for our troops.
   I am proud that Davis-Monthan Air Force Base in Tucson is home to 
Compass Call. No state is as fiercely loyal to our service members as 
Arizona.
   It is our honor to celebrate with the 55th Electronic Combat Group 
as they reunite this weekend.
   It is no wonder that the group has been awarded the Air Force's 2014 
Electronic Combat Annual Award Program Unit of the Year and the Air 
Force's Association of Old Crows Outstanding Electronic Combat Unit of 
the Year.
   What these men and women do behind the scenes may not get much 
attention but it is what wins wars.

                          ____________________