[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 196 (Friday, December 1, 2017)]
[Senate]
[Pages S7719-S7720]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




   SENATE RESOLUTION 347--COMMEMORATING THE 62ND ANNIVERSARY OF THE 
                 DEDICATION OF WHITEMAN AIR FORCE BASE

  Mrs McCASKILL (for herself and Mr. BLUNT) submitted the following 
resolution; which was considered and agreed to:

                              S. Res. 347

       Whereas, 70 years ago, the National Security Act of 1947 
     (50 U.S.C. 3001 et seq.), signed into law by President Harry 
     S. Truman, established the Department of the Air Force as an 
     executive department and established the United States Air 
     Force under the Department of the Air Force;

[[Page S7720]]

       Whereas, at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, on December 7, 1941, 
     during the attack on Bellows Field, Second Lieutenant George 
     Allison Whiteman reached his aircraft, but while attempting 
     take off, Second Lieutenant Whiteman's P-40 Warhawk was 
     attacked by enemy fighters and crashed, fatally injuring 
     Second Lieutenant Whiteman;
       Whereas, in 1942, the site where Whiteman Air Force Base 
     (in this preamble referred to as ``Whiteman AFB'') currently 
     exists was established as Sedalia Glider Base, and Sedalia 
     Army Air Field was later established at that site to train 
     Waco glider pilots for combat missions during World War II;
       Whereas, in 1951, that site was reopened as Sedalia Air 
     Force Base and, beginning in 1952, housed the 340th 
     Bombardment Wing, which was assigned the newest aircraft 
     systems of the time, including the B-47 Stratojet, which was 
     the first all-jet bomber, and the KC-97, which is an aerial 
     refueling tanker;
       Whereas, on December 3, 1955, Sedalia Air Force Base was 
     dedicated as Whiteman AFB, in memory of Sedalia-native Second 
     Lieutenant George Allison Whiteman, one of the first airmen 
     killed in World War II;
       Whereas Whiteman AFB developed and matured alongside United 
     States Air Force capabilities and necessities, transitioning 
     from a bomber base to the chosen location for the fourth 
     Minuteman intercontinental ballistic missile wing and the 
     home of the 351st Strategic Missile Wing;
       Whereas Whiteman AFB assisted in paving the way for a fully 
     integrated United States Air Force, with the 351st Strategic 
     Missile Wing fielding the first female Minuteman crew and the 
     first gender-integrated Minuteman crew;
       Whereas the 509th Bomb Wing is stationed at Whiteman AFB, 
     operates a B-2 Spirit stealth bomber, and is able to deploy 
     from Missouri to engage adversaries of the United States 
     anywhere in the world;
       Whereas the 509th Bomb Wing first engaged in combat as part 
     of Operation Allied Force over Serbia and Kosovo in 1999;
       Whereas, in October 2001, the 509th Bomb Wing carried out 
     the first military response after the attacks on New York 
     City, New York, and Washington, District of Columbia, on 
     September 11, 2001 by flying a B-2 Spirit stealth bomber into 
     the airspace of Afghanistan and preceding the coalition 
     aircraft that would engage the forces of the Taliban and al-
     Qaeda;
       Whereas, while selectively used, the B-2 Spirit stealth 
     bomber represents the precision capabilities and the 
     endurance of the United States Air Force;
       Whereas the 442nd Fighter Wing, an Air Force Reserve 
     Command organization responsible for the operation, 
     maintenance, and support of the A-10 Thunderbolt II aircraft 
     (commonly known as the ``Warthog''), is located at Whiteman 
     AFB and works alongside the 509th Bomb Wing;
       Whereas the 442nd Citizen Airmen carry on the proud 
     tradition, dating back to World War II, of supporting the 
     United States Army and allied ground forces through close air 
     support;
       Whereas the 131st Bomb Wing, a unit of the Missouri Air 
     National Guard located at Whiteman AFB, is the only Air 
     National Guard Bomb Wing to fly the B-2 Spirit stealth bomber 
     and to be nuclear-capable;
       Whereas the 131st Air National Guardsmen carry on the proud 
     tradition of supporting the State of Missouri and the United 
     States, which dates back to the founding of the 131st Bomb 
     Wing in 1923;
       Whereas the 20th Attack Squadron, which has been based at 
     Whiteman AFB since January 2011 and is assigned to the 432d 
     Operations Group in Nevada, flies the remotely piloted 
     aircraft MQ-9 Reaper for aerial reconnaissance and forward 
     observation;
       Whereas, though geographically separated from the 432d 
     Operations Group, the 20th Attack Squadron provides integral 
     intelligence and close air support and is able to conduct 
     strikes;
       Whereas the 1-135th Assault Helicopter Battalion, a unit of 
     the Missouri National Guard, supports humanitarian and 
     disaster relief operations as well as transportation on drug 
     interdiction missions; and
       Whereas the 1-135th Assault Helicopter Battalion has 
     recently transitioned to using the UH-60 Blackhawk 
     Helicopter, which allows for more effective joint force 
     training: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the Senate commemorates the 62nd anniversary 
     of the dedication of Whiteman Air Force Base.

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