[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 81 (Wednesday, May 15, 2019)]
[Senate]
[Page S2851]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                  National Military Appreciation Month

  Mr. President, May is National Military Appreciation Month, a chance 
for us to honor the service of those who have kept our Nation free for 
243 years.
  For me, when I reflect on our military men and women, there are 
always two things in the forefront of my mind: my dad, Harold Thune, 
and the men and women of Ellsworth Air Force Base in South Dakota and 
the South Dakota National Guard.
  My father was a fighter pilot who flew Hellcats off the USS Intrepid 
in the Pacific theater during World War II. I came to know the 
``greatest generation'' through my dad--their humility, their quiet 
service, their patriotism, and their deep dedication to the cause of 
freedom.
  I have come to know the men and women of today's military through 
Ellsworth and through South Dakota's National Guard and the great work, 
the extraordinary work they do day in and day out, the professionalism, 
the skill, the talent, and the dedication they bring to the work of 
defending America and America's freedoms.
  Ellsworth has been on my mind in particular this week because right 
now the Air Force is conducting a large force exercise involving B-1 
bombers, B-2s, B-52s, F-16s, C-17s, KC-135s, JSTARS and AWACS, and, for 
the first time, F-35s.
  My acquaintance with Ellsworth began during my time as a Member of 
the House of Representatives, but I really got to know the base and 
what it meant to the Rapid City area shortly after I became a Senator.
  Just a few months into my first term in the Senate, Ellsworth found 
itself targeted for closure by the Base Realignment and Closure 
Commission. That summer of 2005 was a long one as we mobilized to 
protect the base. I don't think I missed a BRAC hearing in DC that 
summer. It didn't matter whether Ellsworth was on the agenda; I wanted 
to be there in case the chance to advocate for Ellsworth arose.
  Thanks to the efforts of a lot of dedicated people, we were 
victorious. We demonstrated to the Commission that Ellsworth was a 
vital national security asset and that moving the B-1 fleet from 
Ellsworth would actually cost money. We also made the case that the 
United States shouldn't put all of its eggs in one basket, that it 
shouldn't consolidate all of its assets in one location.
  By August, we had succeeded in having Ellsworth removed from the 
closure list. Since then, the congressional delegation, Ellsworth, and 
community leaders have worked hard to build up the base so that we 
never again find ourselves in that same position. In 2007, we saw the 
Air Force Financial Services Center open at Ellsworth. In 2011, we saw 
the arrival of the 89th Attack Squadron and its command and control 
stations for MQ-9 Reapers. In 2015, a decade-long mission paid off with 
the expansion of the training airspace for the base. The Powder River 
Training Complex is now the largest training airspace in the 
continental United States. It is undoubtedly partly thanks to this 
airspace that Ellsworth was just chosen not only as the home for the B-
21 training mission, the first bombers to the fleet, but operational 
squadrons as well.
  Once on the chopping block, Ellsworth is going from strength to 
strength, and South Dakota is deeply proud to host this crucial base.
  Ellsworth's airmen have played an essential role in the armed 
conflicts of recent years. Ellsworth's pilots have engaged targets in 
the Middle East using Predator and Reaper remotely piloted aircraft for 
vital reconnaissance, search and rescue, and strike missions.
  The Thunderbirds of the 34th Bomb Squadron and the Tigers of the 37th 
Bomb Squadron have flown countless missions, conducting strikes, 
providing deterrence, and delivering critical close air support.
  During Operation Odyssey Dawn, B-1s from Ellsworth launched from 
South Dakota, flew halfway around the world to Libya, dropped their 
bombs, and returned home--all in a single mission. This marked the 
first time in history that B-1s launched combat missions from the 
United States to strike targets overseas.
  During my time advocating for Ellsworth, I have had the chance to 
learn a lot about aircraft and the incredible capabilities of the U.S. 
military, especially the capabilities of the U.S. Air Force. But the 
greatest part of representing Ellsworth has been the chance to meet 
with and get to know its airmen, from the wing commanders and other 
base leaders to the airmen who care for the planes.
  Ultimately, no matter what technology we have, the strength of our 
fighting force comes down to our military men and women. It is because 
of the men and women we have that the United States has the strongest 
fighting force in the world.
  Members of the military are a special breed. At an age when many are 
focused on graduation ceremonies or summer vacations, they take a 
different path--a path that challenges them mentally and physically, 
that pushes them to their limits and then asks them to go further, that 
asks them to forget their own needs and to focus only on what they can 
do for others, and that asks them to forgo comfort for sacrifice, up to 
and including the sacrifice of their lives. At 18, at 21, these 
warriors pledge to lay down their lives for the rest of us, and they 
make that pledge again every day of their service, every morning when 
they wake up and head to work, whether that is the repair base at 
Ellsworth or a battlefield half a world away.
  I am profoundly grateful for the honor of representing some of the 
men and women of the U.S. military here in the Senate. We owe our 
soldiers, sailors, airmen, marines, and Coast Guard a debt we can never 
repay.
  As Military Appreciation Month continues and Armed Forces Day 
approaches, we can take the time to remember--to remember that we go 
about our lives in peace and freedom every day because of members of 
the U.S. military who are standing watch for us. May God bless the 
members of the U.S. military, and may God continue to bless the United 
States of America.
  I yield the floor.
  I suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
  The legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mrs. MURRAY. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order 
for the quorum call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.