[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 85 (Wednesday, May 6, 2020)]
[Senate]
[Page S2286]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




            75TH ANNIVERSARY OF MISSION AVIATION FELLOWSHIP

 Mr. RISCH. Mr. President, for myself and Mr. Crapo, I want to 
recognize a very special nonprofit organization in our State that is 
celebrating its 75th anniversary on May 20. Mission Aviation 
Fellowship, or MAF, headquartered in Nampa, ID, was formed on May 20, 
1945, by veteran pilots who returned from World War II with a vision 
that airplanes could be used for peaceful means, bringing medicine, 
education, and the gospel to isolated people around the world.
  One of their founding members, Betty Greene, served as their first 
pilot, becoming the first woman to fly over the Andes in South America 
and the first female pilot in Sudan as she traveled the world on behalf 
of MAF. Betty also received a Congressional Gold Medal for her wartime 
service as a women Airforce service pilot, WASP. She piloted MAF's very 
first flight from La Habra, CA, to Tuxpan, Mexico, and little did she 
know at the time that Mission Aviation Fellowship would eventually 
partner with over 500 organizations in 13 countries, delivering medical 
services and vaccines, assisting with disaster response, and offering 
physical help and spiritual hope for those living in the farthest 
reaches of the world.
  Their work among the most isolated people on our planet often goes 
unnoticed, but in 1956, the world was captivated by the story of MAF 
pilot Nate Saint and four other missionaries who were martyred on the 
banks of the Curaray River in Ecuador at the hands of Waorani warriors. 
Undeterred, MAF continued to expand its operations around the world, 
and in 2006, they moved their headquarters to Nampa, ID, to provide 
their pilots with quality backcountry flight training, favorable 
weather, and lower cost of operations.
  The Nampa headquarters hosts MAF's maintenance and training facility, 
along with all of the back-office functions for its programs around the 
world. The nearly 200 local employees and 300 volunteers support 
another 400 staff members in foreign countries. MAF has a fleet of 47 
airplanes that includes 13 Kodiaks that are made in Sandpoint, ID, and 
are especially well-suited for the short, rugged mountain top and 
jungle landing strips in the areas they serve.
  Throughout their 75-year history, MAF has brought physical help and 
spiritual hope to those living at the ends of the Earth--even in the 
midst of wars, disease, and natural disasters. They look to serve those 
that are forgotten by the rest of the world, and I congratulate them on 
their 75 years of service and thank them for being there to provide 
hope and deliver needed resources in some of the world's most 
challenging places to reach.

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