[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 216 (Wednesday, December 15, 2021)]
[Senate]
[Pages S9208-S9209]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




        RECOGNIZING THE 117TH ARW OF THE ALABAMA NATIONAL GUARD

  Mr. TUBERVILLE. Mr. President, today I rise to highlight the 100th 
anniversary of the 117th Air Refueling Wing based in Birmingham, AL, 
and to honor the patriotic men and women, past and present, of this 
storied National Guard unit. For a century, the 117th has defended our 
freedoms by providing worldwide air refueling, airlift, logistics, 
intelligence, and medical services. It is a profound honor to represent 
these great Americans in their nation's capital.
  The United States hosts the world's most powerful Air Force, which 
gives our country the ability to project strength and defend freedom 
around the globe. This capability is made possible by a heavy reliance 
on our air refueling tankers that create bridges across the sky for our 
fighters and bombers. Since October 1994, the 117th Air Refueling Wing 
has proudly and effectively performed this critical air refueling 
mission with the KC-135 Stratotanker, a mainstay of our tanker fleet.
  The 117th Air Refueling Wing is heavily utilized and often deployed. 
Their reliability and dedication has led them to take part in some of 
the most consequential military actions of our time.
  During the Kosovo conflict of 1999, the wing flew operational 
missions over the Balkans following its deployment of six KC-135 
aircraft to Brize-Norton Royal Air Force Base, England, in support of 
Operation Allied Force.
  After the horrific terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, the 117th 
deployed to MacDill Air Force Base, FL, as part of Operation Noble 
Eagle to refuel F-15 and F-16 aircraft that were flying around-the-
clock protective combat air patrol missions over major cities in the 
United States.
  The wing deployed KC-135 aircraft to Incirlik Air Base, Turkey, to 
fly operational missions in support of Operation Enduring Freedom and 
later played a key role in Operation Iraqi Freedom. Each of these 
deployments supported and directly contributed to the success of our 
air operations, keeping Americans in the air and on the ground safer 
while imposing our will on the enemy.
  But, even decades before taking on the air refueling mission, the 
wing had a storied beginning and a long history of service to our 
country.
  In 1918, Major James A. Meissner, a World War I flying ace, returned 
home to Birmingham to lead the formation of a flying unit based at 
Roberts Field. As a result of his efforts, on January 21, 1922, the 
U.S. Department of War identified the Birmingham Aero Club as the first 
Air National Guard Unit in Alabama.
  The unit was originally designated as the 135th Observation Squadron, 
Alabama National Guard, and received Federal recognition as a Corps 
Aviation unit. The flying squadron was nicknamed the ``Birmingham 
Escadrille's,'' and Major Meissner served as the first commander.
  On January 30, 1944, the unit, by then redesignated to the 106th 
Reconnaissance Squadron, flew its first combat sorties in B-25 Mitchell 
aircraft against the Japanese from Sterling Island in the South 
Pacific.
  In 1961, the unit was federalized in support of the Berlin Crisis. 
For 10 months, 20 RF-84F Thunderstreak aircraft flew missions from 
Dreux Air Base, France.
  Also in 1961, roughly 80 members of the Alabama Air National Guard 
secretly took part in the operation to support the Bay of Pigs invasion 
of Cuba. These individuals bravely defended the U.S. and Cuban people 
against the communist regime and were sworn to secrecy until the 
declassification of the mission in 1998.
  In November 1971, the unit was selected to be the first Air National 
Guard unit to receive the RF-4C Phantom II aircraft, redesignated as 
the 117th Tactical Reconnaissance Wing, and assigned to the U.S. Air 
Force's Tactical Air Command.
  Following Saddam Hussein's August 1990 invasion of Kuwait and the 
subsequent U.S. military buildup in the Middle East, six Alabama 
National Guard RF-4C aircraft equipped with special long-range cameras 
deployed on August 24, 1990, to Al Dhafra Air Base, United Arab 
Emirates. Their mission was to obtain high-resolution images of

[[Page S9209]]

objects 100 miles away to aid prewar surveillance and photo-
reconnaissance mapping of Iraqi forces in occupied Kuwait and along the 
Saudi Arabia-Iraq border.
  Though the missions and the aircraft have changed over the 100-year 
history of the flying squadron, one thing has remained constant: The 
men and women of the 117th have always answered the call to service. 
That tradition has been proudly carried on by the nearly 1,000 men and 
women who comprise the 117th Air Refueling Wing.
  Today, we honor the airmen and women, maintainers, medical crews, and 
support staff of the 117th Air Refueling Wing on this important 
anniversary and remember those that have given their lives as part of 
the wing's operations. I salute them for their sacrifice and service to 
the great State of Alabama and the United States of America.

                          ____________________