[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 145 (1999), Part 11]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 15379]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




HONORING THE MEN AND WOMEN WHO HAVE SERVED THEIR COUNTRY AT THE EL TORO 
                        AND TUSTIN AIR STATIONS

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. CHRISTOPHER COX

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                         Thursday, July 1, 1999

  Mr. COX. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to commemorate the July 2, 1999 
closing of United States Marine Corps Air Stations Tustin and El Toro, 
and to pay respect to the many thousands of dedicated Marines and 
Orange County civilians who served their country at these two military 
facilities over the past 50 years.
  Commissioned in 1942 as a U.S. Naval Lighter-Than-Air Base, MCAS 
Tustin was originally home to a fleet of helium-filled airships which 
conducted anti-submarine patrols off the Southern California coast. The 
site was decommissioned in 1949 but reactivated in May 1951 with the 
onset of the Korean War. The facility subsequently became a helicopter 
base, and in 1970 the facility was annexed by the City of Tustin and 
renamed Marine Corps Air Station Tustin. From World War II through the 
Persian Gulf War, the Marines at MCAS Tustin have played a critical 
role in protecting our national security. From 1962 to 1971, elements 
of Tustin's Marine Aircraft Group 16 were deployed to South Vietnam and 
Thailand, becoming the largest Aircraft Group in the history of the 
Corps. In August 1990, MAG-16 began deploying what eventually became 
five squadrons to Saudi Arabia for participation in Operations Desert 
Shield and Desert Storm. In all, MAG-16 flew over 11,000 sorties and 
24,000 flight hours in support of the liberation of Kuwait.
  Commissioned in 1943, MCAS El Toro was originally established as a 
training field for Marine pilots as part of the escalating war in the 
Pacific theater of World War II. In 1955, the Third Marine Aircraft 
Wing was moved to El Toro from Florida. Between 1968 and 1974, MCAS El 
Toro served as President Nixon's arrival and departure point to his 
``Western White House'' in San Clemente. In 1975, the air station made 
history as part of ``Operation New Arrival'' by serving as the initial 
point of arrival into the U.S. for 50,000 refugees fleeing the 
repressive communist government of Vietnam. During Operations Desert 
Shield and Desert Storm, the Third Marine Air Wing flew more than 
18,000 sorties and delivered approximately 30 million pounds of 
ordnance against enemy targets. El Toro Marines also participated in 
Operation Sea Angel in Bangladesh in 1991, Operation Restore Hope in 
Somalia in 1992, and Operation Nobel Response in Kenya in 1998.
  It has been an honor to represent these fine Marine bases during my 
career in Congress. The Marines stationed at El Toro and Tustin have 
been the best of neighbors. Their service to the Orange County 
community has been an invaluable asset to a wide variety of groups 
including needy children and the homeless. Their annual air show raised 
funds for many outstanding local charities and provided a wonderful 
outreach to millions of people from throughout Southern California.
  Most of all, the Marines' service to our country from these bases has 
helped to ensure freedom and liberty for all Americans.
  I know my colleagues will join with me in marking the close of an 
era, and in honoring the outstanding men and women of El Toro and 
Tustin for their half-century of dedication and commitment to 
safeguarding our nation's security.

                          ____________________