[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 149 (2003), Part 6]
[House]
[Page 8436]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                   CONTRIBUTIONS OF THE NAVAL RESERVE

  (Mr. KIRK asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. KIRK. Mr. Speaker, seven carriers and air wings are deployed in 
Operation Iraqi Freedom. I want to focus on a Carrier Reserve Squadron 
being assigned to Carrier Air Wing Eight aboard the USS Roosevelt. The 
Squadron is Strike Fighter 201, VFA-201, flying the F-18 Hornet. They 
are part of the 11th Carrier Air Wing, Carrier Air Wing Reserve 20, 
headquartered in Atlanta.
  This is the first naval reserve F-18 squadron ever mobilized aboard a 
carrier with an active duty wing, and 201's combat record demonstrates 
the capability of our reserve air crews. Since October VFA-201 
mobilized over 100 Reservists transitioning to the F/A-18 Alpha Plus 
and deployed aboard USS Theodore Roosevelt in January.
  Every aviator has crews and combat experience of over 1,000 flight 
hours, many logging more than 2,000 hours in type. Reservists of 201 
provide leadership to the wing in strike planning, flight execution, 
and carrier operations. Their experience in operations around the world 
and in adversary tactics aid Air Wing readiness. This reserve 
squadron's boarding rate and landing grades exceeded all other active 
duty Air Wing Eight squadrons.
  Early in the morning of March 23, the ``hunters'' of VFA-201 made 
history carrying out our initial strikes and destroyed a communications 
complex south of Baghdad. The pilots, sailors, and jets are performing 
magnificently. Morale is high and they are continuing to operate Air 
Wing Eight in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. Naval Reserve TACAIR 
is alive, underbudget, and on target. This success story is what our 
Naval Air Reserve squadrons bring to the table in time of war: 
experience, peacetime active duty support, and surge capability. The 
Reservists are our best and brightest. They form the backbone of a low-
cost military insurance policy America needs.

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