[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 153 (2007), Part 4]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages 4618-4619]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                 TRIBUTE TO THE ``FIGHTING LONGRACKS''

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. DARLENE HOOLEY

                               of oregon

                    in the house of representatives

                       Friday, February 16, 2007

  Ms. HOOLEY. Madam Speaker, today I rise to praise the courage, 
dedication, and selflessness of the following 116th Air Control 
Squadron volunteers.
  The ``Fighting Longracks'' from Camp Rilea, Warrenton, Oregon 
answered the call of service and stood up, so their active duty 
counterparts could temporarily stand down for the holidays.

[[Page 4619]]

  From September 2006 through January 2007 the Oregon Air National 
Guard in association with citizen-airmen from Air National Guard units 
from Hawaii, Ohio, Puerto Rico, and Wisconsin provided tactical command 
and control for all combat assets within Afghanistan.
  Unfortunately, too often we stand here in this chamber to publicly 
acknowledge the contribution of our military and their families after a 
tragedy--we honor our fallen--and often forget the living, our 
veterans.
  Lieutenant Colonel Timothy Olson, Lieutenant Colonel Jim Gregory, 
Major Paul Evans, Major Keith Townsend, Captain Leon McGuire, Captain 
Bryan Habas, Captain Victoria Habas, Senior Master Sergeant Robert 
Birman, Senior Master Sergeant Ralph Lehman, Senior Master Sergeant 
Leslie Wright, Master Sergeant William Baer, Master Sergeant Randy 
Dickenson, Master Sergeant Donald Hillgaertner, Master Sergeant Gary 
Gudge, Master Sergeant Cory Jackson, Master Sergeant Albert Luquette, 
Master Sergeant Adam Melerski, Master Sergeant Troy Mitchell, Master 
Sergeant Richard Murren, Technical Sergeant Ann Chancey, Technical 
Sergeant Edwin Corcoran, Technical Sergeant Carl Domingo, Technical 
Sergeant Robert Foreman, Technical Sergeant Bryan Garret, Technical 
Sergeant Matthew Gudge, Technical Sergeant George McMahan, Staff 
Sergeant Michelle Nelson, and Staff Sergeant Laurence Rose raised their 
hands, willingly accepted duties in wartorn Afghanistan, and served us 
with honor.
  These airmen worked with our allies in the region to provide command 
and control that sustained complex, time critical air sovereignty 
missions in support of International Stabilization Assistance Force 
(ISAF) priorities. Their contributions cannot be overstated, nor in 
truth measured.
  As a Congresswoman from Oregon, I am proud of what these citizen-
airmen accomplished, and humbled by their continued willingness to 
answer the call of a nation that is in need far more often than anyone 
expected.
  I ask this chamber to recognize and applaud these airmen who like 
hundreds of thousands of their peers ask for little, give everything 
they can, and believe our America is worth the sacrifice.
  Thank you for standing a post that few even know exists.

                          ____________________