[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 155 (2009), Part 5]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 6295]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




     RECOGNIZING THE PROFESSIONAL EXCELLENCE OF THE UNITED STATES 
   TRANSPORTATION COMMAND AND THE CONTRIBUTIONS OF THE MILITARY AND 
              CIVILIANS WHO SERVE ON TRAVIS AIR FORCE BASE

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. ELLEN O. TAUSCHER

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, March 3, 2009

  Mrs. TAUSCHER. Madam Speaker, I rise today to commend the hard work, 
and professionalism of General McNabb and the fine men and women of the 
United States Transportation Command. Their accomplishments are 
unmatched as they delivered 2 million passengers, 3 million short tons 
of cargo, and nearly one and a half billion gallons of fuel worldwide 
in order to meet Department of Defense needs.
  I am also proud to include the patriotism and total dedication to 
excellence exhibited by the military and civilian members of my 
district who played a vital role in these accomplishments as they 
performed their duties on Travis Air Force Base.
  As you know, Travis Air Force Base is the largest Air Mobility base 
in the country and serves as the principal staging area for the Pacific 
Theater. As such, Travis plays an invaluable strategic role in our 
airlift programs.
  With President Obama's decision to increase military operations in 
Afghanistan, Travis' role will increase in prominence. Travis is host 
to the 615th Contingency Response Wing and is also home to the David 
Grant Medical Center which is the primary lead for the Craig Joint 
Theater Hospital at Bagram Air Force Base.
  Since the 2005 Mobility Capability Study, Department of Defense 
Officials have not been able to agree on the baseline inventory 
requirements for the C-17. I have long been an advocate of keeping the 
production line open to address future requirements and have supported 
supplemental appropriations to reach the baseline levels for this 
multi-role platform required by the Air Force and Transportation 
Command for mission accomplishment.
  I look forward to working hard in this Congress to provide our brave 
men and women with the tools they need to continue to keep our nation 
secure while also being able to respond to national emergencies.

                          ____________________