[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 156 (2010), Part 11]
[Senate]
[Page 15747]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




      HONORING OKLAHOMA MEMBERS OF THE ARMY AND AIR NATIONAL GUARD

  Mr. DURBIN. I ask unanimous consent the Senate now proceed to 
consideration of S. Res. 624, which was submitted earlier today.
  The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. The clerk will report the 
resolution by title.
  The legislative clerk read as follows:

       A resolution (S. Res. 624) honoring the members of the Army 
     National Guard and the Air National Guard of the State of 
     Oklahoma for their service and sacrifice on behalf of the 
     United States since September 11, 2001.

  There being no objection, the Senate proceeded to consider the 
resolution.
  Mr. DURBIN. I ask unanimous consent that the resolution be agreed to, 
the preamble be agreed to, and the motions to reconsider be laid upon 
the table.
  The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. Without objection, it is so 
ordered.
  The resolution (S. Res. 624) was agreed to.
  The preamble was agreed to.
  The resolution, with its preamble, reads as follows:

                              S. Res. 624

       Whereas members of the Army National Guard and Air National 
     Guard of the State of Oklahoma reside throughout the State 
     and come from various communities, backgrounds, and 
     professions;
       Whereas the Army National Guard and Air National Guard of 
     the State of Oklahoma are composed of: the Joint Forces 
     Headquarters, the 45th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, the 45th 
     Fires Brigade, the 90th Troop Command, the 189th Regional 
     Training Institute, Camp Gruber Joint Maneuver Training 
     Center, the 137th Air Refueling Wing (formerly the 137th 
     Airlift Wing), the 138th Fighter Wing, the 205th Engineering 
     Installation Squadron, and the 219th Engineering Installation 
     Squadron;
       Whereas, since September 11, 2001, units and members of the 
     Army National Guard and the Air National Guard of the State 
     of Oklahoma have been deployed, and are continuously being 
     deployed, in support of United States military operations at 
     home and abroad;
       Whereas the 45th Infantry Brigade mobilized in 2003 for 
     Operation Enduring Freedom and deployed more than 700 
     soldiers to Afghanistan to provide training to Afghan 
     Security Forces;
       Whereas the 45th Infantry Brigade Combat Team mobilized in 
     2007 for Operation Iraqi Freedom and deployed more than 2,700 
     soldiers to provide command and control and conduct security 
     force and detainee operations, representing the largest 
     single deployment for the Oklahoma Army National Guard since 
     the Korean War;
       Whereas the 45th Fires Brigade mobilized in 2008 for 
     Operation Iraqi Freedom and deployed more than 1,000 soldiers 
     to provide command and control and conduct security force 
     operations;
       Whereas 90th Troop Command units mobilized for Operation 
     Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom and deployed 
     more than 2,600 soldiers to conduct combat support and combat 
     service support missions;
       Whereas the 189th Regional Training Institute and Camp 
     Gruber Joint Maneuver Training Center have provided 
     professional training to military and nonmilitary personnel 
     to enhance domestic security and prepare units for 
     deployments abroad;
       Whereas the Oklahoma Army National Guard mobilized in 2005 
     and deployed more than 2,500 soldiers to support relief 
     operations in response to Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, 
     including assisting law enforcement agencies with traffic 
     control and security, transporting and distributing food, 
     water, and ice, conducting search and rescue and ground and 
     air evacuations, providing generator support, and performing 
     other missions to protect life and property;
       Whereas elements of the 137th Airlift Wing mobilized in 
     2003 for Operation Iraqi Freedom and deployed to the Kingdom 
     of Saudi Arabia as part of the largest C-130 wing assembled 
     in history, transporting troops, food, supplies, and 
     equipment to United States forces in Iraq;
       Whereas elements of the 137th Airlift Wing mobilized in 
     2003 for Operation Enduring Freedom and deployed to 
     Uzbekistan, providing critical airlift and logistical support 
     for United States forces in Afghanistan;
       Whereas between 2003 and 2006, the 137th Airlift Wing 
     transported 39,368 troops and 11,170 tons of critical cargo 
     to United States forces in Iraq and Afghanistan;
       Whereas the 137th Airlift Wing mobilized in 2005 and 
     deployed one of the first C-130 units to support relief 
     operations in response to Hurricane Katrina, including 
     evacuating hospital and nursing home residents to safety by 
     air, providing critical logistical support, and airlifting 
     2,500 members of the Oklahoma Army National Guard to 
     population centers to provide aid to hurricane victims;
       Whereas the 138th Fighter Wing mobilized in 2005, 2007, and 
     2008 for Operation Iraqi Freedom and deployed to Iraq to 
     provide close air support and engage in combat missions, 
     during which the 138th Fighter Wing expended 109,000 pounds 
     of combat ordnance and successfully destroyed numerous 
     targets; and
       Whereas, since September 11, 2001, the 138th Fighter Wing 
     has flown numerous Air Sovereignty Alert missions in the 
     United States, protecting domestic targets against attack and 
     contributing to homeland defense, and in 2008 the 138th 
     Fighter Wing was recognized as the most active alert facility 
     in the United States: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the Senate--
       (1) expresses its gratitude to the members of the Army 
     National Guard and Air National Guard of the State of 
     Oklahoma and their families for their service and sacrifice 
     on behalf of the United States since September 11, 2001; and
       (2) recognizes the citizen-soldiers and airmen of the 
     Oklahoma National Guard as invaluable to the national 
     security of the United States, vital to defending against 
     threats both foreign and domestic, and essential for 
     responding to State and national emergencies.

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