[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 156 (2010), Part 12]
[Senate]
[Page 17267]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




          SOUTH DAKOTA AIR NATIONAL GUARD'S 114TH FIGHTER WING

 Mr. THUNE. Mr. President, today I wish to recognize the South 
Dakota Air National Guard's 114th Fighter Wing. This elite group has 
been awarded the National Guard Bureau's Maj. Gen. Winston P. Wilson 
trophy, honoring them as the best Air National Guard fighter unit in 
the Nation. I am proud that the 114th ``Fightin' Lobos'' have brought 
this great honor back to South Dakota, having also won it in 1981, 
1983, and 2007.
  The National Bureau's Maj. Gen. Winston P. Wilson trophy is given to 
the most outstanding unit equipped with jet fighter or reconnaissance 
aircraft. The award is named for a former chief of the National Guard 
Bureau credited with ensuring readiness of Guard units to join regular 
forces on overseas missions.
  The squadron was formed in 1946, when Joseph J. ``Joe'' Foss, a Medal 
of Honor winner and Marine Ace, was appointed to form a South Dakota 
Air National Guard squadron to help recruit and train flight crews. 
Since then, the unit has served as part of the Air Expeditionary Force, 
and actively supported Operation Noble Eagle, Operations Enduring 
Freedom, Iraqi Freedom, and the global war on terrorism.
  In times of local crisis, the squadron has lent its men and women to 
respond to blizzards, floods, fires, and tornados, remaining ``Proud, 
Prepared, and Professional'' in its committed service to state and 
country.
  Today I give great thanks to the men and women of the 114th 
``Fightin' Lobos'' for being named the top fighter unit in the nation 
and for their outstanding service to the great State of South Dakota 
and the United States of America.

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