[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 157 (2011), Part 4]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 5192]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




  HONORING THE 50TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE AIR FORCE SERGEANTS ASSOCIATION

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. GUS M. BILIRAKIS

                               of florida

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, April 5, 2011

  Mr. BILIRAKIS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the Air Force 
Sergeants Association's 50th anniversary, which will be celebrated at 
its 2011 Professional Airmen's Conference and International Convention 
in San Antonio, July 23 through 27, 2011.
  The Air Force Sergeants Association is a not-for-profit organization 
serving the professional and personal interests of its 110,000 
association members, made up of active duty, veteran, and retired 
enlisted members of the Air Force, as well as the Air National Guard 
and Reserve. The AFSA advocates for 955,873 active duty and retired 
Airmen, whether they are an association member or not. Including family 
members, who also ``serve,'' the number of enlisted ``Airmen'' 
represented by AFSA is huge. The association has an auxiliary to which 
family members of Air Force enlisted members can belong.
  The association began in 1961, and has earned the respect of 
Congressional, Pentagon, and Veterans Affairs leaders for its 
relentless role as a voice of the Air Force enlisted. The association 
was instrumental in the establishment of the Survivor Benefit Plan for 
surviving spouses of retired veterans. They played a major role in the 
recent passage of the Post-9/11 GI Bill, a comprehensive overhaul of 
the previous education benefits that will ensure Air Force members and 
their families are provided with improved educational opportunities. 
The association has ensured that many military family issues have been 
brought to the forefront, including the need to construct additional 
child development centers for child care needs and the establishment of 
an oversight office in the Office of the Secretary of Defense for the 
Exceptional Family Members Program to better manage special needs 
across all military services.
  The association also played a significant role to assure veterans of 
Operation Enduring Freedom, Operation Iraqi Freedom, and other Overseas 
Contingency Operations receive the proper and well-earned benefits, 
care, and treatment for their selfless and heroic service to a grateful 
nation.
  At the vanguard of the effort to achieve cost-of-living adjustments 
for all those in uniform and those who have retired, the association 
was a main force in implementing TRICARE for Life medical benefits for 
retirees over 65 and the implementation of ``concurrent receipt'' of 
retirement and disability pay for disabled veterans, rated over 50% 
disabled.
  Additionally, the Air Force Sergeants Association has been a reliable 
source of information for the legislative process in support of 
military members and their families.
  This well-known and highly respected veteran's organization has been 
dedicated to serving the total Air Force enlisted corps and their 
families for 50 years. For 2011, they have adopted ``The Air Force 
Sergeants Association--A Global Voice for over 50 years'' as the theme 
for their Professional Airmen's Conference and AFSA International 
Convention. May the association continue its good work for many years 
to come.

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