[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 157 (2011), Part 4]
[Senate]
[Page 5643]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




               OREGON AIR NATIONAL GUARD 70TH ANNIVERSARY

 Mr. WYDEN. Mr. President, this month the Oregon Air National 
Guard is celebrating its 70th anniversary.
  ``We've got people, we've got a place, and we're ready!'' These were 
the historic words written in a request by Major G. Robert Dodson, an 
Oregonian assigned to organize and command the first squadron of Oregon 
National Guard Air Corps.
  Ready as Major Dodson was, it hadn't happened quickly or easily. It 
took several years to get the squadron assembled. General George A. 
White, Oregon's Adjutant General, requested a squadron as early as 
August 1939, but didn't receive official authorization to form the 
squadron from the National Guard Bureau until August 1, 1940. On April 
18, 1941, Major Dodson assembled a group of 117 volunteers to form the 
123rd Observation Squadron.
  Less than 8 months later, these Airmen were the first to conduct 
maritime surveillance of the continental United States following the 
December 7, 1941, attack on Pearl Harbor.
  For the most part, their job was to conduct surveillance on the 
enemy. However, they did on at least one occasion ignore their orders 
to ``stick to taking pictures'' and dropped ordnance instead. It was 
not without good reason. It seems that the Japanese they targeted had 
sunk the ship carrying the unit's beer rations. Their improvised attack 
wasn't appreciated by their commander, but even back then getting 
between Oregonians and their beer didn't go unpunished.
  After the war, the Air National Guard was established as a separate 
component of the U.S. Air Force. Since being formally designated the 
Oregon Air National Guard, our State's aviators have played a vital 
role in Korea, the cold war, and in military operations throughout the 
world since the tragic events of 9/11. Seventy years and 15 different 
aircraft models since their inception, the number of citizen-airmen has 
increased more than twentyfold to 2,000.
  Today, our Nation relies on F-15s from the Oregon Air National Guard 
to perform the air sovereignty mission for the entire Pacific 
Northwest. Our twin-engine, air superiority fighter jets--Eagles--fly 
upwards of Mach 2 to intercept any threat along our Nation's border. 
Additionally, the Oregon Air National Guard trains new Air Force pilots 
at Kingsley Field in Klamath Falls.
  They are not only there for our Nation in times of war, but they 
answer the call of the Governor during natural disasters. When flooding 
threatened hundreds of lives in Vernonia, OR, in 2007 it was the Oregon 
Air National Guard's 125th Special Tactics Squadron that was first on 
the scene. They saved hundreds of people from the rising water.
  Today's Oregon Air National Guard units include the 142nd Fighter 
Wing, 125th Special Tactics Squadron and 123rd Weather Flight in 
Portland, the 173rd Fighter Wing and 270th Air Traffic Control Squadron 
in Klamath Falls, Joint Force Headquarter in Salem, and the 116th Air 
Control Squadron in Warrenton.
  As an Oregonian and as their Senator, I could not be more proud of 
today's Oregon Air National Guard and its rich heritage. It is an honor 
to serve these heroes; active, retired, and those that have given their 
lives. I am very appreciative of their 70 years of selfless service and 
sacrifice. The people of Oregon thank every member of this pillar of 
freedom.

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