[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 163 (2017), Part 6]
[Senate]
[Pages 8509-8510]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




      TRIBUTE TO ALASKA ARMY AND AIR NATIONAL GUARD SERVICEMEMBERS

  Mr. SULLIVAN. Mr. President, every week I have been coming down to 
the Senate floor to honor an individual who is serving in my great 
State of Alaska, who is helping to make our State, his or her local 
community, or even our country a better place. We call these 
individuals our Alaskan of the Week.
  Alaska carries a mystique. We all know that. I am a little biased, 
but it does, rightfully so. It is a beautiful State. We all think it is 
the most beautiful State in the world. I encourage everybody who is 
watching from the Gallery or on TV to make sure they take at least one 
trip to Alaska sometime in their life. You will love it. It will be the 
trip of a lifetime.
  But Alaska is much more than just a beautiful State. It is actually a 
State that is critically important to America--critically important to 
our country. We have abundant natural resources: fish, metals, 
minerals, and oil and gas. They are resources that help feed our 
country, help build our country, and help power our country.
  Further, given today's threats, we are also the most strategically 
located State in the country. In fact, General Billy Mitchell, father 
of the Air Force, said in testimony to the Congress in the 1930s that 
Alaska was ``the most important strategic place in the world,'' which 
could control Asia, North America, and Europe. He said that whoever 
controls Alaska controls the world.
  In Alaska, we are the hub of combat airpower for the Asia-Pacific and 
the rest of the world. We are also a vital expeditionary platform, with 
some of the Army's best trained troops, who can deploy anywhere in the 
world on a moment's notice. Importantly, we are the cornerstone of our 
country's missile defense system.
  What makes this military triad truly exceptional is the Arctic-tough 
women and men in uniform supporting each of these pillars of America's 
military might in Alaska, who work day and night to ensure that our 
country is safe.
  Following Armed Forces Day a few days ago, where we honor all of 
those who currently serve in the military--and we are all going to be 
celebrating in a few days Memorial Day to honor those who gave their 
lives serving our country--I recognize a group of proud Alaskans who 
help protect our country. These individuals were recently awarded the 
2017 Alaska Missile Defender of the Year award from the Missile Defense 
Advocacy Alliance. Today, they are our Alaskans of the Week.
  These are National Guard servicemembers from the Alaska Army and Air 
National Guard who have demonstrated leadership, excellence, and 
selfless commitment in their operation of the U.S. Ground-based 
Midcourse Defense system, at Fort Greely, and the Early Warning Radar 
system at Clear Air Force Station in Alaska, over the past year. 
Essentially, these are the men and women who keep our country safe with 
America's most sophisticated missile defense system. So I would like to 
read their names on the Senate floor.
  Base defenders of the year from the 213th Space Warning Squadron at 
Clear Air Force Station: SSgt Jonathan Rivera-Calderon and SSgt 
Stanislav Barilov.
  Missile defenders of the year from the 213th Space Warning Squadron 
at Clear Air Force Station: Capt. Erik Haugen and TSgt Mark Lockwood.
  Base defenders of the year from Fort Greely: SGT Nathan Williams and 
SGT Travis Hall.
  Best crew winners from the 49th Missile Defense Battalion, Delta 
Crew: MAJ Michael Long, CPT Anthony Montoya, 1LT Rachel Simmons, SSG 
Caroline Domenech, and SGT Jose Aponte.
  These Alaskan missile defenders continue to stand ready and excel as 
they protect our country and our citizens from an increasingly diverse 
set of national security threats. They are just a few of the 300 men 
and women missile defenders in interior Alaska who, every day, protect 
the entire United States. They like to call themselves the ``300 
protecting the 300 million.'' I think of them as modern-day Spartans, 
the 300 Spartans who fought alongside King Leonidas to protect Greece 
in 480 BC. That is who they are, modern-day Spartans.
  The mission of these men and women is to protect the entire country 
from a rogue missile threat--whether from

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North Korea, Iran, or another country--that could hit any city in 
America. This is what they do 365 days a year, 24/7. They are on call 
on Christmas, New Year's, and Super Bowl Sunday. They are tough, well-
trained, and they are committed patriots of America.
  We face a dizzying array of threats across the globe. But the one 
that keeps not only me but many Members of the Senate and our military 
up at night right now is the threat from North Korea. There is no doubt 
that North Korea and the leader of that country are intent on obtaining 
and nuclear-tipped intercontinental ballistic missile that can range 
our entire country. Recent unclassified briefings on this issue have 
said it is no longer a matter of if but when North Korea is going to 
have this capability.
  To protect us from this impending threat, this advancing threat, a 
number of us introduced a bill this past week to enhance our missile 
defense system across the country. While Alaska's missile defenders 
currently keep us safe, like many in our military they need more 
training and better technology so these brave men and women can do 
their job and continue to keep America safe in the future.
  Leading up to Memorial Day, I want to make sure to thank all who have 
served and continue to serve our Nation in uniform. I especially honor 
those who made the ultimate sacrifice, and, of course, their families. 
I also want to make sure I recognize Alaska's missile defenders. While 
millions of Americans will be outside this weekend, having a barbecue 
and celebrating Memorial Day, every American in this country can rest 
assured that these brave missile defenders in Alaska, men and women 
like the Spartans of old, stand watch to defend our freedoms. They are 
doing it today and they will do it on Memorial Day, just like they do 
every day of the year.
  That is why all of them, in my view, merit the award of Alaskans of 
the Week.

                          ____________________