[Pages H5756-H5758]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

HONORING 111TH FIGHTER WING

Mr. CRITZ. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to
the resolution (H. Res. 1411) honoring the service and commitment of
the 111th Fighter Wing, Pennsylvania Air National Guard, as amended.
The Clerk read the title of the resolution.
The text of the resolution is as follows:

[[Page H5757]]

H. Res. 1411

Whereas the 111th Fighter Wing's roots date back to the
establishment of the 103rd Observation Squadron on June 27,
1924, in the sod fields of the Philadelphia Airport;
Whereas on February 17, 1941, the 103rd was ordered to
active service, performing antisubmarine patrols off the
coast of New England;
Whereas the squadron deployed to the China-Burma-India
(CBI) Theater of World War II in 1943, executing support
operations for the duration of the war;
Whereas the 391st Bombardment Group (Medium), constituted
on January 15, 1943, earned the Distinguished Unit Citation
for its service during World War II, performing ground attack
missions in France and the Low Countries in advance of the
invasion of Normandy, and in Germany in support of and in the
aftermath of the Battle of the Bulge;
Whereas in 1946, the 391st was redesignated the 111th Bomb
Group (Light), and the 111th Bomb Group and the 103rd Squad
were designated to the Pennsylvania National Guard;
Whereas when the 111th Composite Wing was activated in
April 1951, members honorably performed various missions in
support of the U.S. war effort in Korea;
Whereas in 1963, the 111th ended its 39-year history at
Philadelphia Airport, and moved into new housing on the north
end of the Willow Grove Naval Air Station;
Whereas the 111th Air Transport Group flew numerous airlift
missions in support of the U.S. war effort in Vietnam;
Whereas in 1995, the newly designated 111th Fighter Wing
volunteered for deployment to Kuwait, where they conducted
Combat Search and Rescue alert, Kill Box flights over Iraq,
Airborne Forward Air Control, and joint training missions in
support of Operation Southern Watch;
Whereas in 1999, the 111th again deployed to Al Jaber,
Kuwait, to support joint combat flight operations for
Operation Southern Watch;
Whereas immediately following the attacks of September 11,
2001, the 111th Fighter Wing voluntarily deployed on very
short notice to support joint combat operations for Operation
Southern Watch and Operation Enduring Freedom;
Whereas between 2002 and 2003, the wing was the lead unit
for short notice, voluntary, out-of-cycle Air Expeditionary
Force deployments to Bagram Air Base, Afghanistan, performing
joint combat flight operations with the Army, Special Forces,
and coalition ground troops despite total `black out'
conditions, a substantial number of mines on and around the
airfield, extreme weather conditions, and unremitting enemy
shelling;
Whereas in 2003, the 111th once again volunteered for
deployment to Al Jaber, Kuwait, directly supporting coalition
armor forces during the invasion of Iraq from the Kuwaiti
border;
Whereas the 111th Fighter Wing was awarded the Air Force
Outstanding Unit Award, with Valor, for voluntarily deploying
to austere bases in two separate combat operations within a
five-month period;
Whereas the unit was also awarded the Reserve Family
Readiness Award in 2003 and the Air National Guard
Distinguished Flying Unit Award in 2004;
Whereas in its 86-year history, the wing has flown aircraft
that includes the JN-4 Jenny, PT-1 Trusty, BT-1, Curtiss O-1
Falcon, Douglas O-2H, Curtiss O-11 Falcon, Douglas O-38,
North American O-47A and O-47B, Stinson O-49 Vigilant,
Curtiss O-52 Owl, Taylorcraft O-57 Grasshopper, Piper L-4
Grasshopper, Stinson L-1B Vigilant, Lockheed P-38(F-5)
Lightning, Douglas A-26 Invader, Boeing RB-29 Superfortress,
North American F-51 Mustang, Lockheed T-33 Shooting Star,
Republic F-84 Thunderjet, Lockheed F-94 Starfire, Northrop F-
89 Scorpion, Boeing C-97 Stratofreighter, Cessna U-3A Blue
Canoe, Cessna O-2 Skymaster, Cessna OA-37 Dragonfly, and
Fairchild A-10 Thunderbolt II;
Whereas the members of the 111th Fighter Wing of the
Pennsylvania Air National Guard have served with courage,
selflessness, and compassion in every role they have been
asked to fulfill, and have earned the respect and gratitude
of the citizens of Pennsylvania and of all Americans;
Whereas the ruling of the Base Realignment and Closure
Commission of 2005 marks the end of an era for the 111th
Fighter Wing at Willow Grove Naval Air Station; and
Whereas even though the Base Realignment and Closure
Commission of 2005 removed the 111th's flying mission, the
unit will continue proudly serving the United States through
new missions: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
(1) recognizes the exemplary service of members of the
111th Fighter Wing of the Pennsylvania Air National Guard;
and
(2) honors and thanks all members of the 111th Fighter Wing
of the Pennsylvania Air National Guard, past and present, for
their tremendous contributions to the defense and security of
the United States.

The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from
Pennsylvania (Mr. Critz) and the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Conaway)
each will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Pennsylvania.

General Leave

Mr. CRITZ. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members
have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks
on the resolution under consideration.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from Pennsylvania?
There was no objection.
Mr. CRITZ. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of House Resolution 1411,
recognizing the service and sacrifice of the members of the 111th
Fighter Wing of the Air National Guard. I would like to thank my
colleague from Pennsylvania (Ms. Schwartz) for bringing this resolution
before the House.
The distinguished history of the 111th Fighter Wing began in 1924.
Since then, the men and women of this outstanding unit have, with great
honor and dignity, represented the finest of America's Armed Forces.
Thoroughly immersed in the greatest conflict of our time, they
protected the coasts of New England, aided missions in the China-Burma-
India theater of World War II, and earned the Distinguished Unit
Citation for their contributions to the invasion of Normandy and the
Battle of the Bulge.
Members of the 111th Fighter Wing also remained involved during the
Korean and Vietnam wars, honorably performing various airlift missions
in support of the war efforts.
The 111th Fighter Wing has not shied from battle, but has time and
time again demonstrated their dedication to defending the United States
and its principles. The 111th Fighter Wing volunteered to deploy in
support of Operation Southern Watch and Operation Enduring Freedom on
very short notice immediately following the September 11 attacks of
2001.
To honor their commitment and to recognize their contributions by
voluntarily deploying to the heart of the conflict in two separate
combat operations within a 5-month period, the 111th Fighter Wing was
awarded the Air Force Outstanding Unit Award, with Valor.
Madam Speaker, the courage and commitment consistently demonstrated
by the 111th Fighter Wing over the last 86 years deserves the thanks of
the United States Congress today. The success of the United States is
contingent upon the bravery and honor of units like the 111th Fighter
Wing.
I urge my colleagues to join me in honoring the patriotism and valor
of the 111th Fighter Wing by supporting House Resolution 1411.
I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. CONAWAY. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may
consume.
Madam Speaker, I rise in support of House Resolution 1411, as
amended, which honors the service and commitment of the 111th Fighter
Wing, Pennsylvania Air National Guard. I would like to thank the
gentlelady from Pennsylvania for introducing this resolution.
I am honored to pay tribute to the current and former Members of the
111th Fighter Wing who have steadfastly and courageously defended and
served this great country on our shores and in distant lands.
With roots that date back to the 103rd Observation Squadron,
operating out of the Philadelphia Airport, the unit first saw action in
World War II patrolling for submarines off the east coast of the United
States. The squadron then deployed to the China-Burma-India theater to
support the war operations there.
A second parent organization, the 391st Bombardment Group (Medium),
earned the Distinguished Unit Citation for its service in the European
Theater in support of the Normandy invasion and the Battle of the
Bulge.
Later designated the 111th Composite Wing, the unit supported the war
effort in Korea, and as the 111th Air Transport Group the members flew
numerous airlift missions to support military operations during the war
in Vietnam.
More recently, the 111th Fighter Wing has participated in Operation
Southern Watch in Kuwait, supporting joint combat flight operations.
During Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan and Operation Iraqi
Freedom in Iraq, the 111th has directly supported coalition ground
troops despite extreme conditions and at times unremitting enemy
shelling.

[[Page H5758]]

{time} 1550

Madam Speaker, I would also like to read into the Record today the
aircraft flown and operated, maintained, armed, and fought with during
the proud history of this group. Just the names of these airplanes will
invoke memories and wonderful nostalgic feelings about some of them
just by saying their names out loud.
The 111th Fighter Wing has flown the JN-4 Jenny, PT-1 Trusty, the BT-
1, the Curtiss 0-1 Falcon, the Douglas 0-2H, the Curtiss 0-11 Falcon,
the Douglas 0-38, the North American 0-47A and 0-47B, the Stinson 0-49
Vigilant, the Curtiss 0-52 Owl, the Taylorcraft 0-57 Grasshopper, the
Piper L-4 Grasshopper, the Stinson L-1B Vigilant, the Lockheed P-38
Lightning, the Douglas A-26 Invader, the Boeing RB-29 Superfortress,
the North American F-51 Mustang, the Lockheed T-33 Shooting Star, the
Republic F-84 Thunderjet, the Lockheed F-94 Starfire, the Northrop F-89
Scorpion, the Boeing C-97 Stratofreighter, the Cessna U-3A Blue Canoe,
the Cessna 0-2 Skymaster, the Cessna OA-37 Dragonfly, and the Fairchild
A-10 Thunderbolt II.
Madam Speaker, I would be remiss if I did not pay tribute today to
the incredible families of these brave airmen who waited at home while
their loved ones answered our Nation's call.
The entire Nation joins the citizens of Pennsylvania to say thank you
to the members and the veterans of the 111th Fighter Wing Pennsylvania
Air National Guard. We are all proud of their service and, therefore,
Madam Speaker, I strongly urge Members to support this resolution.
I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. CRITZ. Madam Speaker, I yield such time as she may consume to my
friend and colleague and the sponsor of this resolution, the
gentlewoman from Pennsylvania (Ms. Schwartz).
Ms. SCHWARTZ. I thank the gentleman for yielding.
I rise today to honor the service and the commitment of the
Pennsylvania National Guard 111th Fighter Wing. Their bravery and
sacrifice over the years has helped to ensure our Nation's safety and
freedom.
Originally growing out of the sod fields of the Philadelphia airport
in 1924, the squad was first called to active service in February of
1941 to perform antisubmarine patrols off the coast of New England. The
squad saw a lot of action during World War II. In 1943, they deployed
and performed support operations in the China-Burma-India theater of
combat. The same year, they earned the Distinguished Unit Citation for
their execution of ground attack missions in France and the low
countries in advance of the invasion of Normandy and in Germany for
their support in the aftermath of the Battle of the Bulge.
Members of the 111th honorably served in support of the U.S. war
efforts during both the Korean and Vietnam wars. In 1963, the 111th
ended their 39-year history at the Philadelphia airport and relocated
to the Willow Grove Naval Air Station now in my district.
In 1995 and 1999, they performed combat operations in support of
Operation Southern Watch. Immediately following the attacks of
September 11, 2001, the 111th Fighter Wing deployed on very short
notice to support our joint combat operations for Operation Enduring
Freedom.
In 2002 and 2003, the wing was the lead unit on short notice,
voluntary, out-of-cycle air expeditionary force deployments to Bagram
Air Force Base in Afghanistan.
In 2003, they volunteered for deployment yet again, this time in
support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. So outstanding was their service
during this period that they earned the Air Force Outstanding Unit
Award, with Valor, for voluntarily deploying to austere bases in two
separate combat operations within a 5-month period.
It has been my honor to represent the 111th Fighter Wing as a Member
of Congress. Though the latest round of BRAC decisions removed the
squad's fighter mission, they will remain stationed at Willow Grove,
Pennsylvania, and will undoubtedly continue to serve our Nation.
To quote the resolution before us, ``Members of the 111th Fighter
Wing of the Pennsylvania National Guard have served with courage,
selflessness, and compassion in every role that they have been asked to
fulfill and have earned the respect and gratitude of the citizens of
Pennsylvania and of all Americans.''
I appreciate the bipartisan support for Resolution 1411 and thank the
members of the 111th Fighter Wing--I have met many of them--who
currently serve in the 111th Fighter Wing, for the dedication, honor,
service, and sacrifice to this country.
Mr. CONAWAY. Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this
resolution honoring the 111th Fighter Wing from Pennsylvania.
I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. CRITZ. Madam Speaker, I would like to commend Ms. Schwartz for
her leadership in bringing the 111th to our attention and honoring
their service.
I yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the
gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Critz) that the House suspend the
rules and agree to the resolution, H. Res. 1411, as amended.
The question was taken.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. In the opinion of the Chair, two-thirds
being in the affirmative, the ayes have it.
Mr. CRITZ. Madam Speaker, I object to the vote on the ground that a
quorum is not present and make the point of order that a quorum is not
present.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX and the
Chair's prior announcement, further proceedings on this motion will be
postponed.
The point of no quorum is considered withdrawn.

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