H. Res. 1411 

In the House of Representatives, U. S., 

July 21, 2010. 

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; 
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•HRES 1411 EH 

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; 
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•HRES 1411 EH 

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; 
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•HRES 1411 EH 

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. 

Attest: 

Clerk.