IV
107TH CONGRESS
2D SESSION
H. CON. RES. 414
Commending the Pennsylvania National Guard for its exemplary service to
the United States in the war against terrorism and other recent deployments.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
JUNE 6, 2002
Mr. GEKAS submitted the following concurrent resolution; which was referred
to the Committee on Armed Services
CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
Commending the Pennsylvania National Guard for its exem-
plary service to the United States in the war against
terrorism and other recent deployments.
Whereas the Pennsylvania National Guard, the largest Army
National Guard in the United States and fourth largest
Air National Guard in the United States, has experienced
call up and deployment rates at levels unseen since the
Korean War and has provided historic levels of volunteers
to critical missions of national importance;
Whereas the Pennsylvania National Guard has recently per-
formed laudably in various overseas deployments to cen-
tral Asia, Europe, Latin America, and other locations;
Whereas individuals and units of the Pennsylvania National
Guard have been deployed within the Commonwealth of
Pennsylvania on a variety of missions since the terrorist
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attacks on September 11, 2001, with 210 soldiers serving
in security roles at 16 different Pennsylvania airports,
and many other soldiers serving under State active duty
status at all five of Pennsylvania’s nuclear power plants;
Whereas individuals and units of the Pennsylvania National
Guard have been deployed outside of Pennsylvania to
serve along the northern border of the United States, in
rescue and support operations immediately after the ter-
rorist attacks on September 11, 2001, and with NORAD
air controller components in New York providing critical
assistance to combat air patrols over the United States
in Operation Noble Eagle/Enduring Freedom;
Whereas the 193rd Special Operations Wing, under the com-
mand of Brigadier General Steve Speer, which is the
most deployed active or reserve Air Force or Air National
Guard unit in the United States, deployed to central Asia
in September 2001 to provide one-of-a-kind psychological
warfare resources to Allied commanders in Operation
Noble Eagle/Enduring Freedom, with 900 members of
that unit serving the cause of freedom and liberty val-
iantly;
Whereas the 111th Fighter Wing, under the command of
Colonel Stephen Sischo, has participated extensively in
Operation Noble Eagle/Enduring Freedom, while also
serving in Operation Southern Watch, flying 682 hours
during 318 sorties enforcing the no-fly zone over Iraq;
Whereas the 171st Air Refueling Wing, under the command
of Brigadier General William Boardly, has flown 242 sor-
ties in support of Operation Noble Eagle/Enduring Free-
dom;
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Whereas the 140th Weather Flight, 270th Engineering In-
stallation Squadron, the 146th Weather Flight, the 112th
Air Control Squadron, the 201st RED HORSE Flight,
the 211th Engineering Installation Squadron, the 258th
Air Traffic Control Squadron, and the 271st Combat
Communications Squadron have also participated in Op-
eration Noble Eagle/Enduring Freedom;
Whereas the 28th Infantry Division of the Pennsylvania
Army Guard, under the command of Major General Walt
Pudlowski, has provided units and soldiers recently to op-
erations in central Europe as part of KFOR and SFOR
Balkans stabilization efforts and central Asia in the war
on terrorism;
Whereas soldiers and units of the 28th Infantry Division,
under the direction of Brigadier General Wesley Craig,
have begun preparing for future tasks as one of the first
active or Guard units to transform into an Interim Bri-
gade Combat Team, part of the Army’s future objective
force;
Whereas elements of the 28th Infantry Division, under the
command of Brigadier General John von Trott, will be-
come the lead, headquarters element of SFOR based at
Eagle Base Tuzla, Bosnia, with approximately 1,100 sol-
diers of the Pennsylvania Army National Guard deploy-
ing as peacekeepers for six months; and
Whereas approximately 2,000 soldiers of the Pennsylvania
Army National Guard, including soldiers from the 55th
Brigade, the 1–213 ADA, the 876 EN, and numerous
additional units from across the Commonwealth of Penn-
sylvania, will soon deploy as primary components of Task
Force Keystone, providing enhanced security for United
States forces based at NATO facilities in Germany, Bel-