H. Res. 1411 
In the House of Representatives, U. S., 
July 21, 2010. 
Whereas the 111th Fighter Wing’s roots date back to the es-
tablishment 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 ac-
tive 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 sup-
port operations for the duration of the war; 
Whereas the 391st Bombardment Group (Medium), con-
stituted on January 15, 1943, earned the Distinguished 
Unit Citation for its service during World War II, per-
forming 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;
•HRES 1411 EH 
Whereas when the 111th Composite Wing was activated in 
April 1951, members honorably performed various mis-
sions 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 air-
lift missions in support of the U.S. war effort in Viet-
nam; 
Whereas in 1995, the newly designated 111th Fighter Wing 
volunteered for deployment to Kuwait, where they con-
ducted Combat Search and Rescue alert, Kill Box flights 
over Iraq, Airborne Forward Air Control, and joint train-
ing missions in support of Operation Southern Watch; 
Whereas in 1999, the 111th again deployed to Al Jaber, Ku-
wait, to support joint combat flight operations for Oper-
ation 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;
•HRES 1411 EH 
Whereas in 2003, the 111th once again volunteered for de-
ployment to Al Jaber, Kuwait, directly supporting coali-
tion 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 de-
ploying to austere bases in two separate combat oper-
ations within a five-month period; 
Whereas the unit was also awarded the Reserve Family Read-
iness Award in 2003 and the Air National Guard Distin-
guished 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, Cur-
tiss 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 Thunder-
bolt II; 
Whereas the members of the 111th Fighter Wing of the 
Pennsylvania Air National Guard have served with cour-
age, 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 Amer-
icans;
•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 Na-
tional 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.