Political Quotes

“I rise to recognize the U.S. Air Force on the occasion of its 69th birthday. On September 18, 1947, President Truman signed the National Security Act, which established the U.S. Air Force as an independent service equal to the U.S. Army and U.S. Navy. The mission of the U.S. Air Force is to fly, fight, and win in airspace and cyberspace, and Colorado is proud to call itself home to units that play a vital role in executing all aspects of the Air Force mission. Although it is the youngest of the armed services, the Air Force has accomplished a tremendous amount--a tremendous amount--in those 69 years. With a combined force strength of more than 660,000 Active, Reserve, National Guard, and civilian personnel within the U.S. Air Force, it is a force to be reckoned with. The U.S. Air Force's ability to maintain air superiority is evidenced by the fact that the last time an American ground troop was killed by ordnance delivered from an enemy aircraft was in 1953. On any given day, there are more than 21,000 Air Force personnel deployed to 179 worldwide locations, 16,000 airmen deployed to the CENTCOM area of operations, and more than 1,000 airmen working directly with partner nations. While American airmen serve all over the world, there are thousands of airmen in my State of Colorado protecting our Nation's interests.…”