Roy Blunt: “today I wish to honor a man who has served faithfully for 27 years in the U.S. Air Force, with the vast majority of that…”

“today I wish to honor a man who has served faithfully for 27 years in the U.S. Air Force, with the vast majority of that service in the Missouri Air National Guard. It is a big loss, but Col. Michael Francis is scheduled to depart the 131st Bomb Wing at Whiteman Air Force Base on May 15, 2016, after a long and distinguished record of service in the unit beginning July 28, 1998. I think it is important to note that Colonel Francis has been associated with a unit whose history has spanned over nine decades and whose former members have included the likes of aviation pioneer Charles Lindbergh. Colonel Francis commissioned in the U.S. Air Force in 1989 as a graduate of the U.S. Air Force Academy and, after almost a decade, transitioned from Active Duty to the Air National Guard, continuing his dream of a career as a fighter pilot in the F-15 Eagle. Throughout Colonel Francis's service at the 131st, he has seen the unit transition from the F-15, the Nation's premier homeland defense and air superiority aircraft, to the B-2, the Nation's lethal stealth bomber involved in global missions. Since being chosen to command the first B-2 Operations Group in the Air National Guard when the 131st transitioned from the F-15 Eagle to the B-2 Spirit, Colonel Francis has been a standout leader in the nuclear community. His achievements boast nothing less than perfection.…”