Max Baucus: “The National Guard is proving to be the backbone of our efforts to protect America overseas, as they continue to play a…”

“The National Guard is proving to be the backbone of our efforts to protect America overseas, as they continue to play a pivotal role in homeland security. I saw this first hand 3 weeks ago when I spent a day working on the flight line with the 120th Fighter Wing of our Air National Guard in Great Falls, MT. While doing pre-flight checks on F-16s and helping the ground crew with their maintenance tasks, I gained a new appreciation for the Guard's contribution to our communities. Two-thirds of Montana's Air National Guard is made up of part-time citizen soldiers and their sacrifice is not going unnoticed. I am proud that I have the opportunity to reemphasize their contribution here today, in particular, since the Air Guard has recently made us very proud in Montana. Under the leadership of Colonel Mark Meyer, our 120th Fighter Wing has been honored with three national awards for 2004--the Air Force Outstanding Unit Award, the Outstanding Security Forces Squadron of the Year Award, and the Maintenance Group Effectiveness Award. The Air Force Outstanding Unit Award recognizes the exemplary achievements of the entire 120th Fighter Wing. On short notice the Wing deployed more than 200 airmen to the 332nd Air Expeditionary Wing at Balad Air Base, Iraq, in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom, and at home they activated 185 people to fight Montana's second largest wildfire season on record.…”