Darlene Hooley: “Yesterday the Oregon National Guard's 42nd Air Ambulance Company, headquartered in our State capital, Salem, Oregon…”

“Yesterday the Oregon National Guard's 42nd Air Ambulance Company, headquartered in our State capital, Salem, Oregon, received word it had been activated in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. The Air Ambulance is no stranger to call-ups. They were last activated to serve in Bosnia, where they garnered heavy acclaim. Nor is the Oregon Guard a stranger to call-ups. Although we have just over 6,000 Guardsmen and women, Oregon trails only Texas and Georgia in the number of activated troops, and each of those States has 20,000-plus soldiers and airmen. That is a testament to the Oregon Guard's military readiness, especially in light of the fact that we do not have any active duty military bases in our State, except for Umatilla Depot, which is largely a repository for chemical weapons. As I speak, F-15s from the Oregon Air Guard are patrolling the skies above North America, being assisted by air traffic control units. All this is happening while an additional 500 Guardsmen are preparing for a lengthy deployment in the Sinai Desert, and a military intelligence company from Lake Oswego is rotating through Bosnia. Madam Speaker, these deployments come at a high personal and professional cost. Activated Guardsmen and women not only leave behind their families, they leave behind careers and their own businesses. Additionally, the Pentagon often activates these units for 179 days, a day short of the 180-day-period which would give nonprior-service Guards VA benefits.”