1Designating Wednesday, April 17, 2013, as "National Guard Day"
2in Pennsylvania.

3WHEREAS, In 1747, Benjamin Franklin organized the
4"Associators" in Philadelphia which was the forerunner of
5today's Pennsylvania National Guard; and

6WHEREAS, In 1755, the General Assembly of the Province of
7Pennsylvania received petitions from several counties "setting
8forth that the petitioners were very willing to defend
9themselves and their country"; and

10WHEREAS, Responding to these petitions, the representatives
11of the Province of Pennsylvania, meeting in General Assembly,
12passed this Commonwealth's first militia law on November 25,
131755; and

14WHEREAS, The militia law, passed "for the better ordering and
15regulating such as are willing and desirous to be united for
16military purposes within this province" created the volunteer

1militia and laid the legal foundation for the militia and the
2Pennsylvania National Guard; and

3WHEREAS, Enactment of the act of November 25, 1755, marked
4the beginning of more than 250 years of cooperation and support
5from the General Assembly for the Pennsylvania militia, the
6Pennsylvania National Guard and the soldiers and airmen who
7proudly serve this Commonwealth and this nation; and

8WHEREAS, For more than 250 years, in war and in peace,
9Pennsylvania National Guard soldiers and airmen have served at
10home and abroad, defending liberty in every war and have
11responded to floods, blizzards and other emergencies at home;
12and

13WHEREAS, Pennsylvania's National Guard force reaches from the
14Joint Force Headquarters located at Fort Indiantown Gap, Lebanon
15County, to almost 90 communities across this Commonwealth; and

16WHEREAS, Today the Pennsylvania National Guard is one of the
17top ten employers in this Commonwealth with approximately 3,500
18of its members serving in a full-time capacity and the remaining
1915,500 members serving as "traditional" Guard members who train
20on a part-time basis while pursuing civilian education or
21careers; and

22WHEREAS, The Pennsylvania National Guard is one of the
23largest National Guard forces in the nation; and

24WHEREAS, The 28th Infantry Division is the oldest
25continuously serving division in the United States Army; and

26WHEREAS, The 213th Regional Support Group is the Pennsylvania
27National Guard's second major army unit that handles combat
28support missions, including transportation, finance and
29personnel services; and

30WHEREAS, The Pennsylvania Air National Guard is made up of

1the 111th Fighter Wing for air support missions and for a
2ground-control station for the MQ-9 Reaper, the 171st Air
3Refueling Wing for worldwide aerial refueling capabilities and
4the 193rd Special Operations Wing for providing the only aerial
5broadcasting capability in the world; and

6WHEREAS, In time of war, national or State emergency, or in
7support of any military operation worldwide, the President may
8mobilize units of the National Guard into active Federal
9service; and

10WHEREAS, The active Federal service of the Pennsylvania
11National Guard has included service in every conflict America
12has faced, from the Revolutionary War through Operation Iraqi
13Freedom, as well as peacekeeping missions around the globe; and

14WHEREAS, The Pennsylvania National Guard in peacetime offers
15broad support to the civilian community through the Counterdrug
16Task Force, which provides trained personnel and specialized
17equipment to assist State and local law enforcement agencies in
18the fight against the use of illegal drugs; and

19WHEREAS, Pennsylvania National Guard members serve as role
20models, as well as community volunteers and civic leaders,
21throughout this Commonwealth; and

22WHEREAS, The Pennsylvania National Guard's outstanding
23performance was on display in 2011 when more than 3,000 soldiers
24and airmen responded to the call of duty to assist in recovery
25efforts and rescue missions when called up for duty under three
26separate disaster emergencies, including Hurricane Irene and
27Tropical Storm Lee; and

28WHEREAS, In September 2005, in the wake of Hurricanes Katrina
29and Rita, 2,500 of our soldiers and airmen were deployed to the
30Gulf Coast within a few days of the storm to provide

1communications, humanitarian assistance and force protection;
2and

3WHEREAS, In November 2012, more than 400 Pennsylvania
4National Guard members traveled to New York and New Jersey on a
5moment's notice to provide much-needed support with their
6admirable performance garnering well-deserved recognition from
7both government officials and citizens of our neighbor states;
8and

9WHEREAS, After more than a decade of sustained high-tempo
10combat operations, the Pennsylvania National Guard continues to
11fight overseas and support regional domestic missions here at
12home; and

13WHEREAS, More than 500 Pennsylvania National Guard aviators
14are using their unrivaled technical expertise and experience to
15perform a spectrum of aviation operations throughout
16Afghanistan. Having flown in the skies of Iraq, Afghanistan and
17Kosovo continuously over the past decade, it is fitting that
18they have returned to Afghanistan during this pivotal moment in
19the transition of our military's presence there; and

20WHEREAS, More than 1,500 Pennsylvania National Guard members
21are currently performing base security missions in Kuwait,
22keeping United States troops, contractors and assets safe while
23the nation consolidates its footprint in the Middle East; and

24WHEREAS, In January, more than 1,200 Pennsylvania soldiers
25and airmen participated in the time-honored tradition of
26supporting the inauguration of our president, assisting with
27crowd management, traffic control and logistical support; and

28WHEREAS, Ninety members of the 201st RED HORSE and 252nd
29Engineer Company assisted with recovery efforts in Connecticut
30after Winter Storm Nemo, helping with closed roadways, stranded

1motorists, transportation of health care professionals to
2hospitals and checking on the welfare of area residents who were
3cut off from power, food or medical care; and

4WHEREAS, The Pennsylvania National Guard has supported nearly
535,000 individual deployments since September 11, 2001, making
6it one of the busiest and most heavily deployed National Guards
7in the United States; and

8WHEREAS, The continued support of the General Assembly has
9been and continues to be critical to the success of the
10Pennsylvania National Guard; therefore be it

11RESOLVED, That the Senate designate Wednesday, April 17,
122013, as "National Guard Day" in Pennsylvania; and be it further

13RESOLVED, That it is the intent of the Senate to recognize
14the men and women of our armed forces for their dedicated
15service to this Commonwealth and this nation and commend them
16especially for the outstanding performance of their duties
17around the world, in the Global War on Terror, and in response
18to natural disasters; and be it further

19RESOLVED, That the Senate give thanks for the Pennsylvania
20National Guard and the service of generations of soldiers and
21airmen from across Pennsylvania from our days as a royal colony
22to the great Commonwealth we are today; and be it further

23RESOLVED, That a copy of this resolution be transmitted to
24the Governor and to the Adjutant General of Pennsylvania.