SENATE MEMORIAL 5

49th legislature - STATE OF NEW MEXICO - first session, 2009

INTRODUCED BY

William H. Payne

A MEMORIAL

REQUESTING THE GOVERNOR TO APPOINT THREE FORMER ADJUTANT GENERALS OF THE NEW MEXICO NATIONAL GUARD AS SPECIAL EMISSARIES TO THE UNITED STATES AIR FORCE TO URGE THAT THE 150TH TACTICAL FIGHTER WING OF THE NEW MEXICO NATIONAL GUARD RETAIN ITS TRADITIONAL ROLE AS A FIGHTER WING.

     WHEREAS, the 150th tactical fighter wing of the New Mexico national guard, which is known as "the tacos", has served the United States as a fighter wing since its inception, flying single-seat, single-engine fighters in combat tours in Vietnam and Iraq; and

     WHEREAS, the fighter wing has been based at Kirtland air force base since 1947 and consists of one thousand people, from pilots to aircraft maintenance workers; and

     WHEREAS, an effort is underway to shift the mission of the tacos from a fighter wing to a transport wing because of intense pressure from active air force personnel to gain more fighters; and

     WHEREAS, New Mexico's airspace and landscape are ideal as training grounds for a fighter wing; and

     WHEREAS, the New Mexico national guard has more usable training areas than other national guard units in the United States, has ideal weather for flying and training and has proximity to Fort Bliss, a military base with a growing need for close air support, which is the tacos' forte; and

     WHEREAS, the 150th fighter wing is rated as one of the best fighter units in the country; and

     WHEREAS, it is in New Mexico's and the United States' best interests to preserve the tacos' mission as a fighter wing;

     NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE SENATE OF THE STATE OF NEW MEXICO that the governor be requested to appoint retired Lieutenant General Ed Baca, retired Major General Mel Montano and retired Major General Randy Horne, all of whom are former adjutant generals of the New Mexico national guard, as special emissaries from the state of New Mexico to meet with and urge top air force officials and national guard bureau officials to preserve the long-standing mission of the 150th fighter wing; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the senate stands ready, as the men and women of the tacos have for the United States, to assist at any time and in any manner to protect the traditional and critical mission of the 150th fighter wing; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that copies of this memorial be transmitted to the governor, the adjutant general of the New Mexico national guard, the members of the New Mexico congressional delegation, the secretary of the air force and the chief of the national guard bureau.

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