,,iii  #aaith ,,congress  #b;d ,session 
,s4 ,,res4 #ffc  ,,in ,,the ,,senate    
,,of ,,the ,,united ,,states  ,march    
#bf1 #bjbf,mr4 ,moreno 7for himself and 
,mr4 ,husted7 submitted the following   
resolution2 which was referred to the   
,committee on ,armed ,services          
,,resolution  ,honoring the service and 
sacrifice of the ,ohio ,air ,national   
,guard airmen who were killed in the    
,boeing ,,kc-#ace ,stratotanker crash in
 ,iraq during ,operation ,epic ,fury4   
,whereas1 on ,march #ab1 #bjbf1 a       
,united ,states ,air ,force ,boeing     
,,kc-#ace ,stratotanker crashed in      
western ,iraq during a refueling mission
 conducted as part of ,operation ,epic  
,fury2 ,whereas all #f servicemembers   
who were aboard the aircraft were killed
 in the crash2 ,whereas ,captain ,seth  
,r4 ,koval1 ,captain ,curtis ,j4 ,angst1
 and ,master ,sergeant ,tyler ,h4       
,simmons from the ,ohio ,air ,national  
,guard's #abast ,air ,refueling ,wing   
were among those who lost their lives in

 the incident2 ,whereas the people of   
,ohio are devastated by the loss of     
these brave airmen and mourn alongside  
their families1 friends1 and fellow     
servicemembers2 ,whereas the #abast ,air
 ,refueling ,wing maintains an          
exceptionally high operational tempo and
 has long been recognized for its       
readiness1 professionalism1 and ability 
to deploy rapidly in support of ,united 
,states military operations around the  
world2 ,whereas the #abast ,air         
,refueling ,wing was recently awarded   
the ,national ,guard ,association of the
 ,united ,states ,distinguished ,flying 
,unit plaque in recognition of its      
combat readiness1 flying safety1 and    
outstanding operational effectiveness2  
,whereas the airmen of the #abast ,air  
,refueling ,wing were selected to be    
forward deployed in support of          
operations in the ,middle ,east because 
their unit consistently demonstrates the
 highest levels of readiness and        
reliability2 ,whereas the ,,kc-#ace     

plays a vital role in ,united ,states   
military operations by conducting       
mid-air refueling missions that allow   
fighter aircraft1 bombers1 and other    
military platforms to remain in the air 
longer and conduct missions across vast 
distances2 ,whereas mid-air refueling is
 one of the most technically demanding  
and dangerous tasks performed in the    
,united ,states ,air ,force1 requiring  
extraordinary skill1 discipline1 and    
trust among pilots1 boom operators1 and 
their crews2 ,whereas the boom operator 
aboard the ,,kc-#ace is responsible for 
carefully guiding the refueling boom to 
connect with another aircraft in flight 
and safely transfer thousands of pounds 
of aviation fuel1 often operating with  
little margin for error2 ,whereas the   
brave airmen aboard the ,,kc-#ace were  
performing this critical mission in     
support of ongoing ,united ,states      
military operations designed to defend  
,united ,states interests at home and   
abroad2 ,whereas these servicemembers   

gave their lives in defense of the      
freedoms and liberties of all           
,americans2 ,whereas the servicemembers 
aboard the ,,kc-#ace were serving their 
country honorably and courageously in   
support of these operations when they   
made the ultimate sacrifice2 ,whereas   
these airmen are patriotic ,american    
heroes who answered the call to serve   
and willingly placed themselves in      
harm's way to defend the ,united ,states
 and its allies2 ,whereas the entire    
,nation mourns the loss of these airmen 
and stands united in prayer for their   
families1 loved ones1 and fellow airmen 
during this time of grief2 and ,whereas 
the sacrifice of these brave airmen will
 never be forgotten by the people of    
,ohio or by a grateful ,nation3 ,now1   
therefore1 be it ,that the ,senate--    
7#a7 honors the lives1 service1 and     
sacrifice of the ,ohio ,air ,national   
,guard airmen from the #abast ,air      
,refueling ,wing who were killed in the 
,boeing ,,kc-#ace ,stratotanker crash in

 ,iraq during ,operation ,epic ,fury2   
7#b7 expresses its deepest condolences  
to the families1 friends1 and fellow    
servicemembers mourning their loss2     
7#c7 recognizes the critical role of the
 #abast ,air ,refueling ,wing and all   
,air ,force tanker crews who perform the
 difficult and dangerous mission of     
mid-air refueling in defense of the     
,united ,states2 and  7#d7 affirms that 
the people of the ,united ,states will  
always remember these brave airmen and  
remain grateful for their sacrifice in  
service to their ,nation4