1Designating April 9, 2014, as "National Guard Day" in
2Pennsylvania.

3WHEREAS, In 1747, Benjamin Franklin organized the
4"Associators" in Philadelphia which was the predecessor to
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

1military purposes within this province" created the volunteer
2militia and laid the legal foundation for the militia and the
3Pennsylvania National Guard; and

4WHEREAS, Enactment of the act of November 25, 1755, marked
5the beginning of more than 250 years of cooperation and support
6from the General Assembly for the Pennsylvania militia, the
7Pennsylvania National Guard and the soldiers and airmen who
8proudly serve this Commonwealth and this nation; and

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

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 times 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 Enduring
13Freedom, as well as peacekeeping missions around the globe; and

14WHEREAS, In peacetime, the Pennsylvania National Guard 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 to support civil government authority
24to protect and preserve life and property during times of
25natural or manmade disaster and during civil emergencies; and

26WHEREAS, Over the past two years, there have been three major
27State Active Duty operations in which 4,273 Guard members have
28been deployed in response to State emergencies and the
29Presidential Inauguration; and

30WHEREAS, After more than a decade of sustained high-intensity

1combat operations, the Pennsylvania National Guard continues to
2fight overseas and support regional domestic missions here at
3home; 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 April 9, 2014, as
12"National Guard Day" in Pennsylvania; and be it further

13RESOLVED, That it be 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 to
18natural 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.