WE, your Memorialists, the Members of the One Hundred and Twenty-fifth Legislature of the State of Maine now assembled in the First Regular Session, most respectfully present and petition the Honorable Michael B. Donley, Secretary of the United States Air Force, and the Maine Congressional Delegation as follows:

WHEREAS,  the Maine Air National Guard 101st Air Refueling Wing, Bangor, Maine, has served with honor and distinction supporting military contingency operations around the world for over 3 decades; and

WHEREAS,  the KC-46A is the United States Air Force's next generation aerial refueling tanker; and

WHEREAS,  the Maine Air National Guard accounts for over 400 full-time and over 700 part-time traditional jobs with an annual economic impact on Maine of over $100,000,000; and

WHEREAS,  the first military aircraft over New York City on September 11, 2001 formed a combat air patrol anchored by a tanker from the Maine Air National Guard; and

WHEREAS,  the 101st Air Refueling Wing has had personnel and aircraft on alert for immediate launch to ensure national security 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year since November 2001; and

WHEREAS,  the 101st Air Refueling Wing has launched more aircraft in support of alert missions than any other Air National Guard tanker unit; and

WHEREAS,  the Defense Base Closure and Realignment Commission of 2005 reassigned 2 tanker aircraft to Bangor, Maine, specifically identifying the high volume of missions and aircraft being processed at the 101st Air Refueling Wing; and

WHEREAS,  the 101st Air Refueling Wing has processed more jet fuel annually than any other Air National Guard base in the continental United States every year since 2002; and

WHEREAS,  the 101st Air Refueling Wing has supported more transient aircraft stops annually than any other Air National Guard base in the continental United States every year since 2002; and

WHEREAS,  the 101st Air Refueling Wing location is closer to 2 of the most heavily used refueling tracks in the world, AR20 for missions coming from or returning to East Coast bases and AR62 for missions coming from or returning to West Coast bases, than any other air refueling wing location; and

WHEREAS,  the 101st Air Refueling Wing enjoys extremely high community support for 24-hour operations with no limitations or restrictions on night, early morning or weekend missions; and

WHEREAS,  the 101st Air Refueling Wing has been the unit of choice to support highly classified and presidential missions being refueled over the Northeast; now, therefore, be it