S.C.R. No. 43 SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION WHEREAS, The Legislature of the State of Texas is pleased to join the airmen, the United States Department of Defense employees, and the families of Dyess Air Force Base, along with the Abilene community, in celebrating the 50th anniversary of the C-130 Hercules aircraft in the Big Country; and WHEREAS, On February 8, 1961, the 64th Troop Carrier Wing began a distinguished era of service with the arrival of the first C-130 on the base; the early missions of the C-130s included responding to the Cuban missile crisis of 1962 and delivering support to the Distant Early Warning radar sites along the Arctic Circle with ski-equipped transport models; longer-range models were developed over the years, and the latest version of the aircraft, the C-130J Super Hercules, began arriving in 2010; and WHEREAS, The 64th Troop Carrier Wing passed the leadership torch to the 516th Tactical Airlift Wing in 1963, followed by the 463rd Airlift Wing in 1972 and the 7th Wing in 1993; the 317th Airlift Group of today was activated in 1997; and WHEREAS, Over the past 50 years, more than 17,000 maintenance workers and aircrew members have kept the C-130 Hercules ready to respond to the next crisis; the Dyess C-130s have delivered critical cargo under enemy fire and have been used to carry out numerous humanitarian missions, such as airlifting refugees to safety, fighting forest fires, and responding to Gulf Coast hurricanes; the steadfast support of the Abilene community has been an intregal part of the outstanding success of the C-130 mission at Dyess Air Force Base; now, therefore, be it RESOLVED, That the 82nd Legislature of the State of Texas hereby pay tribute to all who have participated in the missions and the maintenance of the Dyess Air Force Base C-130 Hercules aircraft over the last 50 years; and, be it further RESOLVED, That a copy of this resolution be prepared in honor of the 50th anniversary of the C-130 Hercules aircraft at Dyess Air Force Base. ______________________________ ______________________________ President of the Senate Speaker of the House I hereby certify that S.C.R. No. 43 was adopted by the Senate on April 20, 2011. ______________________________ Secretary of the Senate I hereby certify that S.C.R. No. 43 was adopted by the House on April 26, 2011. ______________________________ Chief Clerk of the House Approved: ______________________________ Date ______________________________ Governor