Peoria
Air National Guard Base not on closure list
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[MAY 14, 2005]
PEORIA -- Arriving
at the Peoria Air National Guard Base on the day the U.S. Department
of Defense released its list of military installations recommended
for closure or realignment, Gov. Rod R. Blagojevich gathered with
local leaders to deliver the news that the base will, as it has for
nearly 60 years, continue defending our country. Gov. Blagojevich
also thanked the airmen and women at the base for their service and
dedication and reaffirmed his commitment to helping secure
additional missions for the base.
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The governor has been leading a
coordinated effort for more than two years with the Illinois
congressional delegation, other elected officials and local leaders
to prevent the Peoria base and Illinois' other bases from ending up
on the Defense Base Realignment and Closure list that will be
announced in September. The Peoria Air National Guard Base
contributes more than $50 million to the state's economy each year
and supports nearly 1,200 jobs.
"This is an important day for our
entire state because the Peoria Air National Guard Base will
continue ensuring that our homeland is safe and secure," Gov.
Blagojevich said. "We traveled to Washington numerous times to meet
with top Pentagon leaders and highlighted this base's tremendous
military value because we know protecting this base is the right
decision for the United States and Illinois. From missions in Iraq
and Afghanistan to humanitarian assignments across the globe, the
182nd Airlift Wing and all of its dedicated and brave members make
us proud every day. But our coordinated campaign with the Illinois
congressional delegation, state and local officials isn't over yet.
We must and will continue presenting our compelling case to the BRAC
Commission and the Department of Defense about why the Peoria ANGB
must remain open and why it is poised for expansion."
U.S. Sen. Richard Durbin, D-Ill.,
U.S. Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., and many other state and local
officials joined Gov. Blagojevich at the announcement.
The
Peoria Air National Guard Base plays a critical role in ensuring the
safety and security of our country, while it also makes enormous
contributions to the Illinois economy. With a keen awareness of the
tremendous collective value of the base, Gov. Blagojevich has
relentlessly advocated for the Peoria Air National Guard Base
retention and expansion since the earliest days of his
administration. He launched a strategic plan to convince top
decision-makers in Washington that the Peoria base should continue
serving our country with distinction and has led the coordinated
effort to make the most compelling case possible for why the Peoria
base and Illinois' other military installations should not only stay
off the BRAC closure list but be asked to take on additional
missions. Highlights of that effort include the following:
- To help ensure the state made the
strongest case possible from the outset to save the Peoria Air
National Guard Base, Gov. Blagojevich hired a military affairs
specialist to help present the base's compelling case to the
Department of Defense.
- On Dec. 2, 2004, Gov. Blagojevich
traveled to the Pentagon to meet with Lt. Gen. Daniel James III,
the director of the Air National Guard.
- On Dec. 14, 2004, Gov.
Blagojevich sent administration officials to Washington, D.C., for
an important meeting with Deputy Undersecretary of Defense for
Installations Phil Grone, the Pentagon's point person on base
closings. As part of a comprehensive partnership, former Peoria
Mayor David Ransburg and Heartland Partnership President Jim
McConoughey were also invited by the governor on the trip and were
in attendance.
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- On April 6, 2005, Gov.
Blagojevich signed Executive Order No. 2005-4, directing all state
land-use planning agencies to coordinate with Illinois military
installations in order to maintain and improve the bases' immense
military value. The order ensures that when the Department of
Defense comes to Illinois seeking to expand, the state stands
ready and willing to meet its needs.
- Working closely with the Illinois
National Guard to ensure the military value of the Peoria base is
being maximized.
Gov.
Blagojevich has also led Illinois' efforts to ensure airmen and
women at the Peoria base enjoy the highest quality of life in the
military. Those efforts include:
- Signing legislation offering
in-state tuition benefits to all military members stationed within
the state.
- Signing legislation increasing
the death benefits for soldiers from Illinois killed in Iraq and
Afghanistan.
- Signing legislation to protect
business owners called up for Guard duty.
- Extending POW/MIA scholarship
benefits to the dependents of Guard members.
- Offering the National Guard Grant
program that provides Guard members with full tuition and fee
reimbursement for four years at all state institutions of higher
education.
With a nearly 60-year history of
diversity in operations, the Peoria Air National Guard Base has
demonstrated a pivotal response to joint, multinational
requirements, including its current involvement in Iraq and
Afghanistan. The unit's experience and performance in ongoing
airlift operations, its past experience in fighter operations, and
its in-depth expertise in management and control of tactical air
assets graphically reflect the reasons for the organization's
successes and the frequent recognition received by its members. A
major thrust of the 182nd Airlift's mission is to provide
world-class training and readiness opportunities, not only for its
own members but for those of other organizations and other service
departments as well. Superior existing facilities, expansion
capability, and recruiting and retention history enable the 182nd to
easily accommodate support of operations and training for
contingency, mobilization and increased future total force
requirements.
The BRAC Commission will submit its
closure recommendations to the president by Sept. 8. President Bush
has until Sept. 23 to accept or reject the recommendations in their
entirety. Then, by Nov. 7 the president must submit the list to
Congress, which must also approve or disapprove the list in its
entirety.
[News release] |