Dear Friend,
Last week, I was honored to attend the ceremony at Naval Air Station Fort Worth Joint Reserve Base for the arrival of the upgraded KC-130J aircraft that Marine Corps Reserve Squadron 234, known as The Rangers, will begin flying.
Squadron 234 supports various training and global operations that deliver air-to-air refueling, assault support and close air support to organizations across the Department of Defense. For example in 2013 the 234th:
- Flew a total of 3,675 hours
- Flew more than 1,200 sorties that carried over 3,000 passengers
- Delivered one million pounds of cargo
- Off-loaded 1.8 million pounds of fuel to over 300 aircraft
Last April, the Marine Corps made the announcement that the new model of the KC-130 would be coming to Fort Worth. The move to replace the older version of the aircraft is part of a larger congressionally mandated program that began in 1997 to ensure that the aircraft given to the Marine Corps was worthy of the demands placed on the Marines.
While the conflicts of the last decade are winding down, the continuous threats to the United States and our allies are a constant reminder that we must remain vigilant. For the Marine Corps Reserves this means their work is never done, which is why so many of us fought hard for Squadron 234 to receive the upgraded airplanes.
As vice chairman of the Defense Appropriations subcommittee, I am especially grateful to the Marine Corps for their commitment to the vitally important mission of the Marine Corps Reserves at our base in Fort Worth.
Sincerely,
Kay Granger
Member of Congress