Congresswoman Eshoo Salutes Agreement for Permanent Home for the 129th Rescue Wing

February 3, 2010

Washington, D.C.-Congresswoman Anna G. Eshoo (CA-14) released the following statement after NASA Ames and the U.S. Air Force reached an agreement to keep the 129th Rescue Wing at Moffett Field for the next 50 years. Rep. Eshoo has worked for 17 years to keep the 129th at Moffett Field which has been the ideal location for their ongoing critical work in local, state, national and global search and rescue. The Bay Area Congressional Delegation, as well as local cities and community organizations have long supported the effort:

"At long last the Unit known for taking care of others is being taken care of with a permanent home in the heart of Silicon Valley. This is the first time in the history of the Unit that it will be operating with a long-term agreement. Importantly, this will afford the men and women of the Unit much deserved stability and allow for their leadership to make long-term plans for the future. To my constituents and the greater Bay Area this means we can continue to count on the 129th Rescue Wing in times of need especially in the post 9/11 era. I applaud the leadership of NASA Ames, the Air Force and the California National Guard for working to finalize this long-term lease."

The 129th Rescue Wing is a highly decorated California Air National Guard Unit known for their specialized capabilities in a wide range of environments from fires, floods, earthquakes and hurricanes. The 129th has often been tasked with the medical evacuation of patients from merchant vessels at sea. The federal mission of the 129th is to rapidly deploy worldwide to conduct combat search and rescue operations over land or water, in both hostile and permissive environments. The Unit has performed rescue missions in Iraq, Afghanistan and other locations around the globe. The 129th continues its search and rescue mission anytime, anywhere, living up to the unit motto, "These Things We Do... That Others May Live."

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