July 30, 2019 - Issue: Vol. 165, No. 129 — Daily Edition116th Congress (2019 - 2020) - 1st Session

[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1011]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




    HONORING CAPTAIN AARON HATTABAUGH AND OPERATION SENIOR SURPRISE

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                          HON. ADAM KINZINGER

                              of illinois

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, July 30, 2019

  Mr. KINZINGER. Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize my 
constituent, Aaron Hattabaugh, a retired captain and B-52 navigator, 
for taking part in the longest combat mission in Air Force history.
  On January 16, 1991, Captain Hattabaugh and fifty-six other airmen 
aboard seven B-52G aircraft of the 596th Bombardment Squadron took off 
from Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana on Operation Senior Surprise. 
However, those who took part named their mission Operation Secret 
Squirrel.
  This was the United States' first move to liberate Kuwait from Saddam 
Hussein. Using state of the art air launched cruise missiles, these 
brave airmen had one objective: to destroy Hussein's strategic assets 
in Iraq and Kuwait. Over the course of this mission, the aircraft 
destroyed nearly all of the targets and blinded the Iraqi military to 
our ground forces, in turn saving countless American lives. Incredibly, 
these aircraft completed four in-air refueling maneuvers and covered 
14,000 nautical miles in under 36 hours.
  This year marks the 28th anniversary of ``Operation Secret Squirrel'' 
and each year, those involved in this historic mission gather to 
remember their piece of history made. In the longest mission since the 
Doolittle Raids on Japan, these aviators carried out their mission with 
honor and bravery.
  Madam Speaker, those who served on this mission displayed true 
endurance and dedication to country in their actions. It is my honor to 
recognize Captain Hattabaugh and the fifty-six others who took part in 
this critical mission.

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