; Whereas Whiteman AFB assisted in paving the way for a fully integrated United States Air Force, with the 351st Strategic Missile Wing fielding the first female Minuteman crew and the first gender-integrated Minuteman crew; Whereas the 509th Bomb Wing is stationed at Whiteman AFB, operates a B-2 Spirit stealth bomber, and is able to deploy from Missouri to engage adversaries of the United States anywhere in the world; Whereas the 509th Bomb Wing first engaged in combat as part of Operation Allied Force over Serbia and Kosovo in 1999; Whereas, in October 2001, the 509th Bomb Wing carried out the first military response after the attacks on New York City, New York, and Washington, District of Columbia, on September 11, 2001 by flying a B-2 Spirit stealth bomber into the airspace of Afghanistan and preceding the coalition aircraft that would engage the forces of the Taliban and al-Qaeda; Whereas, while selectively used, the B-2 Spirit stealth bomber represents the precision capabilities and the endurance of the United States Air Force; Whereas the 442nd Fighter Wing, an Air Force Reserve Command organization responsible for the operation, maintenance, and support of the A-10 Thunderbolt II aircraft (commonly known as the Warthog ), is located at Whiteman AFB and works alongside the 509th Bomb Wing; Whereas the 442nd Citizen Airmen carry on the proud tradition, dating back to World War II, of supporting the United States Army and allied ground forces through close air support; Whereas the 131st Bomb Wing, a unit of the Missouri Air National Guard located at Whiteman AFB, is the only Air National Guard Bomb Wing to fly the B-2 Spirit stealth bomber and to be nuclear-capable; Whereas the 131st Air National Guardsmen carry on the proud tradition of supporting the State of Missouri and the United States, which dates back to the founding of the 131st Bomb Wing in 1923