Whereas Selfridge Air National Guard Base is named after Army 1st Lieutenant Thomas E. Selfridge, the first aerial military casualty during a demonstration flight with Orville Wright in 1908; Whereas the Army commissioned Selfridge Field in Harrison Township, Michigan, on July 1, 1917, and it is one of the first military airfields in the United States under continuous service; Whereas the 332d Fighter Group of the famed Tuskegee Airmen, an all-African-American unit, moved to Selfridge Field on March 29, 1943, and Colonel Benjamin O. Davis became the first African-American commander on October 8, 1943; Whereas, on July 1, 1971, Selfridge Field was transferred to the Michigan Air National Guard, becoming the first major Air Force base under the jurisdiction of the Michigan Air National Guard; Whereas, on April 1, 1996, the 127th Wing of the Michigan Air National Guard was established at Selfridge Air National Guard Base; Whereas, after the terrorist attacks on the United States on September 11, 2001, Selfridge Air National Guard Base became a key center for security operations to protect and secure the northern border of the United States; Whereas the 127th Wing of the Michigan Air National Guard was the 2016 recipient of the Carl A. Spaatz Award, a prestigious award given to the best flying organization in the Air National Guard, and was awarded the Meritorious Unit Award in the same year for outstanding devotion and exceptional performance ; Whereas opportunities for investment in aerospace, as well as more fighter missions, will keep Selfridge Air National Guard Base successful and will contribute to a dominant Air Force and to a strong national defense; Whereas annual joint service and international Northern Strike exercises, combined with the critical manufacturing base of the Arsenal of Democracy , position the State of Michigan as an invaluable cornerstone of national defense and aerospace