“We have enough data to show that it is one of the best squadrons in the entire United States,” Harkin says. “If they’re cutting F-16s, why are they cutting Des Moines? Why wouldn’t they cut some whose performance levels are much lower?” Harkin, a Democrat, says the military’s top brass are looking in the wrong place to make reductions.

Harkin says, “As we are cutting defense spending, the best way to save money and to be ready is to cut some of our standing forces, cut some of our bases overseas, cut some of the regular military and rely more upon our Reserve and National Guard.” The Des Moines-based 132nd Fighter Wing includes 21 “Fighting Falcon” F-16 fighter jets and a thousand personnel.

Harkin says the unit has proven itself time and again over the past six decades as being reliable, professional and vital. “You get more bang for the buck with Reserve and National Guard units and rather than putting money into bases overseas, we put the money into local communities,” Harkin says. “These National Guard units perform a lot more than just a call-up during wartime. They help us with floods and natural disasters and emergency situations.”

Harkin and the other Iowans will meet in Washington this afternoon with Air Force Secretary Michael Donley at 12:30 P.M. CST.

“There is a very different institutional approach to this in the Army, Navy and Marine Corps than there is in the Air Force,” Braley explains. “The Air Force has a large number of aircraft that are very expensive and very costly to maintain. And they seem to be taking an emphasis that preserves more of their existing active-duty fighter planes and aircraft.”

Braley says the Air Force is also looking to expand the use of unmanned drones. He says the Air Force has tried to justify closing the fighter wing in Des Moines by suggesting it be replaced by a drone program.

“But that’s not what we’re talking about, we’re talking about comparing apples to apples and that’s how that fighter wing compares with other Air National Guard units around the country. And the numbers are compelling. That it ranks consistently at the top of all the objective measures of readiness and success, and that’s why this decision does not make sense,” Braley says.

He says the Iowa delegation will use the record of the Iowa unit as it pushes to keep it going. “And I think that if we have the opportunity tomorrow to sit down and calmly and rationally make the case to the Secretary of the Air Force about why this is a bad decision, and listen to his justification for it, I think we will have the best opportunity to have an influence on that decision,” Braley says.

The unit has 21 F-16 jets and some 1,000 personnel that keep the unit running.

Hamilton’s assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 4th Marine Regiment, an infantry battalion stationed at Camp Pendleton, California. Family members say he was sweeping an area with men from his unit last Tuesday, when he tripped a mine. Hamilton is now recovering at Balboa Naval Hospital in San Diego.

 He was serving his second tour of duty in Afghanistan.

By Jesse Gavin, KCNZ, Cedar Falls

Iowa Senator Chuck Grassley is holding meetings this week in hopes of saving the unit. “If it is a done deal, and I don’t know that it’s a done deal, it might be more difficult than if it’s still in consideration,” Grassley says. “I hope it’s the latter. Obviously, I think we have a chance to weigh in to a greater extent than if somebody says, ‘This is the way it’s going to be and just forget it.’ I don’t know why they’d come to talk to us if it was a done deal.”

Grassley will meet this afternoon in Washington (at 3:30 P.M. Central time) with Iowa National Guard Major General Timothy Orr. Grassley says, “On Thursday afternoon, I’m also going to follow up with a meeting I put together with the Iowa Congressional delegation with the Secretary of the Air Force (Michael) Donley on the same subject.”

The budget-cutting plan calls for the retiring of the Iowa Guard’s 21 F-16 fighter jets and the decommissioning of the unit, which has nearly a thousand members, including pilots, mechanics and support staff. “My concern about the Air Force strategy of targeting the Guard for cuts is that the Guard is more cost-effective for missions, such as a fighter squadrons, than active duty,” Grassley says. “And Guard pilots tend to be more experienced since they stay in the service for a longer period of time.”

One report says the Air Force is considering replacing the piloted F-16 fighter jets with a squadron of unmanned drone aircraft, which could create as many as 500 positions. It’s unclear how many staff from the current unit, if any, would be able to transfer.

“I think it’s a big mistake,” Branstad told reporters this morning. “This fighter unit in Des Moines has had a tremendous record of service and they’re outstanding and, as I understand it, they’re the only fighter wing in the country that’s being targeted to be replaced.”

The Air Force is recommending the 132nd Fighter Wing be “decommissioned” as part of Pentagon budget-cutting plans. Twenty F-16 fighters jets and nearly one-thousand Guard members work in the unit, which is based in Des Moines. Branstad is co-chair of a governors’ group that meets with Pentagon officials to discuss issues surrounding national security and operation of the state-level National Guard units.

“I think they’re making a mistake,” Branstad said. “I think they ought to take another look at it. I intend to work with our congressional delegation.”

This past Friday members of Iowa’s congressional delegation issued stern statements about the shut-down plan. Congressman Leonard Boswell, a Democrat from Des Moines who is a veteran, vowed to fight “tooth and nail” to reverse the Pentagon decision. Congressman Tom Latham, a Republican from Clive, questioned why Pentagon chief would consider decommissioning this “consistently high performing unit.” And Senator Tom Harkin, a Democrat, said Iowans should know this is “by no means a final decision about this unit.”

Governor Branstad is also working on a bipartisan basis with Iowa and Illinois congressman to try to keep the Rock Island Arsenal from being targeted for closure.

“Obviously with a major reduction in defense spending that the country’s faced with, there’s concerns about a lot of things,” Branstad said. “And we certainly are concerned about this one.”

The Rock Island Arsenal is the largest employer in the Quad Cities, with more than 8600 people woking at jobs connected to the arsenal.

“At this point, the only official information that the Iowa National Guard has received from the Department of Defense regarding any reductions is that there could be National Guard units affected…particularly in the Air National Guard,” Hapgood said. “Other than that, we have not received any information of a specific nature, whatsoever, regarding Iowa.”

The 132nd Fighter Squadron, based at the Des Moines Airport, may be decommissioned, according to the report. Hapgood calls the squadron a “relatively robust” operation. The 132nd is comprised of 20 F-16 fighter jets and 1,000 personnel. The squadron’s annual budget is roughly $50 million, which includes a $35 million payroll.

Hapgood expects more specific information on the future of the Iowa Air Guard unit later this month. “It is expected President Obama will present his budget to congress on February 13 and we feel there’s probably enough specificity in that budget that we can figure out exactly what it means for our organization,” Hapgood said.

Around 130 members of the 132nd Fighter Squadron are currently deployed in Afghanistan.

The Iowa National Guard offers grants to soldiers who enroll in college, but the budget was set before about three-thousand Iowa Guard soldiers returned from Afghanistan this past summer, and more of them enrolled in college than officials had expected.

In December, Guard officials announced the grants to each of the 1,400 soldiers who get the tuition assistance would be cut by $1,300. The bill Branstad intends to sign provides an extra $1.3-million to cover that cut.

“We can afford this supplemental appropriation and still have a budget that is balanced into the out-going years. That is a tribute to the touch decisions that were made last year,” Branstad says. “…This $1.3 million…will not bust the budget.”

Branstad was among the hundreds who attended Sunday’s funeral for the Iowa native who died earlier this month in Afghanistan. “I thought the community of Centerville and the hundreds of people that were in attendance — the Marines, the veterans organizations, the honor guard and everybody, I think did an excellent job of showing their respect, their appreciation for the ultimate sacrifice that Master Sergeant Riddick made on behalf of our country.”

Two-thousand American flags lined the streets of Centerville to honor 40-year-old Marine Travis Riddick, who was killed in a helicopter crash in Afghanistan.

“Everyone goes through moments of feeling as an outsider and trying to adjust back to what is normal. But I think with the proper amount of support and people out there to help, you can overcome that and you can easily pick up with a normal life.” Guinta says soldiers now receive much support when they return home and the public welcomes them with open arms.

That wasn’t the case 50 some years ago when Vietnam veterans returned, and he credits those vets for making it easier for today’s soldiers. Guinta says the Vietnam vets said the way they were treated would never happen again and they are ensuring that.

Giunta, a Hiawatha native, was awarded the military’s highest honor for his bravery during combat in Afghanistan. He chose not to re-enlist in the military and is now a student at Colorado State University.

“They have this new thing called the post-9-11 G-I Bill which is essentially going to pay 100 percent of my college tuition, so I think I’m gonna jump on that knowledge bandwagon and ride that as long as I can,” Guinta explained. Guinta will be speaking at the third annual “At Ease Luncheon” at the Century Link Center.

The governor ordered the flags lowered to honor 40-year-old Master Sergeant Travis Riddick who was a 1990 graduate of Centerville High School.

Sergeant Riddick was one of six Marines killed in action when their helicopter crashed on January 21st in southern Afghanistan. It was Riddick’s second tour in Afghanistan, and he had also served tours in Iraq.

Riddick is survived by his wife Jennifer, six children, his parents and two brothers.

Memorial services are scheduled for Sergeant Riddick on at 2 p.m. Sunday in the auditorium of the Centerville High School gym.

Representative Chris Hall, a Democrat from Sioux City, has heard from a number of soldiers in his district who saw their individual benefits cut by $1300 for this semester.

“During the first week of the legislature, I know that I received emails from several of our Guardsmen from the 185th Air Refueling Wing,” Hall says.

Representative Jerry Kearns, a Democrat from Keokuk, says this fulfills a promise made to those soldiers.

“I would have been happy to act on this last week and (get) it out of the way, but I’m very pleased we’re here today acting on it,” Kearns says.

The Iowa Senate approved the bill last week, but Republicans delayed action in the Iowa House to ensure the Guard indeed needed that much money to fulfill its tuition grant promises. Representative Royd Chambers, a Republican from Sheldon who is a member of the Iowa Air National Guard, says Republicans were just going their “due dilligence” in checking the numbers.

“We are, of course, all in support of supporting our National Guard members,” Chambers says. “But we also must remember that we are responsible for spending our tax dollars wisely and efficiently.”

Representative John Wittneben, a Democrat from Estherville, says legislators set aside money for the program last year, but that was before about 3000 Iowa National Guard soldiers came back to Iowa after active duty in Afghanistan.

“It’s awful hard to appropriate these dollars when you don’t know how many are going to be returning and taking advantage of this education (grant),” Wittneben says.

AUDIO of today’s House debate.

The Guard announced in December that Education Assistance grants to its soldiers would be cut because there wasn’t enough money set aside to cover the tuition grants for the 1400 Iowa National Guard soldiers who’re enrolled in college. Governor Branstad has indicated he’ll sign the legislation.

In other action this morning, the Iowa House approved spending $3 million in state money to help restore the USS Iowa, a World War II era battleship that will be docked in Los Angeles as a floating museum. The Iowa Senate approved that level of spending on the project last week.