U.S. Sens. Gary Peters and Elissa Slotkin have introduced a bipartisan resolution honoring the 108th anniversary of Selfridge Air National Guard Base and commending the thousands of men and women who have worked and trained at Selfridge since its inception.

We’d like to add our support to the resolution which recognizes and underscores the importance of the installation.

“Since World War I, Selfridge Air National Guard Base has been a critical asset to our Armed Forces,” said Sen. Peters, a member of the Armed Services Committee and former Lieutenant Commander in the U.S. Navy Reserve.

Added Sen. Slotkin: “On July 8, 1917, the first flight took off from what was then known as the Selfridge Field, marking the beginning of the Selfridge Air National Guard Base. Now, 108 years later, the base continues to play a vital role in defending our country. It remains one of the oldest continuously operating military airfields in the nation — and I’m proud to have it right here in Michigan.”

Selfridge Air National Guard Base was first commissioned by the U.S. Army on July 1, 1917 in Harrison Township and named after Army 1st Lieutenant Thomas E. Selfridge. Today, the base hosts more than 30 tenant units representing every branch of the Armed Forces.

This resolution highlights the numerous historical achievements by Selfridge servicemembers over the last 108 years.

Of note, it honors the 332ndfighter group of the famed Tuskegee Airmen that moved to Selfridge on March 29, 1943, where Colonel Benjamin O. Davis became the first African American commander on Oct. 8, 1943.

In 2015, the 127th Attack Wing based at Selfridge deployed approximately 500 airmen in support of Operation Inherent Resolve, the mission to eliminate ISIS.

Additionally, last year, the Air Force selected Selfridge to receive twelve KC-46A Pegasus tanker aircraft. This announcement came shortly after Peters led a bipartisan, bicameral group of Michigan delegation members in urging U.S. Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall to select Selfridge for a new squadron of these next-generation tankers, which will be deployed by the U.S. Air Force for the next 50 years.

The resolution codifies this decision and reiterates that Selfridge was selected for these aircraft by the Air Force as a result of its strategic location for northern border security and homeland defense.

Selfridge is important to the national defense and to the Michigan economy as a whole. We applaud Peters’ and Slotkin’s recognition of that undeniable fact.