Rep. Lamborn and Former NFL player speak at luncheon for missile defenders

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. - U.S. Representative Doug Lamborn (R-5) and a former National Football League player were the guest speakers at a luncheon designed to recognize missile defenders Feb. 2 at the Air Force Academy.

More than two hundred Soldiers and civilians attended. The Soldiers present represented the U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command and the Colorado Army National Guard along with civilian members from the National Defense Industrial Association and Missile Defense Advocacy Alliance.

Former NFL player and Missile Defense Advocacy Alliance founder, Riki Ellison, emceed the luncheon that honored the Soldiers of the 100th Missile Defense Brigade's Echo crew for their hard work and dedication to the Missile Defense mission.

Special Speaker Lamborn, from the Colorado Springs district, spoke about the importance of dedication to defending the home skies.

"All of us here share a desire for a strong national defense," said Lamborn. "Whether it be through our jobs, military service, public or voluntary service, we have a shared dedication to protecting out home land."

Despite being a controversial debated topic due to the expensive nature of missile defense, the men and women in this field love their jobs and take it very seriously.

The commander of the 100th MDB (GMD), Col. Gregory Bowen, spoke about how proud he was to be leading this unit and how important missile defense was to him.

"I've got the best job in the United States Army," said Bowen. "I am working in a program that I believe in passionately. I am commanding a one-of-a-kind unit in the U.S. Army, and that unit is manned with the finest Soldiers that I have ever served with in my entire 28 years in the uniform.

"In the late 1960s/early 1970s, during the height of the Cold War, I remember as a little boy doing duck and cover drills," said Bowen. "I remember at the time not fully understanding the implications of what they were having us do, but it scared the hell out of me. And now as a father I don't want my little girl to go to bed at night and have to worry about bad things coming out of the sky like I did."

Ellison passed out autographed footballs to several key people leading the missile defense agency into the future, to include Bowen and the Command Sergeant Major for the Missile Defense Brigade, Command Sgt. Maj. Russ Hamilton.

Following the ceremony, Ellison passed out coins and posed along with Rep. Lamborn for photos with the Soldiers from the 100th.

100th Missile Defense Brigade (Ground-based Midcourse Defense)

U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command and the Colorado Army National Guard activated the nation's first ground-based Midcourse Defense Brigade Oct. 16, 2003.

The brigade operates the first part of the integrated Ballistic Missile Defense System, which, in concert with sister services, is designed to protect the nation from accidental or intentional limited ballistic missile attacks. It is manned both by Colorado Army National Guard and active-component soldiers.

The brigade provides expertise to Northern Command's command and control operations from the Cheyenne Mountain Operations Center.

Echo crew is one of five crews comprised of five controllers monitoring the skies over the United States 24 hours-a-day.