Vice President Dick Cheney on Monday spoke to Guardsmen and Reservists gathered at Selfridge ANGB, Mich., singling out for praise the various units and services represented, including the 127th “Air” Wing, per his printed remarks. He hinted that it was an Air National Guard F-16 that put paid to al Qaeda chieftain Abu Musab al Zarqawi last month, when he mentioned the efforts of the 127th Wing’s F-16s and C-130s. “You’ve placed duty ahead of convenience, and service above self-interest,” Cheney told the 250 plus crowd. (Cheney also pinned a Purple Heart upon Air National Guard Combat Weatherman MSgt. Henry G. Christle Jr.—see the photo caption.)
The use of a military counter-drone laser on the southwest border this week—which prompted the Federal Aviation Administration to abruptly close the airspace over El Paso, Texas—will be a “case study” on the complex web of authorities needed to employ such weapons near civilian areas and the consequences of agencies…
