Senator Peters On Hand As Selfridge Air National Guard Base Celebrates 100 Years

HARRISON TOWNSHIP (WWJ) -- Selfridge Air National Guard Base in Harrison Township celebrated an important milestone Saturday -- its centennial anniversary.

U.S. Senator Gary Peters spoke at the U.S. Navy Reserve ceremony Saturday afternoon.

"I certainly just wanted to honor the incredible traditions that exist in the U.S. Navy Reserve and it's 100 year anniversary," Peters said. "You're basically dealing with citizen sailors, folks who have families and careers in the States and yet are called up to serve on active duty."

Peters, a former Lieutenant Commander in the Reserve which was established on March 3, 1915, said that he has been left with a lasting impression from the nation's veterans.

"It's a proud history," Peters said."We really had a number of folks at the ceremony -- including a couple of World War II veterans, one who had served in the Pacific and one who had served on D-Day in getting the soldiers to Europe -- so to me, it was a real special treat."

Navy Operational Support Center Detroit is one of 123 centers fleet-wide that will be celebrating this year.

"It was great to come back and to have an opportunity to say a few words of tribute to their service -- not just the reservists who were there, but their families," Peters said. "Those are really the unsung heroes when it comes to military service."