Willow Grove Air Base is closing, but one unit remains?

The Willow Grove Naval Air Station in Horsham, PA is getting the axe as the Pentagon reshuffles national guard units. But Governor Ed Rendell has succeeded at keeping one unit. The federal Base Closure and Realignment Commission denied the Pentagon's request to deactivate the 111th Fighter Wing of the Pennsylvania Air National Guard, which is the primary unit on the base. Here's an MSN News story on the subject:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/9087954/

In other words, the 111th Fighter Wing will remain, but the aircraft won't. And no one knows what the unit's mission will be. Confused? Me too. The Philadelphia Inquirer quotes Senator Rick Santorum (R, Pa.) as saying:

"Willow Grove is a disappointment. They are losing the aircraft, but keeping the unit. That is something we will have to get to work on. The unit has to find a mission. There is hope for Willow Grove, thanks to the unit."

Good luck. It is probably safe to assume that the annual Willow Grove air show that takes place every summer will no longer take place. That may not be a bad thing. One year, a pilot died when he lost control of a plane and it crashed in a field. It's a good thing it didn't land in a residential area.