FIGHTER COUNTRY PARTNERSHIP LEADERS ENDORSE SENATOR JOHN McCAIN FOR RE-ELECTION

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

Contact: Brian Rogers

Friday, April 23, 2010 (602) 604-2010

FIGHTER COUNTRY PARTNERSHIP LEADERS ENDORSE SENATOR JOHN McCAIN FOR RE-ELECTION

PHOENIX, AZ -- U.S. Senator John McCain’s re-election campaign today announced that top leaders of the Luke Air Force Base support organization Fighter Country Partnership (FCP) have endorsed Senator McCain for re-election to the United States Senate.

Senator McCain received the endorsement of FCP Chairman of the Board Charley Freericks, and FCP Executive Director and CEO Steve Yamamori. Senator McCain, Mr. Freericks and Mr. Yamamori held a press conference to announce the endorsement this afternoon in Phoenix before the Senator addressed a Phoenix Chamber of Commerce luncheon showcasing the importance of Arizona’s military bases to our nation’s national security and Arizona’s economy.



“Senator McCain’s tenacious and strong support for Arizona’s military bases, particularly Luke Air Force, has been crucial in keeping the country’s premier training range viable and operational for over a generation,” said Charley Freericks, Fighter Country
Partnership’s Chairman of the Board.

Mr. Freericks pointed out that Luke’s mission of training fighter pilots, crew chiefs, and maintainers at the world’s largest F-16 fighter wing would not have been sustainable without the steadfast support that Senator McCain has always provided in the U.S. Senate.





FCP Executive Director and CEO Steve Yamamori said Senator McCain has been instrumental in maintaining Luke AFB’s competitive position in the Air Force’s site selection process for the follow-on mission to the F-16, the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter.

“Senator McCain has always been not only an ally in Congress to essential national security infrastructure, but he’s been a fierce advocate for the mission of Luke Air Force Base,” said Mr. Yamamori. “His leadership has literally preserved the goose that continues to lay the golden egg of economic stimulus to the state of Arizona.”







“Fighter Country Partnership is one of the finest military support organizations in America, and I am honored by the support of its leaders,” said Senator John McCain.

“I admire Fighter Country Partnership’s tireless dedication to the welfare of our service members and their families at Luke -- a cause that is profoundly important to Arizona and our nation.”



Fighter Country Partnership is a not-for-profit organization that supports the men, women, families and mission of Luke Air Force Base through a variety of public advocacy efforts and support programs.

The organization’s Fighter Country Foundation, with the financial support of community sponsors, provides care packages for military members deployed, and activities and financial support for the families of those military service men and women.

Each year, Fighter Country provides more than $100,000 of direct support to programs and events on Base and in the last few years has raised more than $2 million to assist families of Airmen killed in the line of duty.

Fighter Country Partnership is a leader in the effort to ensure that Luke Air Force Base continues as the training base for the new F-35 and its military personnel through the “Luke Forward” campaign, which has already registered over 14,000 community supporters.