The commander of the 141 Air Refueling Wing, Col Greg Bulkley, addresses commissioners during a recent Spokane County Commissioners meeting. The board of county commissioners, in celebration of the Washington Air National Guard’s 85th anniversary, made a proclamation designating August 2009 as Washington Air National Guard Appreciation Month. The 141 ARW was specifically recognized for the economic impact provided by the over 1,000 jobs created for citizen Airmen in Spokane, and providing an average of 48 million dollars in economic impact to Eastern Washington. Also recognized was the role service men and women have played in recent natural disasters such as Hurricane Katrina, and the winter storms of 2008 - 2009.