F-16 Taco Display Dedication Ceremony, November 5, 2014
U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich attends the dedication of the F-16 Taco display at the National Museum of Nuclear Science & History in Albuquerque. An aircraft featuring the Fighting Tacos logo -- on the tail insignia and trim -- was on display. Many retired New Mexico Air National Guard service members volunteered to get the display completed. As a member of the House of Representatives in 2009, then-Representative Martin Heinrich introduced a proposal as part of the National Defense Authorization Act to save more than a thousand Taco jobs at Kirtland Air Force Base. As a member of the House Armed Services Committee, Heinrich led an effort to ensure that the Air Force could not retire any legacy fighter aircraft across the country without identifying new missions for their respective bases. In Albuquerque, this was realized in 2010 through combining the 150th Fighter Wing with the 58th Special Operations Wing, and establishing three new missions.