[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 76 (Tuesday, May 9, 1995)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E971-E972]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


                          TRIBUTE TO MACK FARR

                                 ______


                          HON. THOMAS M. DAVIS

                              of virginia

                    in the house of representatives

                          Tuesday, May 9, 1995
  Mr. DAVIS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize and commend the 
accomplishments of an outstanding individual and fellow Virginian who 
has done exceptional work in the development and manufacture of night 
vision equipment. This equipment, enabling armies to fight in the dark, 
represents one of the most profound changes in military capability in 
history. It was a critical factor in the low loss of life and played a 
major role in the success of Operation Just Cause in Panama and 
Operation Desert Storm in Kuwait. These examples alone prove 
conclusively that night vision technology has revolutionized military 
tactics and strategy.
  Mack Farr has demonstrated himself to be a leader in the development 
and application of increasingly more sophisticated night vision imaging 
systems for military use over a commercial and federal career that 
spans 37 years. In the early days of the Vietnam conflict, Mr. Farr 
worked first as a government contractor, and later as a physicist in 
the Army's Night Vision Laboratory in Northern Virginia, developing and 
fielding the first usable image intensifiers for use by the U.S. 
military. His later efforts in the improvement of the technology led, 
in part, to Generation III Night Vision Goggles that could, for the 
first time, be used as head mounted systems for ground troops. 
Similarly, when the aviators of rotor winged aircraft attempted to use 
this headmounted technology to improve their night flying operations, 
Mr. Farr and members of his government and industry team responded by 
developing a Third Generation Image Intensifier System, specifically 
designed for DOD aviators.
  These systems have now been fielded in quantity and with ever 
increasing quality over time. As the Technology Director for the Army 
Project Management Office for Reconnaissance, Surveillance and Target 
Acquisition since 1984, each of the new image intensification products 
the result from Mr. Farr's technical and managerial oversight has 
created a new, and sought after, world standard for excellence. His 
expertise has also greatly aided the U.S. Government in the formulation 
of export policy opinions that are a foundation for 
[[Page E972]] munitions control policy decisions by twenty-two 
signatory nations.
  In recognition of his many achievements, Mack Farr was inducted into 
the Association of Night Vision Manufacturers Image Intensification 
Hall of Fame on April 19, 1995. He was the first Government recipient 
to receive this honor.
  Now that we are poised on the threshold of a new century, Mack Farr 
is guiding his team in the pursuit of new technologies and systems for 
the future. Mr. Speaker, I salute Mack Farr for his hard work, 
diligence and outstanding accomplishments in the development of night 
vision. We all owe him a debt of gratitude for his years of dedication 
and join together in commending him for showing great foresight and 
commitment to the night vision industry. We thank him for his genuine 
contributions to our Nation's security and wish all the best in his 
future endeavors.


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