[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 123 (Thursday, July 27, 1995)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1527-E1528]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


                  TRIBUTE TO MAJ. GEN. JOE M. BALLARD

                                 ______


                            HON. IKE SKELTON

                              of missouri

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, July 27, 1995
  Mr. SKELTON. Mr. Speaker, today I pay tribute to, an outstanding Army 
officer: Maj. Gen. Joe M. Ballard. Major General Ballard most recently 
distinguished himself through exceptionally meritorious service, as 
commander, U.S. Army Engineer Center and Fort Leonard Wood. As a result 
of his outstanding leadership and keen vision Fort Leonard Wood has 
been established as an expanding TRADOC center for excellence. He 
masterfully employed information-age technology, concepts and doctrine 
to launch the engineer regiment toward Force XXI, thereby posturing the 
Engineer Center to lead the Army into the 21st century.
  General Ballard established Fort Leonard Wood as a force projection 
platform by exceeding Army and FORSCOM readiness goals within Fort 
Leonard Wood's tactical units and deploying combat-ready units to 
Haiti, Cuba, Korea, Honduras, and Panama for operations other than war.
  During a period of rapidly changing force structures and declining 
resources, General Ballard built Fort Leonard Wood into the model of 
fiscal stewardship, establishing a ``Total Quality'' standard for 
TRADOC installations. Indicative of General Ballard's pursuit of 
excellence, Fort Leonard Wood was selected as TRADOC's ``best large 
installation'' during the 1994 ``Army Communities of Excellence'' 
competition. The resounding success of his ``U-DO-IT'' self-help 
dormitory modernization project drew such widespread praise that it was 
featured in Soldier magazine, the NCO Journal, and Army Times. He also 
saved $1.6 million per year by converting the directorate of logistics 
from contract to in-house operation.
  When faced with a $10 million budget reduction in fiscal year 1995, 
General Ballard took the lead among TRADOC installation 

[[Page E 1528]]
commanders, directing a comprehensive organizational-functional review 
to achieve the most efficient organization in every activity. This 
review will continue to direct and shape Fort Leonard Wood for the 
decade to come.
  General Ballard's insightful planning brought to fruition the 
interservice training review organization. His mastery of installation 
management, extensive expertise on the Department of Defense Base 
Realignment and Closure Program, and tactical expertise in the combat 
support disciplines combined to promote Fort Leonard Wood as a TRADOC 
hub and future center for maneuver support training and combat 
developments and to consolidate the engineer, military police and 
chemical schools at Fort Leonard Wood. This exceptional vision and 
drive has ensured that Fort Leonard Wood will be a premier Force XXI 
Army Training Center.
  General Ballard's accomplishments during his command of the Engineer 
Center at Fort Leonard Wood are in keeping with the finest traditions 
of military service and reflect great credit upon him, the corps of 
engineers, and the U.S. Army. I wish him well in his new assignment as 
Chief of Staff of TRADOC. He and his wife Tessie made scores of friends 
in Missouri and we will miss them.


                          ____________________