[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 42 (Monday, March 25, 1996)]
[Senate]
[Page S2833]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                  TRIBUTE TO COL. FRED E. KISHLER, JR.

 Mr. GLENN. Mr. President, I rise to pay tribute to Col. Fred 
E. Kishler, Jr., who died this past January. From August 1994 until his 
death, Colonel Kishler served as the Director of the General Defense 
Intelligence Program [GDIP] Staff where he served with great 
distinction.
  Colonel Kishler was a fellow Buckeye--born in Tiffin, OH, and 
receiving his undergraduate degree at Heidelberg College in Tiffin. In 
his lengthy and distinguished Air Force career, Colonel Kishler flew 
dangerous, sensitive missions in the U-2 spy plane and other aircraft, 
and was responsible for fielding numerous tactical and strategic 
intelligence systems. His greatest love as a pilot was flying the U-2, 
spending approximately 15 years in the U-2 program. Colonel Kishler 
accumulated over 4,800 flying hours--over 2,000 of those hours were 
spent in the cockpit of a U-2, and he flew 106 combat missions in 
Southeast Asia. During the Vietnam War, he demonstrated his courage as 
a flight leader for search and rescue missions, and he supported the 
Son Tay POW raid.
  In 1991, Colonel Kishler came to work for the Defense Intelligence 
Agency, first serving as the Chief of the Reconnaissance Division for 
Functional Management. His hard work and effectiveness led to other 
positions as the Associate Deputy Director of the Programs and 
Evaluation Division of the National Military Intelligence Collection 
Center, and ultimately as the Director of the General Defense 
Intelligence Program Staff--particularly challenging assignments in a 
period of declining resources where we have had to do more with less. 
Colonel Kishler's honesty, integrity, and professionalism gained the 
respect of Congress as well as the Department of Defense.
  Among Fred's many decorations and awards were the Distinguished 
Flying Cross, a Meritorious Service Medal, the Air Medal with thirteen 
oak leaf clusters, and the Air Force Commendation medal.
  Mr. President, I join all of my colleagues on the Senate Select 
Committee on Intelligence in paying tribute to the memory of Col. Fred 
E. Kishler, Jr., and pass along our deepest sympathies to Colonel 
Kishler's mother and father--Fred and Marjorie Kishler; his wife, 
Susan; and their sons, Mark and Fred. Fred Kishler was a credit to the 
Air Force and the United States of America, and he will be sorely 
missed.

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