[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 36 (Wednesday, March 19, 1997)]
[Senate]
[Page S2550]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                  TRIBUTE TO MAJ. GEN. DONALD EDWARDS

  Mr. LEAHY. Mr. President, I rise today to pay tribute to Maj. Gen. 
Donald Edwards, who has served for the last 16 years as the Adjutant 
General of the Vermont National Guard. Ever since Ethan Allen and his 
famous Green Mountain Boys took the British fort at Ticonderoga, 
Vermonters have had a propensity to serve their nation as citizen-
soldiers. That tradition is alive and well today, and thanks to Don 
Edwards, the Vermont National Guard is stronger today than ever before. 
Don was instrumental in starting the Army National Guard Mountain and 
Winter Warfare School, which trains soldiers from around the Nation in 
the rigors of winter warfare. He also excelled at being an advocate of 
Vermont's interests within the Pentagon.
  I remember the case of the 1-86th artillery battalion, which in 1992 
was abruptly threatened with elimination, even though it had one of the 
highest readiness and retention rates in the entire U.S. Army. It was 
the kind of short-sighted bureaucratic decision that Don Edwards could 
not tolerate, and he made a strong case to me. I helped save that 
battalion, although I had to hold up a defense bill to do it. Don never 
wavered in his devotion to do what was right for the men and women of 
the Vermont National Guard.
  Recently, the Vermont Air Guard received four first-place awards at 
the Air Force's premier air combat competition, known as William Tell. 
Don always stressed to the soldiers and airmen under his command the 
importance of training hard and as realistically as possible.
  During Desert Storm, his philosophy paid off, as several Vermont 
Guard units deployed to Southwest Asia and performed flawlessly during 
that conflict. Those were anxious times, and Vermonters saw a side of 
Don Edwards that they had never seen before. He was a tireless advocate 
for our deployed soldiers, and he acted with great compassion to do 
whatever he could to help the families of those who were deployed 
overseas.
  I am sure that some of that attitude was shaped by his own 
experiences in Vietnam. I know that his tireless devotion to Vermont 
veterans of all wars has helped Vermonters appreciate the extraordinary 
sacrifices that were made by ordinary citizens. It seemed like whenever 
two or three veterans gathered together, Don Edwards was there to lend 
weight to their cause.
  As Don Edwards hangs up his uniform for the last time, I want to give 
him my personal thanks for all he has done for Vermont, and to wish him 
good luck and Godspeed in his future endeavors.

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