[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 114 (Wednesday, September 3, 1997)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1632]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




    BRIG. GEN. JAMES W. BODDIE, 30 YEARS OF HONOR, DUTY, AND SERVICE

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                      HON. RODNEY P. FRELINGHUYSEN

                             of new jersey

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, September 3, 1997

  Mr. FRELINGHUYSEN. Mr. Speaker, today, I rise to pay tribute to Brig. 
Gen. James W. Boddie who is retiring after 30 years of honorable and 
decorated service in the U.S. Army. On September 4, General Boddie will 
be stepping down as commander of the Army Armament Research, 
Development and Engineering and Center [ARDEC] at Picatinny Arsenal in 
Dover, NJ, after a distinguished 3-year tenure.
  Born in Augusta, GA, on July 6, 1945, General Boddie attended the 
University of Georgia and in 1967 graduated with a bachelor of science 
degree in forestry. Following graduation, he was commissioned a second 
lieutenant through the Army Reserve Officers' Training Corps. For his 
service overseas in combat in Vietnam and with the 7th Army in Germany, 
Boddie was awarded the Legion of Merit (with Oak Leaf Cluster), Bronze 
Star Medal (with ``V'' device, two Oak Leaf Clusters), Meritorious 
Service Medal, four Air Medals, and the Army Commendation Medal (with 
one Oak Leaf Cluster).
  General James Boddie developed his expertise in ordnance and 
munitions, in great part, through his years of service in various 
positions with the 59th Ordnance Brigade of the U.S. 7th Army in 
Europe. Subsequently, he served as the Commandant of the U.S. Army 
Ordnance Missile and Munitions Center and School. Before assuming his 
final post commanding ARDEC, General Boddie was Deputy Commanding 
General for Procurement and Readiness, U.S. Army Armament Munitions and 
Chemical Command at Rock Island in Illinois.
  During his service at Picatinny Arsenal, General Boddie distinguished 
himself as perhaps the most accomplished commander in ARDEC's history. 
As commander, he was responsible for managing 4,000 employees and more 
than 1,000 projects that constitute 90 percent of the Army's lethal 
power. Although he served during a period of defense downsizing, 
shrinking Army budgets and base closures, General Boddie and the 
employees at Picatinny Arsenal were recognized by the Pentagon and the 
Vice President of the United States as the premier military base in the 
Nation when in 1996 ARDEC received the quality ``Triple Crown.''
  This unprecedented honor consisted of three highly prestigious awards 
for achievement, including the Research and Development Organization of 
the Year Award, the Army Communities of Excellence Award--for the best 
Army installation in the world--and the most acclaimed Presidential 
Award for Quality, the equivalent of the Malcolm Baldrige Award, which 
was presented to General Boddie by Vice President Al Gore. The Triple 
Crown only acknowledged what I have known for years, that the people of 
Picatinny Arsenal are recognized the world over as the experts in 
munitions technology.
  Mr. Speaker, I want to again commend General James W. Boddie for his 
dedicated service to the American people in the U.S. Army. He leaves 
his post and the institution that became his life with my complete 
confidence in his abilities. General Boddie's guiding hand at Picatinny 
will surely be missed. I wish him and his wife, Shirl, all the best in 
the years to come.

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