[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 31 (Thursday, March 19, 1998)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E427]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   TRIBUTE TO LT. GEN. JOE N. BALLARD

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. IKE SKELTON

                              of missouri

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, March 19, 1998

  Mr. SKELTON. Mr. Speaker, today I congratulate Lt. Gen. Joe Ballard 
the Chief of Army Engineers and the Commander of the United States Army 
Corp of Engineers. On February 28, General Ballard was recognized as 
the Black Engineer of the Year during the 12th Annual Black Engineer of 
the Year Awards Conference at Baltimore, Maryland. This award was 
presented by the Career Communications Group and the Council of 
Engineering Deans of the Historically Black College and Universities. A 
panel of judges from industry and academia screened over 200 entries 
and unanimously agreed that General Ballard was by far the best 
qualified for this award. General Ballard, a native of Oakdale, 
Louisiana, and a graduate of Southern University, leads the world's 
premier public engineering organization with engineering, construction 
and real estate responsibilities worldwide.
  In the civil works program, the Army Corps of Engineers is 
responsible for operating and maintaining 275 locks, 12,000 miles of 
navigable waterway and 300 deep draft harbors. Flood control systems 
across our nation prevent an estimated $26.8 billion in potential 
damage each year and Corps facilities provide 24 percent of our 
nation's hydroelectric power. When disaster hits our hometowns across 
the United States, General Ballard's forces are always on the front 
lines fighting as they did recently in the Midwest and California 
floods and the New England ice storm.
  General Ballard overseas the design and construction management of 
military facilities for the Army and Air Forces worldwide and often 
provides the same support for other Defense and federal agencies. As 
the senior Engineer in the Army, his engineer soldiers are also found 
on the front lines in Bosnia and Kuwait serving our nation. Through all 
this, he has the additional responsibilities for the nation's 
environment, managing environmental restoration programs and practicing 
environmentally sustainable development to balance environment values 
with economic growth.
  It is a tremendous honor that one of our finest public servants is 
recognized across the country as the Black Engineer of the Year for 
1998. We applaud General Ballard for his professionalism, dedication 
and leadership, and we in the Congress, congratulate him on this 
significant distinction.

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