[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 49 (Tuesday, April 28, 1998)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E692-E693]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                  IN HONOR OF LT. COL. MICHAEL PRUSAK

                                 ______
                                 

                             HON. VIC FAZIO

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, April 28, 1998

  Mr. FAZIO of California. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Lt. Col. 
Michael Prusak, Director of Logistics for the Sacramento Air Logistics 
Center, McClellan Air Force Base, California. He is a Command 
Navigator, with more than 2,500 hours in the FB-111 and the T-43 
aircraft. Lieutenant Colonel Prusak will be retiring on 1 August 1998, 
after a distinguished career highlighted by many challenging 
assignments.

[[Page E693]]

  As Director of Logistics, Lieutenant Colonel Prusak manages the 
supply and transportation support for the Air Logistics Center and the 
77th Air Base Wing. He oversees more than 250 military and civilian 
personnel, with an annual budget of nearly $1 million.
  Lieutenant Colonel Prusak was born in Germany, in December 1947. He 
grew up in Boston, Massachusetts, and graduated from Boston Technical 
High School. He attended and graduated from Lowell Technological 
Institute in 1973 with a degree in Industrial Engineering. In 1981, he 
graduated from the University of Southern California with a Masters in 
Systems Management.
  After flight training at Reese Air Force Base, Texas, in 1974, 
Lieutenant Colonel Prusak was assigned to the 380th Bombardment Wing at 
Plattsburgh Air Force Base, New York. At Reese Air Force Base he flew 
the Strategic Air Command's FB-111, and became one of the first 1st 
Lieutenant instructors of the aircraft. In 1980, he was assigned to 
Mather Air Force Base, California, as an Undergraduate Navigator 
Training instructor. While there, he became a flight commander and 
helped develop the curriculum for the dual track navigator training 
system, which is still in use today.
  In 1985, Lieutenant Colonel Prusak was assigned to the 509th 
Bombardment Wing at Pease Air Force Base, New Hampshire, and 
requalified in the FB-111. While there, he became the assistant air 
operations officer, and chief of aircrew scheduling and training for 
the 393d Bombardment Squadron--the same squadron that dropped atomic 
bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki during the final days of World War II. 
In January 1988, he became the Deputy Commander for Resource Management 
for the 509th, where he helped manage the Wing Supply and 
Transportation Squadrons, along with Wing Mobility, Base Contracts, and 
Base Comptroller divisions.
  Lieutenant Colonel Prusak was assigned in 1989 to the Sacramento Air 
Logistics Center as assistant program manager for the F-111 Digital 
Flight Control Modification Program. He went on to become the Program 
Manager for the F-111 Stores Management Upgrade modification program in 
1990, followed by the position of Branch Chief for all F-111 
modifications. In January 1993, Lieutenant Colonel Prusak attended the 
Defense Systems Management College at Ft. Belvoir, Virginia. Upon his 
return to McClellan, he became the Assistant F-111 System Program 
Director, ultimately, becoming the Director of Logistics in March 1995.
  Lieutenant Colonel Prusak also gave much of himself to the citizens 
of California. He has been, and continues to be, an extremely active 
volunteer pilot for the Civil Air Patrol--having flown more than 100 
training and search and rescue missions in northern California. Many of 
these life saving missions involve flying low level sorties in the 
valleys of the Sierra Nevada Mountain Range, placing him in great 
personal danger. Following his retirement from the United States Air 
Force, his role will expand as he assumes the position of the 
California Wing Liaison Officer of the Civil Air Patrol, at McClellan 
Air Force Base.
  Lieutenant Colonel Prusak is the recipient of many awards, including 
the Meritorious Service Medal with one oak leaf cluster, the Air Force 
Commendation Medal with one oak leaf cluster, the Air Force Outstanding 
Unit Award, the Air Force Organizational Excellence Award, the Combat 
Readiness Medal, the National Defense Service Medal, and the Southwest 
Asia Service Medal.
  I join my colleagues today in honoring Lieutenant Colonel Prusak for 
his 24 years of dedicated and distinguished service to the United 
States Air Force, the state of California, and our nation. We send best 
wishes to him, his wife Linda, and their children Jennifer, Erica, and 
Gabriel and wish him continued success at his new position with the 
Civil Air Patrol.

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