[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 94 (Wednesday, July 15, 1998)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1306-E1307]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   TRIBUTE TO GENERAL GEORGE WILLIAMS

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. FRANK RIGGS

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, July 15, 1998

  Mr. RIGGS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to say a special thank you to 
Brigadier General George ``Nick'' Williams, U.S. Air Force, for the 
complete professionalism he always displayed while Commander of the 
60th Air Mobility Wing (AMC) at Travis Air Force Base, California.
  During his two years at Travis, Brig. Gen. Williams has overseen a 
great deal of change. One of our most vivid memories of his tenure as 
base commander, will be the massive construction program that is making 
Travis the showcase of the Air Force.
  Especially noteworthy has been his emphasis on projects which have 
improved the quality of life of the troops he was responsible for. He 
has overseen the completion of over $140 million in infrastructure 
improvement projects, including: A modern maintenance squadron 
building; a fire station; a state-of-the-art KC-10 hangar; a KC-10 
simulator facility; four squadron operations buildings; a first class 
Health & Wellness Center; two Child Development Centers; five improved 
dorms; sixty-two military family housing units; a new officer and 
enlisted club; and, the largest BX in the Air Force. He has also helped 
to plan an ambitious expansion of the commissary schedule for next 
year.

[[Page E1307]]

  Running the largest wing in AMC is a daunting task, Brig. Gen. 
Williams made an incredible contribution to the defense of the Nation. 
He maintained the highest operations tempo in AMC, with over 600 
departures per month. He also had the highest command departure 
reliability rates for the two major weapon systems based at Travis--the 
C-5 at 83%, and the KC-10 at over 94%. This was accomplished, while 
facing a serious management challenge concerning pilot manning. The 
Travis Team flying units lost more than a third of their pilot manning 
in a matter of 18 months.
  Under Brigadier General Williams tenure, Travis led participation in 
Southern Watch, Joint Endeavor, Deny Flight, Desert Strike, Guardian 
Assistance, Joint Guard, Decisive Endeavor, AEF 97-2, AEF 97-3, Deep 
Freeze, Centrazbat, Phoenix Scorpion I & II. Stellar performance on all 
South West Asia contingencies and Air Expeditionary Force deployments 
earned Travis an unprecedented AMC/CC full ORI credit in 1998.
  Brigadier General Williams led the Travis Team to 14 trophy wins 
during Phoenix Rodeo international air mobility competition, including 
``Best C-5 Wing'' and ``Best Airland Wing;'' an ``Excellent'' Nuclear 
Surety Inspection; 15 AF Aircrew Standardization Evaluation Visit 
``best seen.''
  I am pleased and privileged to have worked with this outstanding 
officer. I consider him a friend. As he heads to Scott AFB to become 
Director of Plans and Programs at Headquarters, Air Mobility Command, I 
wish him and his wife, Mary Ann, a successful assignment and a THANK 
YOU for a job well-done.

                          ____________________