[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 106 (Friday, July 31, 1998)]
[Senate]
[Pages S9552-S9553]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  RECOGNITION OF THE AIR FORCE OFFICE OF SPECIAL INVESTIGATIONS (OSI)

  Mr. SPECTER. Mr. President, I have sought recognition to recognize 
the Air Force Office of Special Investigations on its 50th anniversary, 
August 1, 1998.
  The Office of Special Investigation was created in 1948 at the 
suggestion of the 80th Congress. Then Secretary of the Air Force Stuart 
Symington consolidated and centralized the investigative services of 
the United States Air Force to create an organization that would 
conduct independent and objective criminal investigations. Since 1948, 
the Office of Special Investigations has evolved into an organization 
that not only conducts criminal and fraud investigations, but 
investigates and thwarts terrorism and espionage, pursues military 
fugitives, and maintains the security of the Air Force's computer 
systems. The Office of Special Investigations has truly adapted to 
fulfill the needs of the United States Air Force in the 21st Century.
  At present, 2,000 men and women serve in the Office of Special 
Investigations. In more than 150 offices across the United States and 
in a dozen offices overseas, these men and women perform the 
investigative work of the United States Air Force wherever and whenever 
they are needed. I am proud to be among the 11,000 alumni of the Office 
of Special Investigations. I served as a lieutenant in the OSI from 
1951 through 1953 and was assigned to the Pennsylvania, West Virginia, 
and Delaware District. My experience allowed me to serve my country, 
hone my investigative skills, and better prepare me for a career in the 
law and in government.
  It gives me great pleasure, Mr. President, to stand before you and 
salute the Office of Special Investigations on the occasion of its 50th 
anniversary. Its legacy of service, integrity, and excellence continues 
today. A better motto

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could not have been chosen to commemorate OSI's 50th anniversary: 
``Preserving Our Legacy, Protecting our Future.''

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