[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 120 (Friday, September 11, 1998)]
[Senate]
[Page S10247]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




       TRIBUTE TO RITCH K. EICH UPON HIS RETIREMENT AS U.S. NAVY 
     REPRESENTATIVE TO THE ADJUTANT GENERAL, INDIANA NATIONAL GUARD

 Mr. COATS. Mr. President, on behalf of Senator Richard G. 
Lugar and myself, I am pleased to offer this tribute to Captain Ritch 
K. Eich, United States Naval Reserve. Captain Eich retires in September 
after 30 years as a reservist, the last three of which he spent on 
active duty, representing the Navy in the Office of the Adjutant 
General of the Indiana National Guard.
  Ritch Eich has been a valued member of the Indiana team since 1989, 
when he started work for me as a member of my Service Academy Selection 
Committee, screening and recommending promising Hoosier high school 
students as candidates for our nation's Service Academies. Three years 
ago, he took on the additional responsibility of serving as the U.S. 
Navy's Liaison Officer for the State of Indiana, working in the office 
of Indiana's Adjutant General. During that time, Ritch made substantial 
contributions to readiness planning in Indiana. He completed Disaster 
Preparedness Operations Plans for Indiana Naval, Marine Corps and Coast 
Guard facilities, and ensured a close working relationship between the 
Indiana National Guard and the State Emergency Management Office.
  Ritch Eich's civilian job during this period was as the chief 
marketing, public affairs and physician relations officer for Indiana 
University Medical Center, where--over the course of a decade--he has 
helped to build a vibrant and effective health care environment for 
Hoosiers. According to one health care executive, Ritch had helped 
``define our vision, map our strategies, deliver on our promises and 
guide our affiliations.'' And for Rich, ``helping Hoosiers access the 
best healthcare in the mid-west'' was what it was all about.
  In all his endeavors, Ritch Eich has demonstrated a skill and 
dedication that reflect great credit upon himself, the State of Indiana 
and the United States Navy. I feel privileged to offer this tribute to 
Ritch on the occasion of his retirement from the Naval Reserves. We 
wish him well.

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