[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 140 (Thursday, October 8, 1998)]
[Senate]
[Pages S11900-S11901]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  TRIBUTE TO ADMIRAL T. JOSEPH LOPEZ ON THE OCCASION OF HIS RETIREMENT

  Mr. WARNER. Mr. President, I rise today to pay tribute to Admiral Joe 
Lopez on the occasion of his Change of Command as Commander of Allied 
Forces, Southern Europe and U.S. Naval Forces, Europe and his 
retirement from the United States Navy after 39 years of dedicated 
service to the nation.
  Joe Lopez joined the United States Navy to see the world--and see the 
world he did. A native of Powellton, West Virginia, he enlisted in the 
Navy in September 1959. In 1964, he was commissioned an Ensign via the 
Seaman-to-Admiral Program and upon commissioning, he was assigned first 
to the U.S.S. Eugene A. Greene (DD 711) and then to the U.S.S. Lind (DD 
703). While onboard both of these destroyers, he saw action in Vietnam.
  Admiral Lopez received his first command in September 1969, when he 
assumed the duties as Commander, River Assault Division 153, which 
operated in the Mekong Delta in Vietnam and as part of a counter-
offensive into Cambodia in May 1970. Admiral Lopez was the only Navy 
commanding officer to lead a river assault into Cambodia.
  Following tours of duty at the Naval Postgraduate School, the Armed 
Forces Staff College, and as Flag Secretary and Staff Officer for 
Commander, Cruiser-Destroyer Group Eight, Admiral Lopez served as the 
Executive Officer onboard the U.S.S. Truett (FF 1095) from 1977 to 
1979. While he was XO, the Truett operated in the Mediterranean and Red 
Seas.
  Admiral Lopez commanded the U.S.S. Stump (DD 978) from September 1982 
to November 1984. As the CO of Stump he completed a Persian Gulf 
deployment. Admiral Lopez' next command tour was as Commander, 
Destroyer Squadron 32, which deployed to the Mediterranean Sea. He 
followed his Squadron Commander assignment with duties as Executive 
Assistant to the Deputy Chief of Naval Operations for Manpower, 
Personnel and Training and as Executive Assistant to the Vice Chief of 
Naval Operations.
  Admiral Lopez was promoted to Rear Admiral in July 1989. He served as 
Defense Secretary Dick Cheney's senior military assistant from July 
1990 to July 1992 including during the Persian Gulf Conflict. From July 
1992 to December 1993, he commanded the United States Sixth Fleet and 
NATO's Striking and Support Forces, Southern Europe, homeported in 
Gaeta, Italy.
  For the next three years he served as the Navy's senior acquisition 
official, the Deputy Chief of Naval Operations for Resources, Warfare 
Requirements and Assessments. He led the Navy's transition to a force 
that is able to operate effectively in the littorals. His 
accomplishments include helping to develop the next generation of 
nuclear-powered attack submarines, the recently named Virginia class of 
fast attack subs, which are being built jointly by Newport News 
Shipbuilding and Electric Boat.
  Admiral Lopez became Commander in Chief, U.S. Naval Forces, Europe 
and Commander in Chief, Allied Forces, Southern Europe on 31 July 1996. 
As CINC AFSOUTH, he commanded the Peace Implementation Forces (IFOR) in 
Bosnia-Herzegovina from July 1996 to November 1996.
  Tomorrow, at a ceremony at Headquarters AFSOUTH in Naples Italy, 
after more than two years as the senior military commander in NATO's 
southern region, Admiral Lopez will relinquish command to Admiral James 
O. Ellis, Jr. The ceremony will also mark the retirement of Admiral Joe 
Lopez after a 39-year Navy career.
  Mr. President, Admiral Lopez has had a tremendous career and I wish 
to thank him for the superb job he has done as Commander in Chief of 
Allied Forces, Southern Europe and U.S. Naval Forces Europe. He 
demonstrated outstanding leadership as commander of the NATO forces in 
charge of enforcing the Dayton Peace Agreement. In my travels to that 
war-torn region of the world I have come to know Admiral Lopez well. We 
have traveled together on official business. On many occasions, I have 
visited Joe and his wife Vivian at their quarters in Naples, and have 
sought the Admiral's counsel, especially on the volatile situations in 
the Balkans. Admiral Joe Lopez is a man of vision and an astute 
realist. I will continue to seek his counsel during his retirement.

[[Page S11901]]

  I congratulate Joe and Vivian Lopez upon the completion of their 
active duty Navy career and thank them for their service to the 
country. And finally, I want to thank Admiral Lopez for his friendship 
and honest counsel over the years. Since the closing days of World War 
II, 1945, I have known and served with many sailors. I rank him at the 
top, a ``4.0 seaman patriot.''

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