[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 78 (Thursday, May 27, 1999)]
[Senate]
[Page S6442]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   TRIBUTE TO MAJ. GEN. DAVID W. GAY

Mr. DODD. Mr. President, I rise today to pay tribute to Major 
General David W. Gay, the Adjutant General of the Connecticut National 
Guard. General Gay will retire on June 1st, so this is an appropriate 
time to recognize his nearly 40 years of service to the National Guard 
and to recount his achievements during his seven years as head of 
Connecticut's Guard forces.
  Members of General Gay's Air National Guard component--the 103rd Air 
Control Squadron--will soon travel from Orange, Connecticut to Italy in 
support of NATO operations in Kosovo. Like the nearly 5,000 National 
Guard members throughout the nation who have answered the call and are 
now overseas supporting the NATO mission, those men and women from 
Orange were engaged in their normal day-to-day lives one week and found 
themselves working in a massive, full-time military operation the next 
week. Such a scenario is not uncommon in the National Guard. Whether it 
is a military operation, a natural disaster, or civil unrest, our 
citizen soldiers in the Guard stand ready to put aside their private 
lives and report to their duty station, be it at home or abroad.
  General Gay has dedicated his career to serving this country with a 
willingness to be called upon at any time to defend this nation and our 
way of life. He began his military service as a Marine in 1953. In 
1960, he enlisted as a full-time member of the Connecticut National 
Guard, and, in 1962, he received his commission as a Second Lieutenant. 
His steady rise through the ranks led to command assignments in the 
Connecticut National Guard's artillery and infantry branches. In 1992, 
General Gay was appointed Adjutant General of the Connecticut National 
Guard, a position he has now held for seven years. During his career, 
the General earned two of the most prestigious awards this nation gives 
to its military officers--the Legion of Merit and the National Guard 
Bureau's Eagle Award.
  Beyond his duties as Adjutant General, ranking member of the 
Governor's Military Staff and commissioner of the State Military 
Department, General Gay has committed himself and his troops to taking 
positive action to improve the communities of Connecticut. Most 
noteworthy are the host of youth programs that began under General 
Gay's tenure. Many of them are a part of the Drug Demand Reduction 
Program which brings National Guard personnel into the community to 
serve as role models for children, to encourage youth to excel in 
school, and to convince kids to avoid drugs. The various and ingenious 
offshoots of the program, including Take Charge, Character Counts 
Coalition, Safeguard Retreat, Aviation Role Models for Youth, and Say 
``Nay'' To Drugs have swept the state. Last year alone, under General 
Gay's able leadership, those programs touched nearly 20,000 children in 
88 towns across Connecticut.
  Furthermore, General Gay serves as president of the Nutmeg State 
Games which feature Connecticut's finest young amateur athletes. Beyond 
his own time, he has committed the resources of the Guard to support 
the Games thereby enhancing the experience for athletes and spectators 
alike. Just as important, the General has promoted an excellent working 
relationship between the Guard and Connecticut's employers through the 
ESGR, or Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve. When personnel may 
be called upon in times of crisis to leave their jobs for months on 
end, strong bonds with affected employers are critical. The General has 
made it a priority to strengthen those bonds. Additionally, to assist 
federal and state agencies in training personnel, he initiated the 
Community Learning and Information Network which allows employees of 
such agencies to take advantage of the Guard's computer distance 
learning tools. Over the years, the Network classes have enabled 
numerous employees to acquire the desired training at minimal cost to 
government agencies.
  General Gay's commitment to the community has been recognized by 
several awards and accolades, a Leadership Award from Eastern 
Connecticut State University and a Character Counts Centers of 
Influence Award top the list. I have deeply enjoyed working with the 
General over the past several years and look forward to continuing our 
relationship as he becomes the Chair of Connecticut's Y2K task force. I 
also give my best wishes to his wife, Nancy, and their three children, 
David, Jennifer, and Stephen.

                          ____________________