[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 87 (Monday, July 10, 2000)]
[Senate]
[Page S6342]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   BRIGADIER GENERAL PAUL M. HANKINS

  Mr. THURMOND. Mr. President, I rise today to pay tribute to an 
outstanding officer in the United States Air Force who is an individual 
we have each come to know over the past two-years--Brigadier General 
Paul M. Hankins.
  As those of us who work on national security matters know, General 
Hankins has been serving as the Deputy Director of Legislative Liaison, 
where he has worked closely with us on a variety of issues of great 
importance to the defense of the nation. As he has done in all his 
previous assignments, General Hankins distinguished himself as an 
individual of selflessness who possesses a strong sense of service and 
an unflagging dedication to executing his duties to the best of his 
abilities.
  General Hankins arrived at the job of Deputy Director of Legislative 
Liaison well prepared for the position. A graduate of the United States 
Air Force Academy, he is a career personnel officer whose assignments 
are a mix of operational, joint, and high-level staff duties. Included 
among his tours are assignments at Tactical Air Command, Air Training 
Command, Air Combat Command, and the Air Force Personnel Center. The 
General has also served previously in the Secretary of the Air Force's 
Office of Legislative Liaison and with the Office of the Undersecretary 
of Defense for Personnel and Readiness. He commanded the 6th Support 
Group at MacDill Air Force Base, Florida, and he served as chief of the 
Air Force Colonels' Group.
  During the 106th Congress, General Hankins has been a valuable 
intermediary between the Congress and the Air Force on any number of 
vital matters. He always provided clear, concise, and timely 
information that was beneficial in supporting our deliberations on 
national security matters. Clearly, the leadership, professional 
abilities, experiences, and expertise of General Hankins enabled him to 
foster excellent working relationships that benefitted the Air Force 
and the Untied States Senate.
  On a personal note, I am pleased to point out that I have known 
General Hankins since his days as a young captain, when he first 
demonstrated his skills at building ties with the Legislative Branch. 
At the time, he was serving at Kelly Air Force Base near San Antonio 
when he met a young woman who was a member of my Washington staff and 
visiting that facility. To make a long story short, Paul Hankins and 
the former Donna Folse fell in love, had a whirlwind romance, and got 
married approximately one-year after they began dating. Today, they 
have been married for fifteen years and together, they have raised two 
fine children, Priscilla and Clark.
  The reward that the Air Force is giving General Hankins for doing a 
difficult and demanding job well is to give him an even more 
challenging assignment, solving the recruiting and retention issues 
facing the Air Force. Then again, given how the General has repeatedly 
demonstrated his ability to successfully meet and complete any 
assignment with which he has been tasked, it should not be surprising 
that the Secretary and Chief of Staff would select him to head-up this 
effort.
  I am confident that I speak for all my colleagues when I say that we 
are grateful and appreciative for the hard work of General Hankins 
during his tenure as Deputy Director of Air Force Legislative Liaison. 
He is a credit to the Air Force and he can be proud of both the record 
of accomplishment he has created and the high regard in which he is 
held. We wish the General the best of luck in his new assignment and 
continued success in the years to come.

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