[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 149 (Monday, November 18, 2002)]
[Senate]
[Page S11311]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                 TRIBUTE TO COLONEL JOSEPH M. WILLGING

 Mr. THOMPSON. Mr. President, I rise to pay tribute to a U.S. 
Air Force officer, Colonel Joseph M. Willging. Colonel Willging 
currently serves as the Chief of the Environmental Law Division of the 
Judge Advocate General's Department in Arlington, Virginia. He will 
retire on May 1, 2003 from the Air Force after 25 years of service. 
Today, it is my privilege to recognize some of Colonel Willging's 
accomplishments, and to commend his service to the Air Force and our 
nation.
  Colonel Willging was born in Minneapolis, MN, and entered the Air 
Force through the Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps program. His 
early assignments included George Air Force Base, California, Royal Air 
Force Bentwaters Air Base, United Kingdom, Grand Forks Air Force Base, 
ND, and Offutt Air Force Base, Nebraska. He later served as the Staff 
Judge Advocate for Castle Air Force Base, California, Chief of the 
Environmental Law Division, Headquarters, Air Combat Command, Langley 
Air Force Base, Virginia, and the Deputy Legal Counsel to the Chairman 
of the Joint Chiefs of Staff at the Pentagon before arriving in 2000 in 
Arlington, VA for his current assignment.
  Throughout his career, Colonel Willging has received numerous 
military decorations including the Defense Superior Service Medal, the 
Meritorious Service Medal with four oak-leaf clusters, the Joint 
Service Commendation Medal, the Air Force Commendations Medal, the 
Joint Service Achievement Medal, and the Southwest Asia Service Medal. 
Additionally, he holds a law degree from the William Mitchell College 
of Law in Saint Paul and a Master of Laws in Environmental Law from 
George Washington University. He is also a graduate of Air Command and 
Staff College, and Air War College, Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama, 
and earned the degree of Master of Science from the National War 
College, Fort McNair, Washington, DC. Colonel Willging is admitted to 
practice before the Supreme Court of Minnesota.
  As Chief of the Environmental Law Division of the United States Air 
Force Judge Advocate General's Department, Colonel Willging has led an 
impressive organization of military and civilian lawyers, paralegals, 
and support personnel. Colonel Willging's leadership, judgment, and 
unwavering devotion to duty were instrumental in the successful 
resolution of numerous difficult issues facing the Air Force. At the 
same time, he was a key and trusted advisor to the Air Force 
engineering community, which relied heavily on his sound, timely, and 
cogent advice in resolving a host of complex issues.
  I am pleased to have this opportunity to commend Colonel Willging for 
his many years of selfless service to the United States of 
America.

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