[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 90 (Friday, June 25, 2004)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1252]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]






   RECOGNIZING THE SERVICE OF MAJOR GENERAL WILLIAM G. BOWDON ON THE 
                       OCCASION OF HIS RETIREMENT

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. DARRELL E. ISSA

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, June 24, 2004

  Mr. ISSA. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Major General William G. 
Bowdon for thirty-four years of outstanding and dedicated service to 
the United States Marine Corps and his country. Major General Bowdon 
will retire from the Marine Corps on July 1.
  Graduating from Louisiana State University in 1970, General Bowdon 
entered the Marine Corps in August and reported to Pensacola, Florida, 
for flight training. He received his wings at the Naval Air Station in 
Kingsville, Texas, in February 1972, and reported for flight duty at El 
Toro, California.
  General Bowdon completed F-4 Combat Qualification Training in Yuma, 
Arizona, in December of 1972. In January 1973 General Bowdon departed 
for his first Fleet Marine force tour and, following this assignment, 
served his country as a flight instructor.
  In January 1977, General Bowdon received his first overseas 
assignment in Iwakuni, Japan. He returned to the U.S. the following 
year to attend Amphibious Warfare School at MCB Quantico, VA.
  In August 1982, General Bowdon attended the Marine Corps Command and 
Staff College in Quantico, VA. After graduation he reported to Marine 
Training Support Group at the Cecil Field, Florida, Naval Air Station 
as the Executive Officer.
  Major General Bowdon assumed command of VMFA-333 in July 1988 and 
deployed the ``Shamrocks'' to the Western Pacific. After this command, 
Major General Bowdon reported to the National War College at Fort 
McNair for the training that would prepare him for the great 
responsibilities our nation was about to entrust in him.
  Following graduation then Lt. Col. Bowdon was assigned to the Joint 
Staff, J-4 Directorate, in the Pentagon in June of 1991. He was 
promoted to Colonel in August of the following year. In June of 1994 
General Bowdon returned to the El Toro Marine Corps Air Station and 
assumed command of Marine Aircraft Group 11. He was promoted to 
Brigadier General on October 1, 1996, while assigned as the Assistant 
Wing Commander of the 2nd Division Marine Aircraft Wing in Cherry 
Point, North Carolina.
  Major General Bowdon assumed the duties as the Commanding General of 
the Marine Corps Air Station at Cherry Point in April 1998. He served 
as the Deputy Commander of the Marine Forces Reserve in New Orleans for 
one year in 1999. After that he went on to command a number of posts 
before assuming command of our nation's largest West Coast Marine Corps 
base, Camp Pendleton, on June 24, 2002.

  Mr. Speaker, I have the distinct honor and privilege of representing 
California's 49th Congressional District, the home of the Marines of 
the 1st Division based at Camp Pendleton. For the past two years, I 
have also had the honor of working with General Bowdon during the one 
of the most significant times in the history of the U.S. Marine Corps' 
storied First Division.
  Last year the 1st Division Marines, along with a U.S. Army Division 
and a British Division, crushed a much larger Iraqi force that had been 
set-up to defend the brutal regime of Saddam Hussein. The victory 
achieved by America and its allies, thanks to outstanding training, 
technology, bravery, and command, was the quickest and most decisive 
defeat of a modern military power in history.
  The Marines of the First Division, who spearheaded this victory, were 
trained at Camp Pendleton and many left their families behind in the 
care of Camp Pendleton and communities like Oceanside, Fallbrook, and 
Vista while they were serving in Iraq. As the commanding officer of 
Camp Pendleton, General Bowdon played a crucial role in preparing the 
Marines of the 1st Division for the great victory they helped achieve 
in Iraq and for successfully executing the largest troop rotation in 
the history of the U.S. military.
  One of General Bowdon's finest qualities as a commanding officer, 
however, is that he cares about Marines and their families well beyond 
their training and their ability to perform under fire on the 
battlefield. General Bowdon and I have worked together on a number of 
issues on Camp Pendleton including getting better housing for Marine 
families, improving recreational facilities for enlisted Marines, 
strengthening relations between Camp Pendleton and the neighboring city 
of Oceanside, and seeking out improvements to the quality of water on 
base. As commander of Camp Pendleton, he was truly dedicated to both 
his duty as a U.S. Marine and to his fellow Marines with whom he 
served.
  General Bowdon has received awards including the Legion of Merit, 
Defense Meritorious Service Medal, Meritorious Service Medal, and the 
Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal.
  Major General Bowdon has had an exemplary career filled with 
distinction. It has been a great pleasure to know and work with General 
Bowdon and an honor to offer this testament to his dedication, service 
and hard work for America.

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