[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 125 (Wednesday, October 6, 2004)]
[Senate]
[Page S10565]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   RETIREMENT OF GENERAL ED EBERHART

 Mr. ALLARD. Mr. President, today I would like to praise a man 
who for more than 36 years has served his country with honor and 
distinction. General Ralph E. Eberhart, or Ed his friends call him, 
will soon be retiring from the United States Air Force. He embodies 
that which we most value in our military leaders--visionary leadership, 
unwavering dedication, and mission accomplishment.
  I would like to personally thank General Eberhart for his service to 
our great Nation. Not only do I remember our many discussions 
pertaining to national security, but I fondly recall sharing stories 
about Colorado. You see, General Eberhart started his long journey at 
the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs. As fate would have it, he 
will soon be finishing his career where he started--in the great state 
of Colorado.
  In the Spring of 1968, Ed Eberhart was sworn in as a Second 
Lieutenant in the United States Air Force. Since that day, General 
Eberhart has successfully mastered nine aircraft and totaled more than 
5,000 flying hours in the cockpit. His service spanned tours of duty in 
Vietnam, Germany, Japan, and perhaps the toughest, at the Pentagon. 
General Eberhart's career was highlighted with numerous awards and 
decorations, and he has successfully attained four stars in the United 
States Air Force. In every job that the General has held, he has 
successfully fulfilled his obligations and made the advancements only a 
select few of his peers have made.
  In February 2000, General Eberhart's success awarded him the honor of 
leading a combatant command for the United States, and he was soon 
confirmed as a triple-hatted commander. He was given the awesome 
responsibility of commanding not only the North American Aerospace 
Defense Command, or NORAD, but also U.S. Space Command and Air Force 
Space Command.
  During his tenure as Commander of U.S. Space and Air Force Space 
Command, General Eberhart successfully led military space into a new 
era. The United States relies upon our space superiority and without 
it, we cannot maintain dominance of the battlefield. General Eberhart 
guided our spacelift operations to a 100 percent success rate, thus 
maintaining our assured access to space. Additionally, when he took 
command of U.S. Space Command, the United States had just begun to 
appreciate the value that space-based capabilities bring to the fight--
especially after our air campaign in Kosovo. Because of General 
Eberhart's direction in the space arena--specifically regarding 
precision guided weapons--we were able to increase the effectiveness of 
our present capabilities by further integrating space capabilities with 
air, maritime and land assets. U.S. Space Command's contributions were 
later seen as the hallmarks of Operation Enduring Freedom in 
Afghanistan, which traces directly back to General Eberhart and his 
vision for the full integration of space and terrestrial units.

  The general was also at the focus of our post-September 11 world 
while in command of NORAD. In 2001, Operation Noble Eagle saw NORAD go 
from having 14 military aircraft on alert around the Nation to more 
than 100 in a very short period of time. The response was necessary to 
protect our skies from internal threats that had manifested themselves 
in the most horrible of weapons--airliners filled with unsuspecting 
travelers. General Eberhart soon saw himself having to support 
continuous combat air patrols, including all the supporting logistics 
such as tankers and integrating NATO AWACS into that mission.
  Ultimately, that fateful day of September 11 triggered not only a 
change in the focus of NORAD missions, but also showed the need for a 
unified command that focused on protecting our homeland. And who did 
the President of the United States trust to lead this new command? 
General Ed Eberhart. So again, Colorado was fortunate enough to be 
called home by General Eberhart as he began the challenge of building 
Northern Command while continuing to lead NORAD. As the combatant 
command charged with the defense of the homeland, Northern Command 
reached full operational capability ahead of schedule. Under General 
Eberhart's leadership, we have seen this unified command continue to 
fulfill its duties of protecting the American homeland.
  It is apparent that while leading these commands, General Ed Eberhart 
exemplified visionary thinking. He tackled transformation in the space 
arena by stressing joint integration of space capabilities and then 
transformed the way the U.S. military defends our borders and supports 
civilian agencies with Northern Command.
  I cannot express enough gratitude to General Eberhart for his service 
to our country while in the United States Air Force. We in Colorado 
were proud to host him as a cadet at the Academy, and continue to be 
proud when he took command in our great State nearly 30 years later. It 
was in these roles that I was thankfully given the opportunity to know 
Ed Eberhart on a personal and professional basis. As General Eberhart 
prepares to fly off into the wild blue yonder of retirement, I would 
again like to thank him for his 36 years of blood, sweat, and tears to 
our Nation, and I wish him and his wife, Karen, the very best in the 
future.

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