[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 3 (Thursday, January 20, 2005)]
[Senate]
[Page S101]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      RETIREMENT OF JAMES W. EVATT

 Mr. SESSIONS. Mr. President, today I take the opportunity to 
note the impending retirement of James W. Evatt from The Boeing Company 
and congratulate him for his 4 decades of service to our country.
  In all the debates over defense programs we often forget the human 
dimensions of these issues. It is all too easy to think of programs by 
their names and forget that real people work hard every day to make a 
difference in the defense of our country.
  Jim Evatt has been one these people for the past 40 years, first 
during 22 years of service in the Air Force and then these last 18 
years with Boeing. To day that the emergence of our Nation has been a 
remarkable success, one we can be so proud of, is due in no small 
measure to the fact that we can claim remarkable people like Jim Evatt 
among our most devoted citizens.
  Jim was born in Norman, OK, less than 6 months before the United 
States entered World War II. Jim attended the University of Oklahoma 
for a year before deciding that the Air Force Academy was the right 
place to be. After graduation he served with distinction in the Air 
Force in Viet Nam, first flying B-52 missions and then flying the O-2 
aircraft as a forward air controller. He held positions in a variety of 
assignments as a pilot in both the Strategic and Tactical Air Commands. 
Jim was part of the B-1 Joint Test Force, was the special assistant for 
the B-1B program to the deputy chief of staff for research, 
development, and acquisition, and from 1983-1985 commanded the 2nd 
Bombardment Wing, the Strategic Air Command's largest operational unit. 
In his last Government assignment he held the dual positions of 
Director of Special Programs for the deputy chief of staff for 
research, development, and acquisition and Director of Low Observable 
Technology for the Defense Department.
  Our Nation owes Jim Evatt a debt of gratitude just for his Air Force 
service, from his combat assignments in Viet Nam to his intimate 
involvement in the development of stealth technology.
  When Jim retired from the Air Force he went right to work at Boeing, 
intent upon continuing to contribute to our Nation's defense. He has 
held numerous positions over his 18 years at Boeing, to include 
President of the Information and Communication Systems Groups; 
Executive Vice President of the Defense and Space Group; Vice President 
of Marketing and Strategic Analysis; Director of Strategic Analysis and 
Advanced Development; Program Manager for the Grumman/Boeing/Lockheed 
AX fighter aircraft team for the Military Airplanes Division; Director 
of Advanced Product Development; and Director of Preliminary Design.
  Jim Evatt's contributions to our Nation's defense over the last 5 
years are particularly noteworthy, during which time he has been 
indispensable to the progress of America's missile defense program. Jim 
became the program manager of the Groundbased Midcourse Defense 
program, or GMD as it is now known, shortly after Integrated Flight 
Test-5 ended in a failure.
  First he led Boeing's examination of that failure, and then was 
rewarded with the opportunity to lead GMD's industry team. In 
combination with Major General Bill Nance, now retired, Jim focused the 
GMD program on those activities which were necessary to evolve the 
program from what was essentially a demonstration to a deployed system. 
That they did this during a period of time in which the executive 
branch was focused more on preserving the ABM Treaty as the so-called 
``cornerstone of strategic stability'' than it was on protecting 
America, Americans, and American interests from the threat of missile 
attack is truly remarkable and something for which future generations 
will be grateful.
  In the year prior to fielding ground-based interceptions at Ft. 
Greely, AK, Jim again assumed direct responsibility for industry's 
conduct of the GMD program. I am confident that our Nation's deployment 
of interceptors is due in no small measure to the leadership and 
dedication of Jim Evatt.
  I could go on at some length, but to do that would only embarrass 
this humble, God-fearing patriot. We sometimes wonder how our Nation 
came to be so great, where we find Americans so willing to put their 
country before themselves. The answer is that we find these people in 
places like Norman, OK, where service to our country is an honor beyond 
all others and its own reward.
  I offer my gratitude and congratulations to Jim for all he has done 
in 40 years of service to our Nation, and wish him and his wife Tammy 
my very best wishes in their well-deserved retirement.

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