[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 125 (Friday, September 30, 2005)]
[Senate]
[Pages S10795-S10796]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




   TRIBUTE FOR LIEUTENANT GENERAL JOHN ROSA, UNITED STATES AIR FORCE

  Mr. ALLARD. Mr. President, I rise today to pay tribute to the 32 
years of outstanding military service LTG John Rosa has given our 
Nation.
  General Rosa started his career in the U.S. Air Force in 1973 after 
receiving his commission from the Citadel in Charleston, SC. As a 
combat pilot, General Rosa accumulated more than 3,600 flying hours in 
the A-7, the A-10, F-16, F-117A Stealth fighter, and numerous other 
aircraft. In 1985, General Rosa received his masters degree from Golden 
Gate University. In the years that followed, General Rosa served as 
operations group commander and three times as wing commander.
  Yet, as I think General Rosa might readily admit, his most difficult 
assignment began when he became the Superintendent of the U.S. Air 
Force Academy. Under ordinary circumstances, overseeing the academic 
progress and military training of more than 4,000 cadets can be a 
challenging experience. Unfortunately for General Rosa, he came to the 
Air Force Academy under anything but ordinary circumstances.
  Two years ago the Academy underwent a very difficult period in which 
many current and former cadets came forward with allegations of sexual 
assault. This scandal was tumultuous and resulted in four senior 
leaders of the Academy being dismissed from their duties.
  General Rosa was asked to step into a situation that seemed to be 
spinning out of control. His senior leadership team was just as new as 
he was, and the Air Force leadership and Congress were relentless in 
their demands for results.
  Despite these circumstances, General Rosa did not hesitate to take 
action. He invited outside investigative organizations to come to the 
Academy and review the institution's policies and procedures for 
addressing sexual assaults. He opened up the Academy and its cadets to 
the media, to Congress, and to the school's board of visitors. Most 
importantly, General Rosa admitted that the Academy had a very serious 
problem and that sweeping it under the rug was not an acceptable 
response.
  Less than a year later, General Rosa was again in the spotlight when 
the Academy found in its cadet surveys that inappropriate religious 
expression had become a problem. Instead of ignoring the surveys, 
General Rosa did the opposite. He released them to the public and 
launched a comprehensive review on how the Academy approached religious 
expression. He tackled the problem, investigated it thoroughly, and 
began instituting the changes that were necessary.
  In his 2\1/2\ years of service, General Rosa made the Academy look in 
the mirror and see the strengths and weaknesses of the institution for 
what they are. The Academy is a proud institution, and it is difficult 
to think that something as terrible as sexual assault and religious 
intolerance might occur there. Yet General Rosa was never comfortable 
with the status quo or with a closed-door approach. He pushed and 
pulled to get better results, and his methods were open and 
transparent.
  General Rosa forced the Academy, its cadets, its faculty, and even 
its alumni to face a reality that some did not want to acknowledge. He 
forced the institution to make changes that were necessary, justified, 
and in the best interest of the Air Force. Through this process, the 
Academy raised its standards and slowly became the model institution 
that we all have come to expect and American taxpayers require.
  Under General Rosa's leadership, the Air Force Academy is now a 
source of guidance for other military academies and universities. 
Indeed, the Department of Defense is now turning to the Academy for 
direction on how to formulate the Department's sexual assault and 
religious expression policies.
  Although the Academy is not perfect and problems still exist, I 
strongly believe the U.S. Air Force Academy has, under General Rosa's 
leadership, become a much better place. I commend General Rosa for 
taking on this unbelievably difficult mission and for his outstanding 
service to our Nation. And

[[Page S10796]]

I also commend his family for standing by him as he worked tirelessly 
to repair and strengthen the reputation of one of America's premier 
training institutions.
  Thank you for the opportunity to honor the service of one of 
America's finest military officers. I wish General Rosa and his family 
the best as he begins his new career as President of the the Citadel.

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