[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 38 (Thursday, March 30, 2006)]
[Senate]
[Pages S2599-S2600]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    TRIBUTE TO GENERAL LANCE W. LORD

  Mr. SESSIONS. Mr. President, I rise today to recognize and pay 
tribute to

[[Page S2600]]

GEN Lance W. Lord, commander of Air Force Space Command, and his wife 
Beccy for their lifetime of service and unfaltering dedication to the 
U.S. Air Force and our great country.
  As both an airman and leader, spanning 37 years of military service, 
General Lord's contributions to our Nation's strategic deterrence and 
space missions were critical to the warfighter, global economy, and the 
safety of our families. General Lord's leadership was an essential 
element in winning the Cold War and vital to Air Force Space Command's 
support of combat operations around the world to include Operations 
Enduring Freedom, Iraqi Freedom, and the global war on terrorism.
  General Lord prepared for his illustrious Air Force career by 
graduating from Otterbein College and its Reserve Officer Training 
Corps in 1968. In January of 1969, General Lord was introduced to the 
Air Force through Intercontinental Ballistic Missile, ICBM, operational 
readiness and combat crew missile training. This training led to his 
first assignment to North Dakota as a Minuteman II combat crewmember. 
General Lord's Air Force journey would take him and Beccy through a 
series of Air Staff and Department of Defense assignments relating to 
space and strategic and tactical missile systems. He was assigned as 
the military assistant to the director of Net Assessment and directed 
the Ground-Launched Cruise Missile Program in Europe. He served as the 
commander of the 10th Strategic Missile Squadron in Montana, vice 
commander of the 351st Strategic Missile Wing in Missouri, and later 
commanded two ICBM wings in Wyoming and North Dakota. In California, 
General Lord commanded the 30th Space Wing responsible for satellite 
launch and ballistic missile test launch operations. Leading 
professional development and educational programs was a hallmark of 
General Lord's career. He led Air Force's education and training 
programs as commandant of Squadron Officer School, commander of Second 
Air Force in Mississippi, and commander of Air University in Alabama. 
Prior to assuming his current position, General Lord served as the 
assistant vice chief of staff for Headquarters, U.S. Air Force.
  During General Lord's tenure as commander, Air Force Space Command, 
he provided inspirational leadership to over 39,000 service men and 
women responsible for a global network of satellite command and 
control, communications, missile warning, space launch, and ensured the 
combat readiness of America's ICBM force. General Lord guided the 
command to a number of historic firsts: 44 successful consecutive 
operational space launches, establishment of National Security Space 
Institute, the launch of the last Titan IV, and transition to the 
Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle, deactivation of the Peacekeeper ICBM 
weapon system, and the establishment of the quarterly High Frontier, 
Air Force Space Command's first scholarly space and missile journal. 
General Lord has been a stellar Air Force advocate for the creation of 
the Space Power Caucus, orchestrated the ``50 Years of Air Force Space 
and Missiles'' celebration, and developed the Space Professional 
Development Strategy. Most recently, he answered the President's call 
to service with the creation of the High Frontier Adventures, a program 
designed to inspire students to explore space, mathematics, science, 
engineering and technology.
  General Lord's impeccable service is characterized by his Command 
Space Badge, Space Professional Level III certification, operational 
space experience in nuclear operations and spacelift, weapon systems 
expertise in the Minuteman II, Minuteman III, and Peacekeeper ICBMs, 
and the Atlas E, Delta II, Titan II, and Titan IV Boosters. General 
Lord is the recipient of numerous prestigious recognitions: Space 
Champion Award, General Bernard A. Schriever Award, General Jimmy 
Doolittle Fellow Award, General James V. Hartinger Award, and the 
General Thomas D. White Space Trophy.
  Today, I have mentioned but a few of GEN Lance W. Lord's many 
achievements. General Lord is a visionary, steadfast military leader, 
and honorable man. I know my colleagues join me in paying tribute to 
him and his wife Beccy and their two sons, Jason and Joshua, for the 
years they have dedicated to our country and to the betterment of the 
U.S. Armed Forces. As a distinguished space pioneer, General Lord 
widely proclaimed the mandate, ``If you're not in space, you're not in 
the race.'' General Lord, we wish you well.

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