[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 108 (Wednesday, September 6, 2006)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1642]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




              IN HONOR OF COLONEL RICHARD STEPHEN GEBELEIN

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. MICHAEL N. CASTLE

                              of delaware

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, September 6, 2006

  Mr. CASTLE. Mr. Speaker, it is with great pleasure that I rise today 
to pay tribute to Colonel Richard Stephen Gebelein upon his retirement 
from the United States Army Judge Advocate General's Corps after 26 
years of faithful and distinguished service.
  Colonel Gebelein's legal career began upon his graduation from 
Villanova University School of Law in 1970. After law school, Colonel 
Gebelein served as a law clerk on the Delaware Chancery Court, deputy 
attorney general for the State of Delaware, State Solicitor of the 
Delaware Department of Justice, and as the Chief Deputy Public 
Defender. In 1979, Colonel Gebelein began his military career when he 
became a member of the United States Army Judge Advocate General's 
Corps with the HHC 261st Signal Command of the Delaware Army National 
Guard.
  After serving as Delaware's Attorney General from 1979 to 1983, 
Colonel Gebelein was appointed to the bench of the Delaware Superior 
Court. Colonel Gebelein's appointment to the bench required that he 
become what's known as an M-Day Soldier, or a part-time drilling 
soldier. However, Colonel Gebelein continued to bolster his already 
impressive credentials by graduating from the United States Army War 
College and earning a degree in Islamic Studies at the University of 
Sarajevo in Bosnia-Herzegovina. Colonel Gebelein has also been integral 
in improving services provided to soldiers in the Delaware Army 
National Guard. Colonel Gebelein devised the system used for processing 
administrative discharge boards and courts martial at the Delaware Army 
National Guard.
  In 2004, Colonel Gebelein was called-up and went to Afghanistan and 
served as the Rule of Law Officer for the Staff Judge Advocate Combined 
Forces Command--Afghanistan, in support of Operation Enduring Freedom 
Colonel Gebelein served in Afghanistan for 8 months and shortly after 
his return to the Delaware Superior Court, his expertise as a premier 
international jurist was recognized; based on the quality of his 
character and knowledge in international legal matters, Colonel 
Gebelein was invited to address the United Nations forum on 
International Humanitarian Law and Peacekeeping Operations. Colonel 
Gebelein currently serves as an International Judge for War Crimes and 
Organized Crime and Economic Corruption on the Criminal and Appellate 
Divisions of the Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
  Mr. Speaker, in closing, I would like to express my deep personal 
thanks to Colonel Gebelein for his service to the United States Army, 
the Delaware Superior Court, and the citizens of Delaware. Colonel 
Gebelein's distinguished career is a testament to his impeccable 
character, intelligence, and integrity. I'm proud to call him a friend, 
but I'm grateful that he is a Delawarean.

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