[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 135 (Friday, December 8, 2006)]
[Senate]
[Page S11681]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        TRIBUTE TO RALPH E. WALZ

  Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, today I recognize the outstanding 
service of a remarkable Kentuckian, Mr. Ralph E. Walz. Mr. Walz is the 
executive liaison officer for the Louisville District of the U.S. Army 
Corps of Engineers. He will retire from the U.S. Army Corps of 
Engineers on January 3, 2007, with over 34 years of dedicated service 
to our Nation as a member of the U.S. Army (1969-1972) and as a civil 
servant.
  A native of Louisville, KY, Mr. Walz is a graduate of Western 
Kentucky University. As a young man in the 1960s, Ralph Walz served 
with the U.S. Army in Vietnam as an enlisted infantryman. Performing 
his duty on the front lines as a non-commissioned officer, facing the 
daily dangers of active combat, he bravely and honorably served his 
country.
  Mr. Walz began his distinguished civil service tenure with the 
Louisville District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, in 1977. He began 
his career in the Comptroller's Office, later named Resource 
Management, where he participated in numerous efficiency reviews, 
organizational studies, and business-process analysis. During this 
time, Mr. Walz was instrumental in the transfer of Smithland Lock and 
Dam to the Louisville District.
  In 1981, Mr. Walz helped develop the proposal that resulted in the 
military construction mission being reinstated at the Louisville 
district, making it a full-service district whose impact is felt 
worldwide.
  In 1990, Mr. Walz was chosen as the executive liaison Officer and 
assigned to the Executive Office. In that capacity, he has been 
instrumental in coordinating many significant events that showcased our 
great Commonwealth, including National Society of American Military 
Engineers Conferences which included military personnel and civilians 
from all over the United States and overseas.
  Mr. Walz has also been a champion of quality-of-life initiatives. He 
helped implement the Uncle Sam's Child Care Center and initially served 
as board chairman. He served as board chairman and as a member of the 
board of directors for his local credit union. And he was chairman of 
the Kentucky Federal Agency Tourism Council, among many other volunteer 
activities.
  Finally, Mr. President, Mr. Walz is a good neighbor and valued 
steward of our natural resources and defense assets. He will be long 
remembered for his patriotism, leadership, mentorship of others, and 
service to his Nation and the Commonwealth of Kentucky. On the occasion 
of his retirement, I wish to extend my best wishes to Mr. Ralph Walz, 
his wife, Mary Lou, and their children, Matthew (Matt) and Jake, and I 
ask my colleagues to salute this esteemed Kentuckian.

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