[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 26 (Monday, February 12, 2007)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E323]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    TRIBUTE TO CAROLYN CLOSS WALFORD

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. KENDRICK B. MEEK

                               of florida

                    in the house of representatives

                       Monday, February 12, 2007

  Mr. MEEK of Florida. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor Carolyn 
Closs Walford on the occasion of her promotion to the rank of 
Lieutenant Colonel after 20 years of service in the U.S. Army.
  LTC Walford is known to many of my colleagues, because she has served 
in the Army's House Liaison Division for more than 3 years. Many of us 
have had the good fortune of working with her on a wide variety of 
legislative initiatives and programs. She has also coordinated 14 
Congressional Delegations to Iraq, more than any other Legislative 
Liaison currently assigned to the Chief of the Legislative Liaison 
Office. LTC Walford coordinated official visits I made to Morocco, 
Israel, and Egypt, and I can therefore attest from first-hand 
experience to her professionalism and commitment to duty.
  LTC Walford was born and reared in Louisburg, NC. She is the daughter 
of the late William L. Closs and Fannie S. Closs, the littlest in a 
large and loving family of ten. Her oldest brother is 30 years her 
senior and her oldest sister is 18 years older.
  LTC Walford is not the first in her family to honorably serve in this 
Nation's armed forces, although she is the first generation of her 
family to serve in an integrated military. Her father, SSG William L. 
Closs, served in WWII during the Normandy Campaign with the 443rd QM 
Trucking Company. He was awarded the Purple Heart for his bravery and 
commitment to duty.
  LTC Walford was a daddy's girl who joined the Reserve Officer 
Training Corps, ROTC, while attending Winston-Salem State University. 
She was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the Signal Corps upon 
graduation and accepted a reserve commission in the Army Reserve. She 
completed the Signal Officers Basic Course at Ft. Gordon, GA, relocated 
to Washington, DC, to pursue a fulltime career in the private sector 
while fulfilling her military commitment in the Army Reserve and 
completing her graduate studies. LTC Walford later made the decision to 
branch transfer to the Quartermaster Corps, a branch more fitting to 
support the Army Reserve mission of combat service support. LTC Walford 
held various positions while serving as the ``Citizen Soldiers,'' to 
include Company Command, Aide-de-Camp to the Commanding General of the 
352d Civil Affairs Command, Host Nations Support and a variety of 
logistics assignments. LTC Walford deployed and served seven months in 
Southwest Asia during Operation Desert Storm.
  The Chief, Army Reserve requested her assistance in the start up of a 
new unit in 1999, the Logistics Civil Augmentation Program, LOGCAP. LTC 
Walford's civilian expertise in contracting and her logistical 
background made her a prime candidate to help facilitate this new unit. 
Once again, she answered the call to serve and became a fulltime active 
soldier. She has served in the Army's Guard/Reserve, AGR, Program since 
1999.
  LTC Walford has received numerous awards throughout her career, 
including the Meritorious Service Medal, the Joint Accommodation Medal, 
the Office of the Secretary of Defense Badge, and the Army Staff Badge. 
She is a graduate of the Army's Command and General Staff Officers 
Course, The Quartermaster and Civil Affairs Advanced course, and the 
U.S. Army Paratrooper School.
  This soldier's unique skill set and extraordinarily diverse level of 
experience both in the public and private sector has been a tremendous 
asset to our great country. She is a pillar of strength for our Army, 
her fellow comrades-in-arms, and for her family and friends. My best 
wishes go out to LTC Walford on her well-deserved promotion, and to her 
husband, Raymond L. Walford, and her entire extended family on this 
important occasion.

                          ____________________