[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 54 (Wednesday, March 28, 2007)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E670]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




               HONORING GENERAL AND MRS. MICHAEL L. OATES

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. MARSHA BLACKBURN

                              of tennessee

                    in the house of representatives

                       Wednesday, March 28, 2007

  Mrs. BLACKBURN. Madam Speaker, I would like to take a moment today to 
honor the service of BG Michael L. Oates as he leaves the 101st 
Airborne Division, Air Assault, and the Fort Campbell community. He has 
been selected for promotion to Major General and will soon take on even 
greater challenges and responsibilities as he assumes command of the 
10th Mountain Division, Light Infantry, in Fort Drum, NY. This new 
assignment is further evidence that General Oates is among the most 
capable and trusted officers in our Army today.
  In early 2005, General Oates was at the forefront as the Screaming 
Eagles returned to Iraq, taking control of four volatile provinces. The 
Division would later gain responsibility for training Iraqi forces in 
two additional provinces and would participate in security operations 
in Baghdad itself. The 101st was given a series of difficult missions, 
and performed each of them well.
  General Oates was also instrumental to the continuing transformation 
of Fort Campbell. Soldiers returning from service in Iraq were greeted 
by new training facilities, new infrastructure, new barracks, and 
first-class housing for their families.
  A deployment leaves behind thousands of family members who must daily 
confront the stress and hardship of having a loved one at war. Barbara 
Oates has been a cornerstone of Fort Campbell's efforts to take care of 
these families. I have great admiration for her leadership and value 
her friendship.
  Madam Speaker, please join me in thanking General and Mrs. Oates for 
their extraordinary service to the Army, the 101st Airborne Division, 
Air Assault, and the Clarksville and Montgomery County communities. We 
will miss them, and we wish them the best of luck in their next 
assignment.

                          ____________________