[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 89 (Tuesday, June 5, 2007)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1195]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                 LIEUTENANT COLONEL ANDREW WEATHERSTONE

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. SOLOMON P. ORTIZ

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, June 5, 2007

  Mr. ORTIZ. Madam Speaker, I rise to pay tribute to Major Andrew 
Weatherstone on the occasion of his promotion to Lieutenant Colonel on 
June 1, 2007. Andy is an Army Fellow in my Congressional office this 
year, and he is an extraordinary soldier and human being.
  He is a great leader, a motivator of men and women in his command, a 
seeker of creative solutions . . . an officer uniquely suited to the 
United States Army at a moment we need all the great soldiers and 
officers we can get.
  We were lucky to get Andy this year; his last assignment was in Iraq. 
So my team and I have had the benefit of his counsel at a pivotal 
moment in our history, as we seek solutions to the ongoing conflict in 
Iraq and the many readiness issues Iraq has highlighted.
  A graduate of the University of Tennessee, with a Masters from the 
University of Central Michigan, Andy is a soldier's soldier. He came up 
through the ranks, starting as a platoon leader and battery officer in 
1993, to operating a 1,200 strong Task Force and a Forward Operating 
Base in Taji, Iraq, in 2004.
  Andy understands the needs of a battlefield soldier; and he 
understands the political machinations that surround the conduct of our 
military policy. He may not be patient with that, but few of us are 
these days.
  He understands that democracy must be defended; and he knows that 
democracy means involving everybody and all opinions in determining 
policy.
  He knows that freedom is not free, and in wearing the uniform of the 
United States he is one of those paying the price for all our freedoms 
on battlefields around the world.
  Andy's story would not be complete without including his wife, 
Jennifer, his ``champ,'' and their daughters Lauren and Elizabeth. Andy 
got to be home when Elizabeth was born this year.
  For all that he has learned in the field, in combat, in training, and 
in teaching other soldiers . . . LTC Andy Weatherstone will be a 
remarkable leader in the U.S. Army.
  I ask my colleagues to join me in congratulating Andy--and his 
family--on the occasion of his promotion to Lieutenant Colonel.

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