[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 148 (Wednesday, September 17, 2008)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1817]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[[Page E1817]]
              TRIBUTE TO MAJOR GENERAL WALTER WOJDAKOWSKI

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                       HON. LYNN A. WESTMORELAND

                               of georgia

                    in the house of representatives

                     Wednesday, September 17, 2008

  Mr. WESTMORELAND. Madam Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to a 
great American soldier who has dedicated his life to our country. Maj. 
Gen. Walter Wojdakowski will retire from the U.S. Army Jan. 1 after 
more than three decades of service, capping his career as the 
commanding general at Fort Benning in Columbus, Ga.
  A native of Colorado, Wojdakowski found a welcoming home in Georgia. 
In this way he is no different than thousands of soldiers who've come 
before him. The people of west Georgia are deeply proud of Fort 
Benning; they hold the soldiers in high esteem and treat them like part 
of the family.
  Wojdakowski felt that family feeling strongly in 1976 when he was 
first stationed at Fort Benning. On one fateful July night that year, a 
young Columbus woman named Candy Cooper caught his eye at the officers' 
club. It wasn't long before they were off on their first date at a 
local Shoney's Big Boy and a year later Candy Cooper would become Candy 
Wojdakowski. The soldier's lifelong love would become his lifelong 
partner in service to their nation and to fellow military families.
  As a military family, the Wojdakowskis have moved their family to 
points across the nation and across the globe--from Georgia to Alaska 
to Germany and Kuwait. The Wojdakowskis' road, however, often pointed 
back toward Georgia. In 1993, then a colonel, Wojdakowski assumed 
command of the 11th Regiment at Fort Benning. He returned in 1996 as a 
brigadier general.
  Wojdakowski's final tour of duty at Benning began in 2005 when the 
major general took charge of the entire base. Wojdakowski's crowning 
achievement in the military would come at the same base where his own 
family began, Fort Benning, GA. There, at the world's largest infantry 
training center, Wojdakowski kept the focus on training our nation's 
warriors and supporting the War on Terror. At the same time, his 
leadership prepared Benning for a massive expansion that will greatly 
transform the base.
  While it was the general alone who wore the uniform that got a little 
heavier every year with military hardware, Wojdakowski's career was 
anything but a solo mission. It was a family affair. Candy volunteered 
at every port of call. For example, she ran a family support group at 
Fort Hood during the first Gulf War. At Fort Benning, she worked as a 
master trainer for Army Family Team Building and she began a leadership 
seminar. Their son Steven followed in his father's footsteps. After 
graduating from Columbus High School in 1998, Steven entered West 
Point--where his 6 foot 4 inch father played on the basketball team 
under coach Bobby Knight 30 years before. Steven, now a captain, is 
currently serving in Iraq as a Troop Commander to the 3rd Armored 
Cavalry Regiment. Their daughter Ami may have started a family 
tradition when she got married earlier this year in the same Fort 
Benning chapel where her parents tied the knot.
  The American people owe the Wojdakowskis a debt of gratitude for a 
lifetime of service and sacrifice, a lifetime of duty before self. Maj. 
Gen. Wojdakowski has worn his nation's uniform with honor, dignity and 
pride since the day he graduated from West Point. On behalf of the U.S. 
House of Representatives, I want to thank the general and his wife 
Candy for everything they have given us. I congratulate them on their 
many accomplishments and wish them years of happiness as they retire to 
beautiful Harris County in Georgia's 3rd Congressional District.

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