[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 46 (Tuesday, March 17, 2009)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E690]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




               TRIBUTE TO MAJOR GENERAL ROBERT E. DUIGNAN

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. KEN CALVERT

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, March 17, 2009

  Mr. CALVERT. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor and pay tribute to 
an individual whose dedication and contributions to the community of 
Riverside, California and to the United States of America are 
exceptional. This country has been fortunate to have dedicated, 
honorable, and steadfast leaders who willingly and unselfishly give 
their time and talent to make our communities better places to live and 
work. General Robert E. Duignan of the United States Air Force is one 
of these individuals and today I thank him for 36 years of service to 
our great nation. On Sunday, January 25, 2009, General Duignan was 
honored with a retirement celebration at March Air Reserve Base in 
Riverside, California.
  General Duignan took his first plane ride at the age of 13, traveling 
from Seattle to New York, and from that moment he knew that he wanted 
to fly airplanes. He attended the University of Washington on an ROTC 
scholarship and earned a bachelor's degree in business. He entered the 
Air Force during the Vietnam War, a time when it was not popular to be 
in the military, and he experienced first-hand the objection to the war 
on his college campus. However, he never changed course and after 
graduation he spent 14 years at Travis Air Force Base, flying C-141 
cargo planes on missions across the world, sometimes to pick up a 
single wounded soldier.
  In 1989, General Duignan was promoted to Deputy Commander of 
Operations for the 459th Military Airlift Wing. While serving in this 
post, General Duignan witnessed the September 11, 2001, attack on the 
Pentagon and focused his efforts on the Global War on Terror as the 
Director of Plans and Programs at Headquarters AFRC. After two years, 
he returned to March Air Reserve Base and has worked tirelessly in 
support of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. As the Commander of the 
4th Air Force he has supervised the Reserve's long-range airlift and 
air refueling units located throughout the continental United States, 
Hawaii and Guam. It is also important to note that during his career, 
he has accumulated more than 5,000 flying hours as a pilot flying the 
C-141, C-5, T-38 and T-37 aircrafts.
  As we look at the incredibly rich military history of our country we 
realize that this history is comprised of men, just like General Robert 
Duignan, who bravely fought for the ideals of freedom and democracy. 
Each story is unique and humbling for those of us who, far from the 
dangers they have faced, live our lives in relative comfort and ease. 
Today I offer my gratitude for the decades of service and I salute 
Major General Robert Duignan as he retires from the United States Air 
Force.

                          ____________________