[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 94 (Tuesday, June 22, 2010)]
[Senate]
[Page S5267]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     TRIBUTE TO COLONEL ED JACKSON

 Mr. PRYOR. Mr. President, today I wish to recognize the 
service of COL Donald E. ``Ed'' Jackson, Jr., as the Commander of the 
Little Rock District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, from June 28, 2007, 
to June 15, 2010. Colonel Jackson has been assigned to serve as chief 
of staff of the 8th U.S. Army in Korea where I have no doubt he will go 
on to serve our country in a proud and loyal fashion. He has been a 
pleasure to work with and I wish him well on his next mission.
  While Commander of the Little Rock District, Colonel Jackson 
displayed excellent leadership for one of the most diverse Army Corps 
of Engineer districts in the United States while managing roughly 730 
employees, 13 locks and dams, 12 multipurpose lakes and 7 powerplants. 
Colonel Jackson showed exemplary skill in working with stakeholders, 
building relationships, and providing necessary leadership to execute 
the district's programs.
  Under his command, the district initiated many major projects 
including construction on Ozark Hydro-electric powerplant 
rehabilitation and the landmark White River Minimum Flow Project along 
the Upper-White River Basin. These were not easy assignments, but under 
his leadership, Arkansas made significant headway. I also commend him 
for the critical leadership he provided for his neighboring districts 
to improve quality of service at Corps of Engineers operated 
campgrounds. And, he did an excellent job of implementing the American 
Recovery and Reinvestment Act funding for the Little Rock District, 
which provided much needed investments in aging infrastructure. He did 
this while also overseeing the operation and maintenance of the 
McClellan-Kerr Navigation Channel, which is one of our nation's best 
navigation systems serving as a critical component of our economy.
  To go along with his service on energy and water infrastructure 
projects, he played a critical role in overseeing and executing a $750 
million program of military construction for the Little Rock Air Force 
Base and Pine Bluff Arsenal to improve the quality of life and work for 
our soldiers. Colonel Jackson also developed strong relationships with 
the Regional Veteran's Administration by assisting with $175 million in 
projects critical to the healthcare system, and he assumed a new 
mission by managing the world-wide Air Force Medical Command O&M 
program with a $180 million budget.
  In addition to his skills in managing scheduled operations, Colonel 
Jackson exhibited adaptability and care for the people during local and 
regional emergencies in different major events. During record Arkansas 
flooding in the spring of 2008, Colonel Jackson successfully directed 
the district's management and control of water in the Upper-White River 
Basin to minimize flood related losses. He also deployed to the State 
of Texas to assist in the recovery from Hurricane Ike in Galveston, TX.
  Colonel Jackson is a proven leader of people and organizations. His 
passion, leadership, and influence have greatly increased the readiness 
and effectiveness of the Little Rock District. I fully believe that he 
helped shape the district to meet the future needs of the people of 
Arkansas. I appreciate his service to the people of Arkansas, and I 
wish him well in his continued service to our country.

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