[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 161 (Wednesday, December 8, 2010)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E2093-E2094]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




HONORING MAJOR GENERAL DONALD J. GOLDHORN, THE ADJUTANT GENERAL OF THE 
 GUAM NATIONAL GUARD, FOR HIS EXEMPLARY SERVICE TO THE PEOPLE OF GUAM 
                  AND TO THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

                                 ______
                                 

                       HON. MADELEINE Z. BORDALLO

                                of guam

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, December 8, 2010

  Ms. BORDALLO. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the exemplary 
service and leadership of Major General Donald J. Goldhorn, the 
Adjutant General of the Guam National Guard. Major General Goldhorn has 
been an outstanding leader of the men and women in the Guam National 
Guard and has been actively involved in our community on

[[Page E2094]]

Guam for many years. Major General Goldhorn is a member of the Rotary 
Club of Guam Sunrise and is an active supporter of local charities. He 
also supports community service projects for our civilian and military 
communities. Further, no has been a key resource to the Armed Forces 
Committee of the Guam Chamber of Commerce.
  Before joining the U.S. Army, Major General Goldhorn, in 1966, earned 
a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from Huron College in South Dakota 
and, in 1967, a Master of Science Degree in Guidance and Counseling 
from Northern State University in Aberdeen, South Dakota. As an officer 
in the U.S. Army, he attended the Army Command and General Staff 
College in 1980 and in 1995, was a Resident at the Army War College.
  Major General Goldhorn's military career began in 1969 when he was 
commissioned as a first lieutenant in the Medical Service Corps. In 
January 1970, Lt. Goldhorn served as a Field Medical Assistant at the 
91st Evacuation Hospital in the Republic of Vietnam during the Vietnam 
War. Later that year, he served as the Commander for the 51st Medical 
Company, then again as Commander of the Headquarters Detachment of the 
67th Evacuation Hospital. In total, Major General Goldhorn held command 
positions for 11 months in Vietnam.
  Following his service in Vietnam, he was named Assistant Adjutant for 
the Fitzsimmons Army Medical Center in Denver, Colorado in January 
1971. Subsequently he held a number of other positions in the Army 
Reserves before joining the South Dakota National Guard. Major General 
Goldhorn has the unique distinction of serving in both the South Dakota 
and Guam National Guards. His unique experience has helped him be a 
successful and resourceful leader of the Guam National Guard.
  Of particular note, on August 6, 1997, Major General Goldhorn was 
serving as Chief of Staff to the Guam Army National Guard when he 
earned the Guam Commendation Medal and Humanitarian Award for his 
efforts in the recovery of victims from Korean Airlines Flight 801 
crash. The efforts of leaders like Major General Goldhorn after this 
crash ensured the survival of 26 people. After his time as Chief of 
Staff, Major General Goldhorn returned to the South Dakota National 
Guard serving as the Assistant Adjutant General. Major General Goldhorn 
returned to Guam on March 18, 2005, coming from the Retired Reserve, to 
serve as the Adjutant General for the Guam National Guard and Director 
of Guam Department of Military Affairs.
  Major General Goldhorn took over leadership of the Guam National 
Guard at a critical time in the history of the National Guard. He has 
worked hard to successfully transition from a strategic reserve to an 
operational force. He has had to balance domestic mission resource 
requirements with the demands of multiple deployments for Guam National 
Guard units to the Horn of Africa, Afghanistan and Iraq. Further, he 
has worked to ensure that the men and women of the Guam National Guard 
remain ready to support our efforts at home and abroad. Major General 
Goldhorn has been a leader in working with National Guard Bureau 
leadership and Congress to ensure that the National Guard has adequate 
full-time manning. Full-time manning ensures that the National Guard 
maintains its highest levels of readiness and increases dwell time so 
that soldiers and airmen can spend more time at home with their 
families and at their jobs.
  Further, Major General Goldhorn has worked to increase the end 
strength of the Guam National Guard and increase its mission 
requirements. He understood the potential benefits of the Army's 
restructuring on Guam. As such, Major General Goldhorn provided the 
leadership for the transformation of Guam National Guard missions and 
capabilities. His efforts successfully capture the ability of the Guam 
National Guard to recruit and retain quality soldiers and airmen. In 
addition, Major General Goldhorn continues to work with leaders in the 
U.S. Air Force Headquarters, Pacific Air Force, Andersen Air Force Base 
and Air Mobility Command to bring a flying mission to Guam. Major 
General Goldhorn recognizes the strategic importance of Guam and the 
importance of supporting the Air Force mission in the Western Pacific. 
He also understands the humanitarian aid and support role of the United 
States in the Western Pacific and it is these requirements that drive 
the necessity of having a permanent flying mission on Guam. While the 
ultimate goal of having aircraft in Guam will not be realized during 
his tenure he has laid the groundwork for his predecessor to achieve 
success on this critical capability for Guam and the Guam National 
Guard.
  Building on our strategic location, Major General Goldhorn ensured 
that the Guam National Guard would participate in the National Guard's 
State Partnership Program. The National Guard State Partnership Program 
enhances a respective combatant commander's ability to build enduring 
civil-military relationships that improve long-term international 
security while building partnership capacity across all levels of 
society. The Guam National Guard partnership with the Philippines 
provides Filipino forces and civilian counterparts with capacity 
building exercises and trainings. This particular partnership 
recognizes the unique cultural and historic link between Guam and the 
people of the Philippines. In recognition of the partnership's success 
Major General Goldhorn, in October 2010, was awarded the Republic of 
the Philippines' Outstanding Achievement Medal by the country's 
Secretary of Defense for his efforts under the National Guard Bureau's 
State Partnership Program.
  Above all else, Major General Goldhorn has the utmost care and 
respect for his soldiers and airmen in the Guam National Guard. He has 
travelled to the Horn of Africa, Iraq, Afghanistan and the Philippines 
to visit with our men and women in uniform while they performed their 
missions. He has been a mentor to many of the men and women in the Guam 
National Guard. Under his leadership, the organization thrived during 
these difficult times of engagement in several conflicts while 
transforming the way it prepares, fights and deploys for conflicts. 
Major General Goldhorn is the reason that our Guam National Guard is 
respected and admired across the branches of the military and across 
our Nation.
  It is on the occasion of Major General Goldhorn's retirement from the 
Guam Army National Guard that I join the people of Guam in 
acknowledging his leadership, service, and dedication to serving the 
community of Guam. I commend him on his prolific military career, thank 
him for his service to our island community and people, and wish him 
the best in his retirement.

                          ____________________