[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 172 (Thursday, November 10, 2011)]
[Senate]
[Page S7362]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




               TRIBUTE TO MAJOR GENERAL RAYMOND CARPENTER

  Mr. LEAHY. Mr. President, I would like to take a moment to pay 
tribute to MG Raymond Carpenter, the acting director of the Army 
National Guard, for his ongoing, selfless dedication and service to our 
country.
  After enlisting in the South Dakota National Guard in 1967, Major 
General Carpenter joined the Navy and deployed to South Vietnam. After 
returning to the Guard as a Vietnam veteran, General Carpenter became a 
commissioned officer in 1974 and has since commanded at all levels. His 
efforts have transformed the Army National Guard from a strategic 
reserve into an operational reserve force, and the Army National Guard 
is now at its highest level of readiness in its 375 year history.
  In our most recent conflicts, and through these tough economic times, 
General Carpenter has been credited for driving cost efficiencies that 
have saved millions of taxpayer dollars. General Carpenter led the Army 
National Guard through the drawdown in Iraq and oversaw a critical 
component of the U.S. strategy in Afghanistan, the implementation and 
expansion of the Guard's Agribusiness Development Teams.
  General Carpenter's service to our Nation has come with considerable 
personal sacrifice from himself and his family. Rather than fill the 
role of the adjutant general of the South Dakota Guard and return home 
to live with his family, General Carpenter answered the call of duty, 
accepted the job of the director of the Army National Guard at the 
National Guard Bureau, and uncomplainingly shouldered a three star 
workload for his two star pay. General Carpenter put his and his 
family's life on hold for over 2 years and lived at the mercy of the 
nomination process, never knowing when he might be replaced by a full 
director of the Army Guard. I call on my colleagues in the Senate to 
join me in honoring MG Raymond Carpenter, and I hope his successor will 
be confirmed in the near future.
  I know that the entire Senate joins me in expressing my appreciation 
for General Carpenter's service to our grateful Nation.

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