[Congressional Record Volume 158, Number 71 (Thursday, May 17, 2012)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E836]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




              RECOGNIZING VICE ADMIRAL SALLY BRICE-O'HARA

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. FRANK A. LoBIONDO

                             of new jersey

                    in the house of representatives

                         Thursday, May 17, 2012

  Mr. LoBIONDO. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize a leader for her 
extraordinary service in the United States Coast Guard. Vice Admiral 
Sally Brice-O'Hara served our nation for nearly 38 years, and on May 
18, she will retire as Vice Commandant of the Coast Guard. We all owe 
her a debt of gratitude for her tremendous commitment to service and to 
our country.
  As the 27th Vice Commandant of the Coast Guard, Vice Admiral Brice-
O'Hara not only led over 57,000 active-duty, reserve and civilian 
members and 30,000 Coast Guard Auxiliary volunteers in executing all of 
the Coast Guard's maritime life-saving, law enforcement, environmental 
protection, ports and waterways security, and national defense 
operations world-wide, but she also served as the Chief Acquisition 
Executive responsible for guiding the Coast Guard through its critical, 
multi-billion dollar recapitalization program. Her leadership in 
driving the Service toward achieving the highest standards of 
professional conduct and competency, fiscal stewardship and public 
accountability led to the Coast Guard's first-ever qualified audit 
opinion, significant improvements in management of the Coast Guard's 
deployable specialized forces, and the implementation of numerous 
Service-wide aviation safety and training enhancements.
  Vice Admiral Brice-O'Hara's experience, foresight and commitment to 
serving her fellow Coast Guard men and women and the people of the 
United States can be seen in the many accomplishments she achieved 
throughout her service in the Coast Guard's most important and 
impactful leadership positions. As Deputy Commandant for Operations, 
Vice Admiral Brice-O'Hara implemented vital improvements to the 
Service's operations and mission support execution and coordination 
through their modernization and stabilization programs; the most 
significant organizational change initiatives in the Service's history. 
As Commander of the Fourteenth District, Vice Admiral Brice-O'Hara 
directed all Coast Guard operations in the Central Pacific encompassing 
an area of over 12 million square miles. Responsible for protecting 
U.S. economic and sovereign interests in this vital region, Vice 
Admiral Brice-O'Hara ensured the security of our exclusive economic 
zones, protected our natural resources, and represented U.S. interests 
to our international partners as the Deputy Commander for East Asia 
Pacific Engagement. Her other Flag Officer assignments include Director 
of Reserve and Training where she developed Coast Guard-wide 
recruiting, training and management of over 12,000 Coast Guard Ready 
Reservists, and oversaw all Coast Guard training facilities; and 
Director of Personnel Management, where she administering Coast Guard-
wide human resource and workforce development programs.
  Vice Admiral Brice-O'Hara has also served in numerous command 
positions around the country including several which have had a direct 
and vital impact on the residents of Southern New Jersey and my 
Congressional District. As commander of the Fifth Coast Guard District, 
she directed Coast Guard operations along the mid-Atlantic and was 
responsible for protecting some of our Nation's most important economic 
sea ports and military infrastructure. She also oversaw response to the 
ATHOS I oil spill, the largest oil spill ever to affect the East Coast. 
Her dedicated leadership helped the Delaware Bay region recover quickly 
and avoid a lasting negative impact on the regions economy and Bay's 
sensitive ecosystem. She also served as Commanding Officer of the Coast 
Guard's only Recruit Training Command in Cape May, New Jersey where she 
ably prepared recruits for service in the Coast Guard. Finally, she 
served as Commanding Officer of the Cape May Boat Station, where she 
oversaw the safety and security of South Jersey's waterways and the 
search and rescue of hundreds of individuals.
  The conduct and leadership of Vice Admiral Brice-O'Hara's has been 
exemplary. She has been awarded the Homeland Security Distinguished 
Service Medal, the Distinguished Service Medal, five awards of the 
Legion of Merit, the Meritorious Service Medal, six awards of the Coast 
Guard Commendation Medal, the Coast Guard Achievement Medal, and the 
Commandant's Letter of Commendation.
  A native of Annapolis, Maryland, she graduated from Goucher College 
in 1974 with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Sociology and received her 
Coast Guard commission from Officer Candidate School in 1975. She holds 
a Master of Arts Degree in Public Administration from Harvard 
University, John F. Kennedy School of Government, where she was named a 
Littauer Fellow, and a Master of Science Degree in National Security 
Strategy from the National War College. Vice Admiral Brice-O'Hara and 
her husband Robert O'Hara, a retired Coast Guard officer, have two 
adult sons, Robert and Brice.
  Both as the Chairman of the Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation 
Subcommittee and as a grateful citizen, I am honored today to recognize 
the extraordinary career and distinguished service of Vice Admiral 
Brice-O'Hara. On behalf of a grateful Nation, I thank her for her and 
her family's sacrifices over the past 37 years, and I wish her well as 
she retires from the Coast Guard.

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