[Congressional Record Volume 158, Number 113 (Thursday, July 26, 2012)]
[Senate]
[Page S5472]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   TRIBUTE TO COLONEL PAUL W. BRICKER

  Mr. LEVIN. Mr. President, our men and women in uniform sacrifice much 
to keep our Nation strong and free. They are well-trained, 
extraordinarily capable and are some of our country's best and 
brightest. It is with this in mind that I recognize COL Paul W. Bricker 
as he retires from the United States Army this week. Colonel Bricker 
has served our country in uniform for more than a quarter of a century, 
and I am honored to congratulate him on a long and distinguished 
military career.
  COL Paul W. Bricker has served as the Chief of the Army's Senate 
Liaison Division since May 2011. As a member of the Secretary of the 
Army's Office of Legislative Liaison, Colonel Bricker was responsible 
for advising Army senior leadership on legislative and congressional 
issues, as well as assisting Senators and our staff on Army matters. It 
is in this capacity that my Armed Services Committee staff and I have 
worked closely with Colonel Bricker. Throughout his tenure, he has 
consistently provided important technical expertise and useful insight 
on the issues, challenges and opportunities that face our soldiers and 
their families and has exemplified the highest level of 
professionalism. I also benefited from Colonel Bricker's organizational 
diligence and military insights on a number of congressional delegation 
trips over the past year, including to Afghanistan, Pakistan, Turkey 
and NATO. The success of these trips were due in large part to Colonel 
Bricker's careful preparation and adaptability in making course 
corrections on the fly, often literally.
  Colonel Bricker has strong Michigan roots. He is a native of northern 
Michigan and a proud graduate of Michigan State University, where, upon 
graduation, he was commissioned as a second lieutenant of Aviation. 
Colonel Bricker has served in a variety of tactical and operational 
assignments from platoon to corps level in airborne, air assault, light 
infantry, and motorized units in the United States, Afghanistan, Iraq, 
and South Korea. He has commanded in combat with the 82nd Airborne 
Division at both the battalion and brigade level. Additionally, in 
2007, he served as the 82nd Airborne Division's Rear Detachment 
Commander, and from 2005-2006, as the Chief of Aviation for the Multi 
National Corps-Iraq.
  From 2008 to 2010, Colonel Bricker commanded the 82nd Airborne 
Division's Combat Aviation Brigade and led them to war on short notice 
as part of the Afghanistan surge. He assumed no-notice responsibility 
for the DoD Consequence Management Response Force Aviation Brigade 
while simultaneously executing Department of the Army Pilot Reset. Once 
in Afghanistan, his brigade supported more than 40,000 coalition troops 
in Regional Command-South with lift, reconnaissance, MEDEVAC, and 
attack aviation. They executed the largest air assault in our nation's 
history without error or incident, a testament to his exceptional 
leadership. Colonel Bricker's brigade was commended by the ISAF Joint 
Command Deputy Commander for his exceptional maintenance and safety 
record under the most trying combat conditions.
  We know that our military personnel don't shoulder the stress and 
sacrifice of military service alone, and Colonel Bricker is no 
exception. His wife, Katie, and their three children, Jacob, Jesse and 
Sophia, have proudly stood by his side, sacrificing time with their 
husband and father while he fulfills his military commitments.
  As he retires, Colonel Bricker leaves behind an impressive record of 
military service and his counsel, professionalism and expertise will 
surely be missed. Throughout his service to our Nation, Colonel Bricker 
has been a shining example for the people of Michigan and the United 
States, and for this, we offer him our heartfelt thanks. I know my 
colleagues join me in wishing Colonel Bricker and his family all the 
best as he begins the next chapter in his life.

                          ____________________