[Congressional Record Volume 159, Number 29 (Thursday, February 28, 2013)]
[Senate]
[Page S1007]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     TRIBUTE TO RICHARD D. DeBOBES

  Mr. McCAIN. Madam President, today I honor an exceptional public 
servant and patriot. After a lifetime of service to our Nation, Richard 
D. ``Rick'' DeBobes is retiring from his position as staff director of 
the Senate Armed Services Committee, effective February 28, 2013. On 
this occasion, it is fitting to recognize Rick's 50 years of uniformed 
and civilian service to our Nation.
  Rick began his career as a naval officer, serving 26 exemplary years 
in jobs that included directing the International Negotiations Branch 
of the Navy's Judge Advocate General, commanding the Naval Legal 
Service Office, and finally serving as the legal adviser and 
legislative assistant to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, 
where he helped craft policies that have shaped our modern joint 
military force. Such a career, in and of itself, illustrates a 
commitment to causes greater than self-interest.
  Rick's devotion to service and excellence continued long after he 
left active duty. Upon his retirement from the Navy, he joined the 
Senate Armed Services Committee as counsel, advising committee members 
on issues relating to national security strategy, defense policy, 
foreign affairs, and Department of Defense organization and management. 
Rick's authoritative analysis and counsel to members distilled complex 
issues and often served as a basis for common understanding and problem 
solving. Few were surprised then, when in 2003 he was asked by Senator 
Carl Levin to be the committee's staff director. Ten years on, the 
wisdom of that selection is evident. Rick's steady management of the 
committee, amidst strong personalities and throughout the occasionally 
animated policy debates, has yielded the admiration of his professional 
colleagues in Congress and the Department of Defense, and a long record 
of legislative success. Thoughtful leaders throughout government will 
feel his absence.
  I join many past and present members of the Senate Armed Services 
Committee in my gratitude to Rick DeBobes for his outstanding 
leadership in uniform and in Congress, and his unceasing support for 
members of the Armed Forces. I wish him and his wife Margaret ``fair 
winds and following seas.''

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