[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 105 (Tuesday, July 8, 2014)]
[Senate]
[Page S4267]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                TRIBUTE TO BRIGADIER GENERAL BRUCE PRUNK

 Mr. WYDEN. Madam President, today, I wish to pay tribute to 
Brig. Gen. Bruce Prunk. After 35 years of service to our Nation and the 
State of Oregon, General Prunk will retire from the Oregon National 
Guard. I know I speak for Oregonians across the State in thanking him 
for his service.
  I got to know Bruce well during the 2005 Base Realignment and Closure 
Commissions, BRAC, process. He was a key player in leading the Oregon 
National Guard's efforts and working with my office to build an 
overwhelming business case for keeping the 142nd Fighter Wing open at 
the Portland Air National Guard Base. Everywhere you turned, it seemed 
like he was at community meetings, making media presentations, and 
doing outreach with elected officials and business leaders to build 
consensus. As a result of these herculean efforts, we successfully beat 
back Secretary Rumsfeld's recommendation to close the 142nd Fighter 
Wing, and the wing's airmen keep the skies of the Pacific Northwest 
safe to this day.
  General Prunk enlisted in the Oregon Air National Guard in 1983 and 
worked his way up to serve in several high-level positions throughout 
the Oregon Air National Guard, including vice wing commander of the 
142nd Fighter Wing, chief of staff for air at Joint Force Headquarters, 
and assistant adjutant general of the Oregon National Guard. He also 
held positions in the National Guard Bureau out in Washington, DC, 
serving as assistant and as special assistant to the Director of the 
Air National Guard. And I would be remiss if I didn't mention that 
Bruce volunteered to deploy to Iraq in 2007 with the 732nd Air 
Expeditionary Group, 332nd Air Expeditionary Wing and that he earned 
the Bronze Star for actions during that deployment.
  Rising to the level of general is quite an accomplishment and enough 
of a career for most folks, but not Bruce. In his civilian life, he 
joined the Portland Police in 1976, working his way up to captain, then 
to commander, and finally to assistant chief of police. In these 
positions, he led community policing efforts, working with local 
leaders and elected officials to improve neighborhood livability in 
Portland. He retired from the Portland Police in 2004 and was able to 
devote more time to the Oregon National Guard.
  I think General Prunk's career epitomizes the citizen-soldier 
envisioned by the Founders. His civilian service and long military 
career have given him an appreciation for the various challenges 
Oregon's National Guard soldiers and airmen face balancing family, 
employer, and often medical issues. His ability to bring different 
groups together to solve problems is perhaps best illustrated through 
his work with Camp Rosenbaum, a free camp on the Oregon coast for low-
income, inner-city children. For over 25 years he has led efforts to 
build a unique partnership between police, public employees, and 
private sponsors to help thousands of at-risk young people go to Camp 
Rosenbaum.
  From his work on the BRAC recommendations to his service in the 
Portland Police to his involvement with Oregon's military crisis 
hotline on suicide prevention, General Prunk has just about done it 
all. Oregon is grateful for all of his hard work on the State's behalf 
and for the leadership he has displayed over his long and decorated 
career. It has been a privilege to get to know such a dedicated public 
official, and I want to thank him for his many years of outstanding 
service. His retirement will be a loss to Oregon, but we wish him a 
long, happy, and healthy retirement.

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