[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 117 (Thursday, July 24, 2014)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1222]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   TRIBUTE TO COLONEL DAVID J. WILKIE

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. PAUL C. BROUN

                               of georgia

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, July 24, 2014

  Mr. BROUN of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to 
Colonel David J. Wilkie, who is retiring after 30 years of Active Duty 
Service in the United States Army. The valuable leadership demonstrated 
in his role as Chief of the Neuroscience and Rehabilitation Center at 
Dwight David Eisenhower Army Medical Center (DDEAMC) is indispensable. 
His position there represents the culmination of a career that has been 
defined by a drive for excellence.
   During his time at the United States Military Academy at West Point, 
COL Wilkie was a four year distinguished cadet, wearing a star on his 
collar indicating his rank in the top five percent of his class. In 
1987, he was elected by his classmates to the position of Chairman of 
the Cadet Honor Committee and served on the Brigade Staff as a First 
Class Cadet. He graduated in 1988, receiving the Army Medical 
Department Award for the highest academically ranking cadet entering 
the AMEDD and the General McClellan award for the Chairman of the Cadet 
Honor Committee.
   After graduation from West Point, COL Wilkie completed the AMEDD 
Officer Basic Course at Fort Sam Houston, Texas and earned a degree of 
Doctor of Medicine at the Uniformed Services University of the Health 
Sciences in Bethesda, Maryland. From there, he completed his internship 
and residency in Neurology at Madigan Army Medical Center. COL Wilkie 
has been Board Certified by the American Board of Psychiatry and 
Neurology since 1997, scoring in the top five percent nationally on his 
board Certification exam.
   An expert in his field, COL Wilkie has served in leadership 
positions on staff at DDEAMC and Madigan Army Medical Center, on 
numerous prestigious boards and committees and important response 
teams. COL Wilkie led the development of the DDEAMC Traumatic Brain 
Injury (TBI) program, and the Level 1 TBI program at DDEAMC was the 
first program certified by the Office of the Surgeon General in 2009. 
COL Wilkie was also instrumental in developing the Integrated Pain 
Management Clinic at DDEAMC, again the first such program active in the 
Department of Defense.
   Additionally, COL Wilkie served as Battalion Surgeon for 2-3 
Infantry Battalion in Mosul, Iraq during Operation Iraqi Freedom in 
2004. In 2013, he served as US FORCES-Afghanistan Neurology consultant 
at Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan during Operation Enduring Freedom. His 
decorations include the Bronze Star Medal, Army Commendation Medal (3 
OLC), Navy Achievement Medal, Army Achievement Medal (2 OLC), National 
Defense Service Medal with bronze star, Iraqi Campaign Medal, 
Afghanistan Campaign Medal, Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary and 
Service Medals, Army Service Ribbon, NATO Medal, Air Assault Badge and 
Combat Medic Badge.
   COL Wilkie truly has made leadership and service his calling. In his 
own community, he coaches little league sports, participates in medical 
education programs, serves on the St. Teresa of Avila Parish Council, 
and operates the Parish Angel Gabriel Message charity, an organization 
he founded that supports local families facing childhood cancer.
   In a profession that is saturated with talent, intelligence, and 
leadership, COL Wilkie has managed to distinguish himself among his 
peers. For this reason, on behalf of the United States Congress, it is 
my honor to applaud the great work of Colonel David Wilkie following 
three decades of outstanding service to the United States Armed Forces.

                          ____________________