[Congressional Record Volume 161, Number 115 (Wednesday, July 22, 2015)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1106]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                HONORING MAJOR GENERAL MICHAEL R. REGNER

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. WALTER B. JONES

                           of north carolina

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, July 22, 2015

  Mr. JONES. Mr. Speaker, I am proud to rise today to honor Major 
General Michael R. Regner, for his thirty-nine years of service to our 
nation in the United States Marine Corps.
  Major General Regner's extensive career started in 1976, when he 
received his commission through the Naval Reserve Officer Training 
Corps after graduating from The Citadel.
  Major General Regner's storied career is distinguished by his 
willingness and desire to serve the Marine Corps each and every day. He 
is a man who has served faithfully and to the best of his abilities in 
all positions in which he has been assigned, which has made him 
invaluable to the Marine Corps and to our nation. He has successfully 
used his skills as Commanding General, both in the field and in 
garrison. It is likely that most of Major General Regner's service will 
never fully be recognized, but his leadership will truly be felt for 
years to come.
  During his decades of service, Major General Regner has served with 
distinction in support of anti-terrorism operations, including 
Operation Desert Storm, Operation Enduring Freedom, and Operation Iraqi 
Freedom. During his time as a field grade officer, he commanded at the 
battalion and Marine Expeditionary Unit level and also deployed to 
Somalia, Bosnia and the Former Republic of Yugoslavia. Mike Regner 
continued to serve tirelessly after successful command tours and was 
selected as the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force Operations Officer where 
he helped plan the liberation of Fallujah as well as overseeing the 
first free elections in Al Anbar Province, Iraq.
  In 2005, Mike Regner was promoted to Brigadier General and served as 
the Legislative Assistant to Commandant. During this time he was 
successful in instituting multiple programs and ideas, including 
publishing the U.S. Marine Corps' Legislative Strategy. This ultimately 
increased congressional awareness and funding of over $1.2 billion for 
fundamental Marine programs. In 2009, Mike Regner deployed in support 
of Operation Enduring Freedom, to serve as the Deputy Chief of Staff 
for Joint Operations at the International Security Assistance Force 
Joint Command. Major General Regner retires from his post as Staff 
Director at Headquarters Marine Corps, Washington D.C.
  Major General Regner's achievements go far beyond his impressive 
resume and hand in relentlessly protecting and serving the American 
people. Mike Regner established the Department of Defense Enlisted 
Defense Fellowship Program. This program, created originally for the 
Marine Corps, has become the model for the entire Department of Defense 
as all the services now have enlisted members serving in this program. 
The program has enabled Congressional members and staff to obtain 
invaluable insight into the workings of all military services, allowing 
them to make appropriate decisions that affect the military. Mike 
Regner was recognized in the U.S. House of Representatives for his work 
as a Marine Corps' Liaison Officer from 1999-2002, before being 
assigned as the Commanding Officer of the 13th Marine Expeditionary 
Unit (MEU).
  Major General Regner closely assisted in the establishment of the 
Wounded Warrior Employment Program, acting as a spokesman on behalf of 
all those service members who were wounded in combat and their families 
to the United States Congress and worked with then Speaker Nancy Pelosi 
on the implementation of this program. This program has specifically 
helped over 130 military service members obtain employment to date. 
Mike Regner is a passionate advocate for those that are wounded, ill, 
or injured, and continually uses his voice to speak on behalf of those 
who have served our country relentlessly.
  Of the many words used to describe Major General Regner, strategic 
planner and coalition builder would be two that best characterize him. 
Mike Regner has worked with the U.S. Congress to testify on multiple 
issues that relate to military personnel. He has worked with Former 
Senator James Webb on instituting the Post 9/11 G.I. Bill, which was 
signed into law in 2008 and has benefited thousands of service members 
and their families.
  Mike Regner has acted as a lead facilitator when providing security 
during Afghanistan's presidential elections, and further displayed his 
ability to form alliances with co-authoring The Republic of Korea 
Counter Provocation Peace Plan. Mike Regner's ability to plan 
strategically has led to the creation of the NATO International Joint 
Command, which produced increased security and operational 
effectiveness within Afghanistan.
  Over the three decades that Major General Regner has served our 
nation, Mrs. Mary S. Regner, Major General Regner's wife, has equally 
served the people of the United States. Noted as an educator and 
leader, Mrs. Regner serves as a member of the Board of Governors for 
the National Military Family Association. Mrs. Regner is also a Spouse 
Ambassador for The White House Joining Forces Initiative, Military 
Spouse Employment Partnership.
  Her greatest professional accomplishments stem from her time working 
as a Department of Labor contractor for the Department of Defense 
Transition Assistance Program, where she was able to further support 
military spouses in careers as trainers and managers. Mrs. Regner is a 
woman that continually educates those around her, and has presented on 
various topics at the Marine Corps' Cornerstone Spouses' Courses and at 
Department of Defense conferences.
  Mrs. Regner is involved in and serves a multitude of other 
organizations in the Washington, D.C. area while being a wife and a 
mother to three adult children who also strive to make a difference in 
their daily lives.
  Their family includes their oldest son, Michael, who is serving in 
the Marine Corps as an Infantry Officer, and he is married to Erin, who 
is busy raising three small children, Michael, Caroline and Charlie. 
Their daughter, Julia Linton, is working for the South Carolina 
Research Authority, in Charleston, S.C., as a Project Administrator for 
SC Launch. Julia and John, an attorney, are expecting their first 
child. Finally, John Regner, their youngest child, is a high school 
teacher in Lynchburg, VA, and his wife, Katie, is a social worker.
  I have personally known the Regner family since 1998, and I am 
extraordinarily proud of the work they have done for our nation and 
will do in the future. I have many fond memories of both Mike and Mary 
from my early days in Congress, but my favorite memory is the story of 
USMC K-9, Lex. When Lex's handler, Corporal Dustin Lee, was killed in 
action in 2007, the Lee family wanted to have the injured Lex retired 
and adopt him. I turned to my good friend Mike Regner to help make this 
happen. On December 21, 2007, Lex was officially retired with a Purple 
Heart and turned over to the Lee family. Without Mike Regner, this 
would have never happened. It is something for which the Lee family and 
I will be forever grateful.
  On behalf of my colleagues on both sides of the aisle, I would like 
to recognize Major General Regner's outstanding accomplishments, 
courageous attitude, and past and present devotion to our nation. I 
wish to congratulate him, his wife Mary, and children, Michael, Julia, 
and John on the completion of a long and highly distinguished career.
  In closing, may God continue to bless the Regners and may they have 
``fair winds and following seas'' as they embark on a new journey of 
service to our beloved nation.
  Semper Fidelis.

                          ____________________