[Congressional Record Volume 161, Number 155 (Thursday, October 22, 2015)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1508]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                 IN HONOR OF COLONEL EDMUND J. BARRETT

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. DONALD NORCROSS

                             of new jersey

                    in the house of representatives

                       Thursday, October 22, 2015

  Mr. NORCROSS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor and congratulate 
Colonel Edmund J. Barrett of New Jersey on his retirement from the 
United States Army for his military achievements, contributions, and 
service to the people of New Jersey and the United States of America.
  Originally from Moorestown, New Jersey, Colonel Barrett enlisted into 
the Army Signal Corps in 1984. After a tour in Germany, he attended 
Rutgers University and the University of Pennsylvania, where he was a 
ROTC Distinguished Military Graduate.
  Over the course of his 31-year career, Colonel Barrett served in 
Operations Desert Storm and Iraqi Freedom and in a multitude of 
countries including Germany, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bosnia, Iraq, 
Afghanistan and Brussels. He studied and mastered Arabic at the Defense 
Language Institute. He served the Joint Staff, at the Pentagon, working 
on Iraq, and later, broader Middle East issues, as a Joint Staff 
Planner. After deployment to Baghdad, Iraq, in 2006 Colonel Barrett 
became a staff officer at the National Security Agency.
  In June, 2012 the Colonel was deployed to Afghanistan with the NATO 
training Mission as the Senior Advisor to the Afghan National Army 
(ANA). His work with the ANA prevented over a dozen ``Insider Attacks'' 
from Afghan Soldiers or infiltrators on U.S. and Coalition soldiers. 
After saving countless lives in Afghanistan he came home and returned 
to NSA as a valuable asset providing firsthand knowledge from his time 
in the Middle East as he directed the Afghan Mission Management team as 
a Senior Strategist.
  His extraordinary service has earned Colonel Barrett numerous 
decorations and awards including the Bronze Star Medal, Defense 
Meritorious Service Medal (with 1 Oak Leaf Cluster), the Meritorious 
Service Medal (2 OLC), the NATO Medal, the German Armed Forces 
Proficiency Badge, and the Knowlton Award for Excellence in Military 
Intelligence, and he was presented with the MacArthur Leadership Award 
in 2000 by the Chief of Staff of the Army.
  Additionally, he has been a loving husband and father of four and 
even made time to coach youth soccer, lead three Habitats for Humanity 
Church Youth Ministry Builds, and climb to the peak of Kilimanjaro with 
his then 16 year old son.
  Mr. Speaker, Colonel Edmund J. Barrett is a great American whose 
self-sacrifice, leadership, and love of country exemplifies the 
American spirit. I join his family, friends, and all of New Jersey in 
wishing him a happy retirement and thanking him for his outstanding 
service to our country.

                          ____________________