[Congressional Record Volume 161, Number 181 (Monday, December 14, 2015)]
[Senate]
[Pages S8629-S8630]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




         TRIBUTE TO KENTUCKY ADJUTANT GENERAL EDWARD W. TONINI

  Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I wish to pay tribute today to a 
distinguished airman and honored Kentuckian who has given over four 
decades of his life to military service. Maj. Gen. Edward W. Tonini, 
for 8 years the adjutant general of the Commonwealth of Kentucky, 
retired from service on December 8.
  General Tonini is a career Air National Guard officer and was 
appointed adjutant general by the former Governor in 2007. As adjutant 
general, he served as the commanding general of both the Kentucky Army 
and Air National Guard and as executive director of the Department of 
Military Affairs.
  In his 8 years of service in that role, he successfully led the 
National Guard and Kentucky through many difficult challenges with 
great skill and ability. He leaves Kentucky's National Guard stronger 
and more effective than when he found it.
  During his tenure, Kentucky's National Guard continued to deploy 
soldiers and airmen to Iraq, Afghanistan, Kuwait, Djibouti, Kenya, 
Ethiopia, South America, and even Antarctica. In fact, Kentucky 
National Guard soldiers and airmen were deployed in support of 
contingency operations every day of General Tonini's tenure, to the 
tune of over 16,000 servicemembers over the years.
  In January 2009, Kentucky experienced one of the worst natural 
disasters in the State's history when 10 inches of snow fell on top of 
3 inches of ice throughout most of the State. More than 100 counties 
declared states of emergency while FEMA declared the whole State a 
disaster zone.
  In response to this crisis, General Tonini led the largest State-
active-duty call up in Kentucky's history. More than 4,600 
servicemembers assisted Kentuckians in need, as nearly 800,000 people 
were without power and heat. Surely many lives were saved thanks to his 
leadership during these efforts.
  General Tonini worked to establish Kentucky's new, state-of-the-art 
Commonwealth Emergency Operations Center, which serves as a vital 
command center and liaison to local governments in times of crisis. The 
new Commonwealth Emergency Operations Center

[[Page S8630]]

isn't the only new improvement under General Tonini's watch.
  During the last 8 years, the Kentucky National Guard has undertaken 
nearly $200 million in facility improvements, consisting of both new 
buildings and additions and alterations to existing buildings, to add 
about 650,000 square feet of facilities to the Guard's resources. These 
new facilities include the Paducah and Richmond Armed Forces Reserve 
Center, the Owensboro Readiness Center, and the Army Aviation Support 
Facility in Frankfort, among others. General Tonini was also a champion 
of the important work taking place at the Bluegrass Station industrial 
park in central Kentucky.
  General Tonini was a strong advocate of Kentucky's Agribusiness 
Development Teams, a program in support of Operation Enduring Freedom 
in Afghanistan. These teams of Kentucky soldiers and airmen taught 
agricultural expertise to the people of Afghanistan, sharing their 
knowledge of irrigation techniques, food preservation, veterinary 
medicine, and more with hundreds of Afghans across the country.
  General Tonini also was a strong supporter of the Guard's state 
partnership program, where the Kentucky National Guard partners with a 
foreign nation to strengthen the operations of both partners. The 
Kentucky National Guard has partnered with Ecuador for 19 years. Under 
the general's leadership, Kentucky added a second partnership program 
with Djibouti, making my State the first to partner with an east 
African nation. Djibouti is a key strategic partner for us in 
humanitarian and counterterrorist operations.
  General Tonini's leadership has also been recognized outside the 
Commonwealth. In 2013, he was elected the president of the Adjutants 
General Association of the United States. During his tenure as 
president, America's National Guard boasted more than 450,000 personnel 
across the Nation.
  Under General Tonini, Kentucky hosted the two largest events in the 
Nation for survivor outreach to support the family members of fallen 
servicemembers, one in Louisville and the other in northern Kentucky. 
We were able to honor more than 850 survivors from multiple States.
  Finally, the Kentucky National Guard Memorial saw completion after 10 
years thanks to General Tonini's persistence and his prodigious 
fundraising efforts. Located at Boone National Guard Center in 
Frankfort, the memorial honors 234 Kentucky guardsmen who have given 
their lives in the line of duty since 1912.
  General Tonini has all these accomplishments and many more to be 
proud of as he steps down from the adjutant general post he so ably 
filled for 8 years. He has truly earned a place not just in Kentucky 
history, but in Kentuckians' hearts for his honorable service.
  I would be remiss if I did not also laud the general's wife, Carol, 
who has been a consistent presence with him at the full range of 
National Guard events, both in Kentucky and throughout the country. She 
has been a tremendous asset to him thanks to her grace, her support for 
those in uniform and their families, and her rock-solid support for her 
husband.
  I ask my colleagues to join me in congratulating General Edward W. 
Tonini upon his retirement and thanking him for his service--not just 
over the last 8 years, but over the last four decades. Kentucky is 
thankful for the many sacrifices he has made over the years to protect 
our communities and our Nation. I certainly want to wish General Tonini 
all the best in whatever awaits him in his next endeavors, and I am 
sure he will tackle all future challenges with the same vigor and 
fortitude he applied to his military service. Thank you, General 
Tonini, on behalf of a grateful Commonwealth.

                          ____________________