[Congressional Record Volume 162, Number 80 (Thursday, May 19, 2016)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E746-E747]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




               IN RECOGNITION OF COLONEL ROCKY McPHERSON

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. THOMAS J. ROONEY

                               of florida

                    in the house of representatives

                         Thursday, May 19, 2016

  Mr. ROONEY of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the 
distinguished career of retired Marine Colonel Rocky McPherson, who is 
retiring after 50 years of service to our nation and the state of 
Florida.
   Upon graduating from the United States Naval Academy in 1966, Rocky 
was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the United

[[Page E747]]

States Marine Corps and began his military career with a ground combat 
tour in Vietnam. After one year as an infantry officer he transitioned 
into the aviation community and is the only Marine officer with both 
ground and aviation combat tours during the Vietnam War.
   During Rocky's continued military service, he commanded the Marine 
All Weather Attack Squadron 121 aboard the USS Ranger, the Marine Air 
Training Support Group at Whidbey Island, Washington, and served as the 
Chief of Staff, III Marine Expeditionary Force in Okinawa, Japan. His 
final assignment before retiring from the Marine Corps was at Marine 
Corps Headquarters as the Deputy Director, Manpower Division.
   Rocky then served as the Executive Director of the Florida 
Department of Veterans' Affairs, where he oversaw the most significant 
expansion of state veterans' nursing homes in decades, led department 
efforts to support Florida's returning severely wounded service 
members, and spearheaded plans to design and build the Florida World 
War II Memorial and monument--a replica of the larger monument located 
here in Washington, D.C. His personal and professional dedication to 
improving services for Florida's veterans has made a tremendous and 
lasting impact on the lives of over 1.5 million veterans and their 
family members in Florida.
   Most recently, Rocky has used his talents to advance the mission of 
Enterprise Florida, a public-private partnership between Florida's 
business and government leaders that aims to encourage economic 
development in the state of Florida. As the organization's Vice 
President for Military and Defense Programs, Rocky has worked to 
protect, preserve, and improve Florida's military installations, as 
well as the communities surrounding those bases. Rocky's unparalleled 
experience and knowledge of military and defense issues have made him 
both a leader at the national level and an invaluable resource for 
Governors, State Legislators, and local defense community leaders 
across the state.
   Mr. Speaker, I thank Colonel Rocky McPherson for the duty and honor 
he has consistently displayed throughout his 17 years of outstanding 
service to the state of Florida. We are truly better off because of his 
hard work, and I wish Rocky, his wife of 34 years Connie, their 
children Ashley, Nathan and Courtney, and their grandson, Jack all the 
best in the years to come.

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