[Congressional Record Volume 162, Number 96 (Thursday, June 16, 2016)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E931-E932]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                 IN HONOR OF COLONEL PAUL W. FELLINGER

                                 ______
                                 

                             HON. SAM FARR

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, June 16, 2016

  Mr. FARR. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the distinguished 
career of an outstanding soldier and public servant, Colonel Paul W. 
Fellinger. On June 23, 2016, he will relinquish his command of the 
United States Army Garrison, Presidio of Monterey, and retire from the 
Army later this year.
   I have had the great pleasure of working with Colonel Fellinger 
during his tenure as the Garrison Commander of the Presidio of Monterey 
beginning in 2013. The Presidio garrison plays host to several thousand 
students and faculty of the Defense Language Institute as well as 
several other Army missions. Paul effectively served as the city 
manager of these dynamic communities. And it is in that capacity that I 
and my staff came to understand and rely on Paul's deep professionalism 
and problem solving skills in many different instances. He was the 
driving force behind gaining approval of an Intergovernmental Service 
Agreement, which was the first of its kind and set the standard for the 
Department of Defense. He was always highly involved in developing and 
maintaining partnerships with local organizations and immersed himself 
in the community. He helped steer several significant new construction 
projects to completion and has deftly managed his facilities 
relationship with the surrounding communities. He never failed to 
combine an understanding of the issue at hand with a deft personal 
diplomacy. It is a testament to his superlative leadership skills that 
Colonel Fellinger could perform so well both on the battlefield and in 
the base operations world.

[[Page E932]]

   Colonel Fellinger was born in Cincinnati, Ohio. As part of a 
military family, he moved often during his childhood. Commissioned into 
the infantry from Xavier University in 1990, his first duty assignment 
was as platoon leader and company executive officer in the 3rd 
Battalion (Mechanized), 15th Infantry at Fort Stewart, Georgia. During 
his next operational assignment he served as a company commander and 
assistant operations officer in 2nd Battalion, 325th Airborne Infantry 
Regiment, 82nd Airborne Division, Fort Bragg, North Carolina. During 
command, he deployed the company to Haiti in support of the United 
States Support Group--Haiti.
   He later returned to the 82nd Airborne Division, where he served as 
a battalion operations officer and executive officer during Operation 
Iraqi Freedom I. He then served in the newly formed Asymmetric Warfare 
Group as a Troop Commander deploying in support of Operation Enduring 
Freedom. He later assumed command of 1st Squadron (Airborne), 91st 
Cavalry, Schweinfurt, Germany, and deployed the unit to Afghanistan in 
support of Operation Enduring Freedom.
   Mr. Speaker, I know I speak for the whole House in extending our 
most sincere gratitude for Colonel Fellinger's service to our Nation. 
The United States is a more secure and fruitful place as a consequence 
of his efforts. I want to wish Colonel Fellinger all the best as he 
transitions from active duty to a new career, in what will surely be an 
active and fruitful retirement.

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