[Congressional Record Volume 162, Number 118 (Thursday, July 21, 2016)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1157-E1158]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




        IN RECOGNITION OF COMMAND SERGEANT MAJOR RUSSELL de LEON

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                           HON. FILEMON VELA

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, July 21, 2016

  Mr. VELA. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize Russell de Leon. 
After 30 years of proudly serving in the United States Army, de Leon 
will be retiring at the end of July as a Command Sergeant Major, the 
highest rank attainable for enlisted soldiers in the U.S. Army. CSM de 
Leon has been stationed around the nation and the globe, and served 
with great distinction in Operation Iraqi Freedom and in Operation 
Enduring Freedom.
   Since graduating from San Benito High School in 1986, de Leon has 
made South

[[Page E1158]]

Texas proud. CSM de Leon's work on his final tour--where he was 
assigned to the Space and Missile Defense Command in Colorado--helped 
provide critical services to the President, the Department of Defense, 
and a host of government agencies.
   De Leon has earned numerous military decorations, including the 
Legion of Merit Medal, the Defense Meritorious Service Medal, the Joint 
Service Commendation Medal, and countless other awards and 
recognitions. His work and record speak for themselves, and I extend to 
him my sincerest gratitude for his service.
   Mr. Speaker, I thank you for the opportunity to honor CSM Russell de 
Leon for his three decades of military service to this nation. I join 
my colleagues in Congress in wishing him, his wife Eufemia, and their 
daughter Amanda, the best in the future.

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