[Congressional Record Volume 162, Number 135 (Thursday, September 8, 2016)]
[Senate]
[Page S5463]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     TRIBUTE TO LAURANCE M. MILLER

 Mr. CRUZ. Mr. President, I am pleased to share with my 
colleagues a remarkable achievement by a very distinguished American 
citizen, Laurance M. Miller. On October 29, 2016, Mr. Miller will have 
devoted over 50 years of his life to the service of his country as an 
officer and civil servant in the U.S. Air Force. His honorable career 
began when he was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the U.S. Air 
Force on June 6, 1966, from ROTC at the University of Akron.
  Miller was stationed at Chanute Air Force Base in Illinois for 
training as an aircraft maintenance officer and assigned to the 526th 
TAC Fighter Squadron in 1967. In 1969, Miller received his orders to 
Vietnam, but the Pueblo Crisis diverted him to Kunsan Air Force Base in 
Korea, where he served as a maintenance officer for the next year and 
was promoted to captain.
  In 1970, Miller was honorably discharged from Active Duty, but 
remained an Air Force Reservist with the 916th TAC Fighter Squadron in 
Youngstown, OH, until 1977.
  On August 11, 1973, Miller made the best decision of his life when he 
married Patricia Kraus at St. Sebastian's Catholic Church in Akron, OH. 
They are the proud parents of Kevin, Melissa, and Matthew, and now 
grandparents of Ethan, Joy, Dylan, and Joshua.
  Miller resumed Active Duty in 1977 and was assigned to Air Force 
Reserve Headquarters, AFRH, at Robins Air Force Base in Georgia. During 
his assignment at AFRH, he was promoted to major and honorably 
discharged from Active Duty in 1982.
  He and his family then moved to New Orleans, LA, where he was 
assigned to 526th TAC Fighter Squadron and the New Orleans Naval Air 
Station as an air reserve technician. There he had the unique 
distinction of serving simultaneously as a civil servant for the Air 
Force, as well as an active Air Force Reservist.
  Miller was assigned to Air Force Materiel Command, AFMC, individual 
mobilization augmentee at Hanscom Air Force Base in Massachusetts in 
1984. During this time, he continued to serve as both a civil service 
employee and an active Reservist for the U.S. Air Force.
  Mr. Laurance Miller devoted his life to the U.S. Air Force. His 
patriotic and unselfish commitment to his chosen branch of service and 
to the United States of America are extraordinary. I am honored to 
recognize him for a job well done, and I sincerely wish Larry and Pat 
happy trails as they enjoy a well-earned retirement together.

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