[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 106 (Wednesday, June 21, 2017)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E864]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




          HONORING CHIEF WARRANT OFFICER THREE TYRONE PINKINS

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. BENNIE G. THOMPSON

                             of mississippi

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, June 21, 2017

  Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Chief 
Warrant Officer Three Tyrone Pinkins.
  Chief Warrant Officer Three Tyrone Pinkins was born and raised in 
Rolling Fork, Mississippi. After graduating high school he attended 
Tougaloo College in Jackson, Mississippi before joining the Army in 
June 1996. He went on to earn his Bachelor's Degree in Political 
Science at the University of Maryland University College while serving 
on active duty.
  Upon enlisting in the Army on June 24, 1996, Chief Warrant Officer 
Three Pinkins attended Basic Training at Fort Jackson, South Carolina 
followed by Advanced Individual Training at Fort Gordon, Georgia as a 
Signal Systems Support Specialist (31U). Prior to his appointment as a 
Warrant Officer, he completed the Primary Leadership Development 
Course, 7th Army Noncommissioned Officers Academy, Grafenwoehr, 
Germany; the Basic Noncommissioned Officer Course, Noncommissioned 
Officer Academy, Fort Gordon, Georgia; and the Advanced Noncommissioned 
Officer Course, Noncommissioned Officer Academy, Fort Gordon, Georgia. 
He received his appointment as a Warrant Officer in 2007 and has 
completed the Warrant Officer Basic Course, Warrant Officer Advanced 
Course and the Electronic Warfare Officer Course.
  Throughout 21 years of service Chief Warrant Officer Three Pinkins 
has served in a variety of assignments to include major combat 
operations. His previous assignments include Signal Support Systems 
Specialist, 4th Battalion 1st Field Artillery Regiment, Fort Riley, 
Kansas; Squad Leader, 2nd Battalion 37th Armor, Friedberg, Germany; 
Section Chief, 2nd Battalion 69th Armor, Fort Benning, Georgia; Platoon 
Sergeant, 2nd Battalion 3rd Field Artillery Regiment, Giessen, Germany, 
and Battalion Communications Chief, 1st Battalion 214th Aviation 
Regiment, Mannheim, Germany. His assignments as a Warrant Officer 
include Network Security Technician, HQ 1st Armored Division, 
Wiesbaden, Germany; Brigade S-6 OIC, lOth Regional Support Group, 
Okinawa, Japan.
  Chief Warrant Officer Three Pinkins' deployments include three tours 
in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom where he served in Baghdad, 
Tikrit and Najaf, Iraq respectively, as well as Operation New Dawn in 
Baghdad, Iraq.
  Chief Warrant Officer Three Pinkins is a recipient of the Bronze Star 
Medal, the Defense Meritorious Service Medal, Army Meritorious Service 
Medal with One Oak Leaf Cluster, Army Commendation Medal with 4 Oak 
Leaf clusters, Army Achievement Medal with 4 Oak Leaf Clusters, the 
Presidential Unit Citation Award, the Joint Meritorious Unit Award, the 
Meritorious Unit Citation, Army Good Conduct Medal third award, the 
National Defense Service Medal, the Iraqi Campaign Medal with service 
star, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, NCO Professional 
Development Ribbon with numeral three, the Army Achievement Ribbon, the 
Overseas Service Ribbon, and the Drivers/Mechanic Badge.
  Chief Warrant Officer Three Pinkins is currently assigned as a 
Presidential Communications Aide at the White House directly 
responsible for communications and technical support to the President 
of the United States.
  In addition to his role at the White House as Communications Aide and 
U.S Army Chief, Warrant Officer Three, Tyrone Pinkins is also the 
founder of The Pyramid Project, an organization aimed at addressing the 
lack of business, government and public-sector exposure and development 
programs for youth at the base of the economic pyramid in the 
Mississippi Delta.
  In an effort to combat these deficits, Warrant Officer Pinkins 
launched the youth development, mentorship and leadership programs: 
Cultural Exchange & Interaction Initiative (C.E.I.I), Youth Exposure 
Tour (Y.E.T), Elle-vate Girl Initiative (E.G.I), E.G.I Forum, Ascend 
Forum and Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) Tour.
  With only a shoestring organizational budget and invaluable 
volunteers, Pinkins simultaneously created unprecedented partnerships 
with government agencies, corporations, universities, museums and 
nonprofit networks and collaborated with middle and high school 
officials to encourage youth to enter into grade and writing contests 
as a way of earning opportunities to participate in his programs.
  These efforts paved the way for The Pyramid Project to afford the 
selected students, grades 6-12, to learn firsthand about the 
government, corporate and community dynamics, history, historical sites 
and broaden their horizon during once-in-a-lifetime, weeklong tours of 
metropolitan cities like Washington, D.C.
  Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in recognizing Chief 
Warrant Officer Three Tyrone Pinkins for his dedication to serving our 
great country and the growth and development of the youth in the 
Mississippi Delta.

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