[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 20 (Tuesday, January 30, 2018)]
[Senate]
[Page S575]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




             TRIBUTE TO LIEUTENANT COLONEL ALBERT J. GOMEZ

  Mr. CRAPO. Mr. President, my colleague Senator Jim Risch joins me 
today in honoring LTC Albert J. Gomez on his outstanding career as he 
retires from serving as the West Point field force State coordinator.
  Lieutenant Colonel Gomez--Al--has set a standard of excellence in 
Idaho leaving a lasting, positive impression in the lives of many. For 
nearly 20 years, he has been an invaluable asset to our offices. In 
2000, the Idaho congressional delegation began to hold annual service 
academy days. Service academy days are an opportunity to provide 
information to Idaho's best and brightest young men and women who are 
interested in attending our Nation's service academies. Al has been 
instrumental in setting up service academy days from the beginning 
while juggling deployment and other commitments. He has assisted 
numerous Idaho students with obtaining an exceptional educational and 
service opportunities available at the U.S. Military Academy at West 
Point. He is responsible for incorporating the principle method into 
the delegation's nomination process, which has made a significant 
difference in the number of Idaho appointees to West Point. In fact, he 
is considered the ``secret weapon'' in our delegation responsible for 
the high success rate of Idaho students receiving appointments to West 
Point. For Lieutenant Colonel Gomez, his remarkable work has always 
been about his love for West Point and our country. He is known for his 
extraordinary mentorship of youth, and candidates are frequently told 
to listen to Al if they want to be successful.
  As a West Point alumni, Al has clear insight into what it takes to 
succeed at a service academy and what it means to serve our Nation. He 
earned his regular Army commission in 1979 and started his career in 
1980 as a lance missile platoon leader serving in Germany. His 
assignments took him and his family to Fort Sill, OK, and Neckarsulm, 
Germany, which included command of a Pershing II missile nuclear 
capable firing battery. He served in deployments in support of 
Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm. He was selected to represent 
the U.S. Army and provide testimony to the Presidential Commission on 
the Assignment of Women in the Armed Forces in November 1992. Al 
continued his military education with a 1994 graduation from the 
Command and General Staff College at Fort Leavenworth, KS. He served as 
a State Inspector General for both the Idaho and Guam National Guard 
for nearly a decade before his retirement from the U.S. Army in 2006. 
As a civilian, he worked for the Idaho National Guard as a special 
security officer for the Supervisor Human Resource Office before his 
current position, as the State equal employment manager.
  His strong work ethic and dedication have not only given him a 
reputation among the delegation of being a go-to-guy when something 
needs to be done right and quickly, but also have contributed to him 
being recognized with many honors for his service to our country. These 
include the Legion of Merit; Bronze Star Medal; Meritorious Service 
Medal, 4th Award; Army Commendation Medal, 3rd Award; Army Achievement 
Medal; National Defense Service Medal, 2nd Award; and many other 
recognitions.
  Lieutenant Colonel Gomez has set an honorable example in how he cares 
for Idaho service academy candidates and how he has served our Nation. 
He has created a strong team of West Point liaison officers who will 
continue his mission of providing Idaho students a chance to obtain a 
world-class education. We congratulate LTC Albert Gomez on his 
exemplary career.
  Your leadership and friendship will be greatly missed. Thank you for 
setting such a high standard of outstanding service to our Nation and 
Idahoans.

                          ____________________