[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 48 (Tuesday, March 20, 2018)]
[Senate]
[Pages S1835-S1836]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




      TRIBUTE TO LIEUTENANT COLONEL CHARCILLEA ``CHARCY'' SCHAEFER

  Mrs. MURRAY. Mr. President, today I wish to pay tribute to LTC 
Charcillea ``Charcy'' Schaefer for her exemplary dedication to duty and 
service as an Army congressional fellow and congressional budget 
liaison for the Assistant Secretary of the Army, Financial Management 
and Comptroller. Lieutenant Colonel Schaefer is transitioning from her 
present assignment to serve as a battalion commander for the 19th 
Military Police Battalion of the 25th Infantry Division, Schofield 
Barracks, HI.
  Born in Ipswich, England, into an Air Force family, Lieutenant 
Colonel Schaefer was commissioned as a military police officer after 
her graduation from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point with a 
bachelor of science degree. She then went on to earn a master's degree 
in administration with a focus in leadership from Central Michigan 
University and another in legislative affairs from the George 
Washington University.

[[Page S1836]]

  Lieutenant Colonel Schaefer has served in a broad range of 
assignments during her 15-year Army career. Her assignments took her 
across the country including Fort Bliss, TX; Fort Leonard Wood, MO; 
Fort Bragg, NC; and Fort Campbell, KY. She has four combat deployments 
encompassing over 45 months in theater, with 23 months advising host 
nation forces in policing and Army tactics and operations. Three of 
Charcy's deployments were to Iraq in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom 
and the fourth was to Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring 
Freedom.
  I had the privilege of working with Lieutenant Colonel Schaefer in my 
office in 2016 during her year as an Army congressional fellow, as well 
as during her subsequent assignment as a congressional budget liaison 
for the U.S. Army. Lieutenant Colonel Schaefer worked tirelessly with 
Members of Congress and their staff to accurately articulate the Army's 
budget positions to the Appropriations Committees. Her professionalism, 
diligence, and commitment to the mission are unmatched, and her work 
both as a fellow and as a liaison exemplify the best of the U.S. Army 
and the Department of Defense to the U.S. Congress.
  The foundation of Charcy's military success is her family. Her 
parents, Parks and Mary Schaefer of New Bern, NC, provided the base of 
selfless service evident in all that she and her siblings, Chas and 
MaryLynne, do. Charcy is a devoted wife to Rachel Brant, an 
accomplished attorney and herself a captain in the U.S. Army Reserve 
Judge Advocate Corps. Rachel anxiously awaits their family's reunion, 
to include dogs Rocco and Stevie, in Honolulu. Their attitude of 
service and care for others permeates in each organization and activity 
they participate in, and they are both truly examples of extraordinary 
leaders in the Army and the communities they serve.
  Throughout her career, Lieutenant Colonel Schaefer has positively 
impacted the soldiers, peers, and superiors around her. Our country has 
benefited tremendously from her extraordinary leadership, judgment, and 
passion. I join my colleagues today in honoring her dedication to our 
Nation and invaluable service to the U.S. Congress as an Army 
congressional liaison.
  It has been a genuine pleasure to have worked with Lieutenant Colonel 
Schaefer over the last 2\1/2\ years. On behalf of a grateful nation, I 
proudly recognize and commend Charcy for her service to our country and 
wish her all the best as she continues her service in the U.S. Army.

                          ____________________