[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 93 (Wednesday, June 6, 2018)]
[Senate]
[Page S3029]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




               TRIBUTE TO LIEUTENANT COLONEL MARIAH SMITH

  Mrs. HYDE-SMITH. Mr. President, I am pleased to commend LTC Mariah 
Smith, U.S. Army, for her more than 18 years of service to the Nation.
  Lieutenant Colonel Smith has distinguished herself for the past 2 
years as a senior congressional liaison for the Assistant Secretary of 
the Army, Financial Management and Comptroller. In this capacity, she 
has worked successfully to build and uphold the critical relationship 
between Congress and the U.S. Army.
  Lieutenant Colonel Smith managed the military personnel portfolio, 
which involves over 1 million soldiers, almost $60 billion in assets, 
and more than 40 percent of the Army's total appropriation. She 
approached this task with the dedication expected of an exceptional 
Army leader: She acted on opportunities to take care of soldiers. She 
has been notably proficient in resolving innumerable inquiries into 
individual soldier issues. In the same manner, she enabled Members of 
Congress to remain devoted to the care of their constituents, while 
also supporting congressional efforts to shape personnel policy.
  Lieutenant Colonel Smith is recognized as a mentor and leader among 
her peers, with an outstanding depth of service in the legislative 
affairs area, having previously served as a congressional fellow, 
military legislative assistant for a Member of the House of 
Representatives, and a legislative liaison for the NATO training 
mission in Kabul, Afghanistan. Her tenure in the Army includes almost 5 
years of leading soldiers in Iraq, Afghanistan, Kuwait, and the Horn of 
Africa. Her significant contributions to the Army's budget liaison 
office are a credit to herself, the Army, and the Nation she serves.
  I am pleased to commend Lieutenant Colonel Smith for her many years 
of distinguished service as a congressional liaison and to wish her 
well in her continued service.

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