[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 116 (Wednesday, July 11, 2018)]
[Senate]
[Page S4910]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         ADDITIONAL STATEMENTS

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             TRIBUTE TO BRIGADIER GENERAL MICHAEL T. HESTON

 Mr. SANDERS. Mr. President, today I wish to honor BG Michael 
T. Heston of Richmond, VT. This Sunday, July 15, 2018, Brigadier 
General Heston will relinquish command of the Vermont Army National 
Guard and celebrate his military retirement. We are truly fortunate to 
have such a dedicated leader as Brigadier General Heston serving in our 
Armed Forces, and I sincerely thank him for his 32 years of 
extraordinary service to Vermont and our country.
  Brigadier General Heston began his military career as an enlisted 
member of the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve. He received his commission 
from Vermont's officer candidate school in 1990 as a second lieutenant 
and then swiftly rose through the ranks, reaching his current rank of 
brigadier general in 2014.
  Throughout his career, Brigadier General Heston has commanded at all 
levels, from platoon leader of an armor platoon to commanding the 
entire Vermont Army National Guard, leading the women and men of the 
Green Mountain Boys in critical missions within our State of Vermont, 
as well as overseas, including three deployments to Afghanistan in 
support of Operation Enduring Freedom. His unwavering leadership and 
dedication has been recognized with numerous awards and decorations, 
including the Bronze Star Medal with bronze oakleaf cluster, the 
Meritorious Service Medal with three oakleaf clusters, the Army 
Commendation Medal with three oakleaf clusters, the Army Reserve 
Components Achievement Medal with silver oakleaf cluster and two 
oakleaf clusters, the Vermont Career Service Award, and many others.
  In addition to his military service, Brigadier General Heston served 
as a member of the Vermont State police from 1983 until his retirement 
in 2009. He has also served as the deputy adjutant general of the 
Vermont National Guard since 2014, a position he will continue to fill 
as he enters civilian life. We are fortunate to continue benefiting 
from Brigadier General Heston's many years of experience as he mentors 
leaders and members of Vermont's National Guard and provides invaluable 
advice and support to the adjutant general.
  There is no doubt that Brigadier General Heston's decades of 
dedication, leadership, and service will be long remembered by a 
grateful State and Nation. I know his wife, June, their children Kelsey 
and Keegan, and his fellow members of the Vermont National Guard join 
me in congratulating him on his many accomplishments so far and wishing 
him well in the next phase of his career. The State of Vermont is lucky 
to count him as one of our own, and we look forward to his continued 
presence with the Vermont National Guard.

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