[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 105 (Wednesday, June 16, 2021)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E652]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




               TRIBUTE TO BRIG. GEN. MILFORD BEAGLE, JR.

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. JAMES E. CLYBURN

                           of south carolina

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, June 16, 2021

  Mr. CLYBURN. Madam Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to a good 
friend and one of our Nations great military leaders as he transfers 
command. Brigadier General Milford Beagle, Jr., a native son of South 
Carolina, has led Fort Jackson in his home state since 2018, and is 
leaving to take on his next assignment as commanding general of the 
U.S. Army's 10th Mountain Division (Light) at Fort Drum in New York.
  A native of Enoree, South Carolina, and a graduate of Woodruff High 
School, Gen. Beagle is the great-grandson of Private Walter Beagles, 
who trained at Camp Jackson in a segregated labor battalion in 1918. 
One hundred years later, Gen. Beagle served three years as commander of 
the Army base where his greatgrandfather faced discrimination. The 
twist of fate is not lost on Gen. Beagle, who has said, ``I am a 
Buffalo Soldier, I am a Harlem Hellfighter--you see, I am what a Black 
soldier set out to be in the early 1900s and even beyond that point. 
They wanted to be viewed as equal, they wanted to dispute the myths 
about Blacks being soldiers. They wanted to prove they were worthy 
enough to wear the uniform of our nation.'' I believe he has fulfilled 
the dreams and aspirations of so many Black soldiers who came before 
him.
  Gen. Beagle's path to leadership began at my alma mater, South 
Carolina State University. There he was a track athlete and graduated 
with military distinction in 1990. He is part of S.C. State's 
tremendous legacy as one of the largest educators of minority Army 
officers in the country. He went on to earn two master's degrees from 
Kansas State University and the U.S. Army School of Advanced Military 
Studies.
  During his 31-year career, Gen. Beagle has served with five 
regiments, the 3rd U.S. Infantry Regiment, the 6th Infantry, the 9th 
Infantry, the 35th Infantry, and the 41st Infantry Regiment, and with 
five divisions, the 2nd Infantry Division, the 2nd Armored Division, 
the 5th Infantry Division, the 10th Mountain Division (Light), and the 
25th Infantry Division. His key staff assignments include service as a 
planner and operations officer at battalion and brigade level, and as 
Chief Plans Branch, G3, Eighth Army, Republic of Korea. On the Joint 
and Army Staff, he served as the Joint Strategic Planner and later 
Executive Assistant to the Director, J-7, as well as the Division 
Chief, J-5, Joint Improvised Explosive Device Defeat Organization. On 
the Army Staff, he served as the Executive Officer to the Vice Chief of 
Staff of the Army.
  Gen. Beagle's combat and operational experience include tours with 
Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Inherent Resolve in Iraq and 
Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan.
  Gen. Beagle is married to the former Pamela Jones, a native of 
Blackville, South Carolina. The couple has two children, Jordan and 
Jayden, one an Army Lieutenant and the other a college student.
  During his years at Fort Jackson, Gen. Beagle has become a community 
leader and role model. He helped secure the greater Midlands area the 
recognition as a ``Great American Defense Community.'' He has earned 
the accolades of Columbia Mayor Steve Benjamin and Columbia Chamber of 
Commerce CEO Carl Blackstone. I join them in commending his tremendous 
involvement in the community.
  Madam Speaker, I ask you and our colleagues to join me in saluting 
the extraordinary service of Brigadier General Beagle. He has 
distinguished himself as a leader in the military and in the community. 
He commands the respect of those he leads and those he serves. I am 
proud to call him a friend, and I wish him well as he continues his 
service to this great country.

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