[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 201 (Thursday, November 18, 2021)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1254-E1255]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




             HONORING COMMAND SERGEANT MAJOR GARY E. GRAHAM

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. STEVEN M. PALAZZO

                            of mississsippi

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, November 18, 2021

  Mr. PALAZZO. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the outstanding 
military service of Command Sergeant Major Gary E. Graham who will be 
retiring this year after over 43 years of service in the Mississippi 
National Guard.
  CSM Graham hails from Conehatta, MS where he lives with his wife, 
Julie, and their children, Micah, Jessica, and Layla. I want to take 
the time to thank his wife and children for their strength and support 
as a military family.
  CSM Graham served a long and impressive military career beginning in 
1978 when he attended Basic Training and AIT as a Wheeled Vehicle and 
Generator Mechanic at Fort Jackson, SC. CSM Graham mobilized and 
deployed to Iraq in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom from 2003 until 
2005. Upon his return from deployment, he mobilized once again and 
assumed the position of Task Force Magnolia CSM for Hurricane Katrina 
Operations. From 2006 to 2011, he was assigned as the Commandant of the 
3rd NCO Academy. He was then reassigned as the 154th Regimental 
Training Institute CSM. In August 2011, he was hand selected for NATO 
HQ Sarajevo Command as the Senior Enlisted Advisor to the Military and 
Government leadership of the Balkan countries. From 2016 to 2017, he 
was appointed as the first Land Component Forces CSM. CSM Graham is 
currently

[[Page E1255]]

serving as the Garrison CSM for Camp Shelby Joint Forces Training 
Center.
  For his outstanding service, CSM Graham has been awarded numerous 
prestigious awards, including the Bronze Star, Defense Joint 
Meritorious Service Medal, Meritorious Service Medal, Joint Service 
Commendation Medal, Army Commendation Medal, Army Achievement Medal, 
Army Reserve Components Achievement Medal, National Defense Service 
Medal, Iraq Campaign Medal, and many other federal and state awards.
  CSM Graham perfectly embodies the official organizational march of 
the United States National Guard ``Always Ready, Always There!'' He is 
a true American patriot and I am honored to call him my friend and 
fellow Guardsman. Our military servicemembers deserve to be recognized 
for their commitment to our great Nation and I am grateful for his 
unwavering dedication to our country.

                          ____________________