[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 78 (Tuesday, May 10, 2022)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E469]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                 HONORING COLONEL IGWEKALA EDWIN NJOKU

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. BARBARA LEE

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, May 10, 2022

  Ms. LEE of California. Madam Speaker, I rise today as we celebrate 
the retirement of Colonel Igwekala Edwin Njoku after 28 years of 
service with the United States Army and 27 years of federal civil 
service with the Department of Energy. Colonel Njoku's decades of 
leadership and commitment to excellence have helped to set the 
strategic direction of the federal government and ensure the security 
and prosperity of our country.
  Originally from Nigeria, Col. Njoku arrived in the United States in 
1971 on a student visa. He attended the University of Massachusetts 
where he received a Bachelor of Science Degree in Applied Biology and a 
Masters Degree in Health Physics and Nuclear Science. He later attended 
the New York Institute of Technology where he earned a second Masters 
Degree in Industrial Hygiene and Environmental Engineering Technology.
  Col. Njoku eventually moved from the East Coast to California where 
he worked for the state Department of Health Services as a Senior 
Health Physicist. Shortly after, he joined the California Army National 
Guard and later the U.S. Army Reserve. He served 28 years in the U.S. 
Army where he provided oversight on emergency response systems to the 
use of Weapons of Mass Destruction on the battlefield.
  In addition to his consultant capacity, Col. Njoku gave on the ground 
support abroad. He spent a year deployed in Iraq as the Combined Joint 
Task Force-7 Radiation Protection and Laser Safety Officer. He also 
traveled to the Democratic People's Republic of Korea to implement the 
1994 Agreed Framework, which suspended North Korea's nuclear power 
program in exchange for U.S. energy aid. When he retired from the U.S. 
Army as a Colonel, he was awarded the Legion of Merit for his work with 
the Joint Forces in Iraq, and his work on non-proliferation efforts in 
the Korean Peninsula.
  On the civilian side, Col. Njoku served as a Certified Health 
Physicist with the National Nuclear Security Administration within the 
U.S. Department of Energy. During his 27 years of service, he ensured 
that radiological operations were implemented safely and improved 
federal oversight for various facilities and offices without expanding 
the oversight footprint.
  Edwin Njoku's decades of service to the U.S. Army and the Department 
of Energy has truly had a global impact and has helped reinforce the 
security of our country and the world. I know that his impact and 
commitment to excellence will continue to reverberate in the years to 
come.
  On a personal note, I've had the privilege of knowing Col. Njoku for 
more than 20 years and greatly admire his scientific brilliance and 
unwavering commitment to public service. I'm honored to have had his 
support over the years and wish him a wonderful and well-deserved 
retirement. One behalf of the 13th Congressional District of 
California, I commend Col. Igwekala Edwin Njoku for his tireless 
service and dedication.

                          ____________________