[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 100 (Monday, June 13, 2022)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E610]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 HONORING RETIRED MAJOR GENERAL GARY HARRELL FOR 35 YEARS OF MILITARY 
                                SERVICE

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. RICHARD HUDSON

                           of north carolina

                    in the house of representatives

                         Monday, June 13, 2022

  Mr. HUDSON. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor Major General Gary 
Harrell for 35 years of extraordinary military service and his recent 
induction as a Distinguished Member of the Special Forces Regiment by 
the U.S. Army John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center and School.
  Maj. Gen. Harrell has made immeasurable contributions to our great 
Nation and continues to personify the core U.S. Army values of honor, 
integrity, personal courage, and selfless service. He began his career 
in 1973 with the 82nd Airborne Division and retired in 2008 as the 
Deputy Commander of the U.S. Army Special Operations Command.
  Over the course of his remarkable career, Maj. Gen. Harrell served as 
a special operations action officer, deputy commander, commander, and 
director among other positions in military operations around the globe. 
In some of his most notable assignments, he helped rescue American 
hostage Kurt Muse in Panama as part of Operation Just Cause, deployed 
with Joint Special Operations Command in Operations Desert Shield and 
Desert Storm, served as Commander of Task Force Bowie and Assistant 
Division Commander for the 10th Mountain Division in Operation Anaconda 
in Afghanistan, and served as Commander of Special Operations Command 
where he oversaw more than 20,000 troops in Operation Iraqi Freedom. He 
continues to serve our military in retirement as an executive board 
member for the Task Force Dagger Foundation. Through this role, he has 
helped secure donations to benefit injured or ill special operations 
service members and their families.
  On account of his exemplary service, Maj. Gen. Harrell received many 
of our Nation's most impressive distinctions and awards, including the 
Defense Superior Service Medal, the Bronze Star Medal with a Valor 
Device and Two Oak Leaf Clusters, a Purple Heart Medal, the Defense 
Meritorious Service Medal, the Meritorious Service Medal with an Oak 
Leaf Cluster, the Air Medal and the Army Commendation Medal with Two 
Oak Leaf Clusters among other awards and distinctions. He represents 
the best our nation has to offer, and we will look up to his leadership 
for generations to come.
  As Fort Bragg's Congressman, I know I speak for our Nation and 
community when I say we are truly grateful for Maj. Gen. Harrell's 
exceptional service. There is no one more deserving of being named a 
Distinguished Member of the Special Forces Regiment. I would like to 
offer my sincerest appreciation and wish him and his family success in 
all their future endeavors.
  Madam Speaker, please join me today in honoring Major General Gary 
Harrell for 35 years of distinguished military service and leadership.

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