[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 74 (Tuesday, May 2, 2023)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E390]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




   HONORING THE LIFE OF U.S. AIR FORCE CHIEF MASTER SERGEANT ALFREDO 
                             BENJAMIN TULLE

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. GREG STANTON

                               of arizona

                    in the house of representatives

                          Tuesday, May 2, 2023

  Mr. STANTON. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the life of U.S. Air 
Force Chief Master Sergeant Alfredo Benjamin Tulle--a dedicated and 
distinguished airman whose service to our Nation will always be 
remembered. We lost Alfredo last month, and our thoughts are with his 
wife Brenda, their 2 children, their grandson as well as his brother.
  Chief Tulle was born not far from the Panama Canal--and his time in 
the Air Force would bring him back to Panama and other nations where 
his fluency in Spanish helped him earn trusted assignments working with 
the allied air forces. He served as a Master Technical Training 
Instructor at the Inter-American Air Force Academy, he taught aircraft 
and engine maintenance in both Spanish and English to many Latin 
American senior air force officers and enlisted personnel, and he was 
entrusted with ensuring the flight safety of the helicopter for the 
President of Panama. Chief Tulle was even given an honorary promotion 
to second lieutenant by both air forces of Panama and Mexico. What an 
impact he made.
  Stateside, he earned the toughest assignments--and did them well. 
There's no other way to earn promotion to one of the highest ranks in 
the Air Force over a 24-year career. After completing basic training at 
Lackland Air Force Base in June 1966, he was an in-flight refueling 
boom operator on board the KC-135 Stratotanker, a flight engineer for 
the UH-1 ``Huey,'' and a master training instructor. At Hill Air Force 
Base in Utah and Luke Air Force Base in Arizona, Chief Tulle was 
essential to the success of the F-16 program--as a Flight Line 
Expediter, Flight Chief, Production Superintendent, and Chief of 
Quality Assurance for the 58th Fighter Wing. He wrote checklist and 
inspection procedures that are still in use today.
  Chief Tulle retired from the Air Force as the Cold War drew down, but 
he maintained his love for aviation and continued to serve in the 
field. He served at the Navy Fighter Weapons School, Lockheed Martin 
and United Airlines--and even returned as a civil servant to Luke Air 
Force Base. There is very little that Chief Tulle did not do with his 
life, and we are a more secure country because of his contributions.
  We are grateful for this extraordinary American and the lasting 
legacy he leaves behind. I thank Alfredo, and Godspeed.

                          ____________________