[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 78 (Tuesday, May 9, 2023)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E407]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]





                   HONORING COMMANDER VANCE D. SCOTT

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. KWEISI MFUME

                              of maryland

                    in the house of representatives

                          Tuesday, May 9, 2023

  Mr. MFUME. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor a native of Baltimore 
City who has committed himself to exceptional military service, which 
has led him to be the 21st Black Submarine Commanding Officer in the 
history of the United States Navy. Commander Vance Scott will take on 
the distinguished task of leading the USS Nebraska through war and 
peace. His story of dedicated service is rooted in Maryland's 7th 
Congressional District and emphasizes, as Commander Scott puts it, 
``that your present circumstances do not dictate your future 
potential.''
  Commander Scott's journey began in Baltimore, where he was raised by 
his grandparents, William and Delores Swinton, who taught him the 
critical lessons of respecting authority and treating everyone with 
respect. As a product of the Baltimore City Public School System, he 
attended Baltimore Polytechnic Institute where he was a member of the 
Air Force Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps program. Here he 
discovered military service as a way to give back to the community and 
contribute to something larger than himself.
  After graduating from high school, Commander Scott attended the Naval 
Academy, upon nomination from my dear friend, the late Congressman 
Elijah Cummings. Commander Scott recalls that this was a particularly 
demanding time for him, but it was the support and guidance of his 
Naval Academy sponsor parents, Colonel Warren and Harriet Kiilehua, who 
helped to sustain him through this phase of his maturation.
  Commander Scott graduated from the Naval Academy in 2004, but his 
academic journey did not stop there as he eventually went on to receive 
master's degrees from the University of Maryland, U.S. Naval War 
College, and Old Dominion University. Additionally, he has had several 
supplementary educational experiences that have prepared him for his 
next assignment, including studying naval nuclear power, participating 
in submarine officer basic and advanced courses, and joining the Naval 
Academy's Leadership Education and Development Program.
  After his time at the Naval Academy, his first major assignment was 
in the Naval Academy's Electrical Engineering Department. He was 
subsequently assigned to the Naval Academy as an adjunct professor and 
company officer, leaving him responsible for leading and mentoring over 
one hundred midshipmen through student development. These experiences 
pushed him out of his comfort zone and prepared him to lead projects 
and sailors in various settings.
  Commander Scott has had several sea tours and duty assignments that 
have further prepared him to command USS Nebraska. His sea tours have 
included serving on USS Albany, USS West Virginia, and USS Henry M. 
Jackson. His shore duties include serving as Force Strategic Weapons 
Officers and Force Strategic Operations Officers. Additionally, he has 
served on the Commander Submarine Force Pacific staff as a tactical and 
strategic department head, where he had the opportunity to work with 
and learn from senior-level officers. Included in the list of officer 
mentors to Commander Scott are the first seven Black Commanding 
Officers within the first one hundred years of the submarine force, 
known as the ``Centennial Seven.'' Finally, he completed a tour on the 
Hill in the Navy Office of Legislative Affairs and manager of the 
undersea and strategic programs portfolio,
  In July 2020, Commander Scott was selected as a Submarine Commanding 
Officer. He was humbled by the honor and found it overwhelming at 
times. He soon will be leading our finest; it is not lost on him the 
special place in Navy history he is taking on as only the 21st Black 
Commanding Officer of a U.S. submarine.
  Mr. Speaker, Commander Scott's life is a testament to overcoming the 
odds and using all of life's experiences as opportunities to grow, 
serve, and give back to the communities that have given to you. He is 
an inspiration to us all, and I wish him the very best as he continues 
to represent Baltimore well aboard the USS Nebraska.

                          ____________________