[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 20 (Monday, February 5, 2024)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E109]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]





     HONORING MURRAY VISER, PRESIDENT EMERITUS OF BARKSDALE FORWARD

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. MIKE JOHNSON

                              of louisiana

                    in the house of representatives

                        Monday, February 5, 2024

  Mr. JOHNSON of Louisiana. Mr. Speaker, today I rise and stand to 
honor the career and service of Mr. Murray Viser, President Emeritus of 
Barksdale Forward.
  Throughout his impressive career, Murray has made countless 
contributions to his community and country. In appreciation of and to 
honor his service, I, on behalf of all the people and organizations he 
has aided, the greater Barksdale community, the State of Louisiana, and 
this great nation, offer my sincerest gratitude for his 30 years of 
service.
  Murray was a pioneer in his profession. In 1993, he founded Barksdale 
Forward, an organization that advocates for Barksdale Air Force Base 
and its surrounding community at the local, state, and federal level. 
Barksdale Forward was the state's first organized defense community, 
and with Murray's vision and assistance, he inspired others to form 
defense communities inside Louisiana and across the country. Murray's 
work has greatly contributed to making Barksdale Air Force Base and the 
community around it the wonderful place it is today.
  Murray's contributions extend past his work with Barksdale Forward. 
In 1999, after serving as the President of STARBASE Louisiana, Murray 
brought the program to Barksdale Air Force Base. At the national level, 
Murray was a leading advocate for the creation of the Long-Range Strike 
Caucus and has acted as a Civic Leader for the Air Force Global Strike 
Command since its creation in 2009. It was in this role that he 
received his honorary call sign, ``BUFF,'' in recognition of his long 
support of the B-52 bomber and Barksdale Air Force Base.
  I applaud Murray for all of the impacts he has had over the years and 
for his continued service as a member of the Louisiana Military Affairs 
Committee, a post he has held since 1993. Murray has brought faithful, 
virtuous, and steadfast leadership to each organization he has been a 
part of, including St. Mark's Cathedral School, the Boeing Bomber 
Coalition, and the Air Combat Commander's Group.
  I thank his wife, Patricia, and his daughter, Mary-Elizabeth, for 
sharing him with us and supporting him in his great career. There is no 
doubt that his work and impact will continue to be felt after he has 
stepped away from this chapter of his life. I urge my colleagues in 
this chamber to join me in congratulating Mr. Murray Viser on a 
distinguished career and well-deserved retirement from Barksdale 
Forward.

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