[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 60 (Tuesday, April 9, 2024)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E312]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        HONORING SILVESTER TATUM

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. BENNIE G. THOMPSON

                             of mississippi

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, April 9, 2024

  Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to celebrate 
the accomplishments of Command Sergeant Major Silvester Tatum, retiring 
from Mississippi Army National Guard with over 42 years of military 
service. A devoted husband and father, he has spent his entire career 
working parallel business and army professions, serving as the 
embodiment of a Citizen-Soldier. He has executed a lifetime of 
achievements in education, military discipline and training, 
assignments, commands, and missions that are remarkable and historical.
  Command Sergeant Major (CSM) Tatum is decorated with the Legion of 
Merit, the Combat Infantry Badge, and many other awards and honors. He 
served in many tactical, operational, and strategic assignments, 
including two overseas combat tours to the Middle East. His career 
culminated with his selection as the first African American Senior 
Enlisted Leader of the Mississippi National Guard on 1 April 2021. In 
this role, CSM Tatum has faithfully and impartially discharged the 
unique duties of his assignment with excellence. CSM Tatum serves as 
the principal advisor to the Adjutant General of Mississippi on all 
matters pertaining to providing a ready enlisted force, health of the 
force, and enlisted professional development of more than 13,000 
Citizen Soldiers, Airmen, State employees, and federal technicians. 
Areas of focus are to ensure the force is equipped and trained to 
respond to any contingency, natural or manmade.
  From Rolling Fork, Mississippi, Tatum enlisted in the Mississippi 
National Guard in 1981, has served as one of the most influential 
senior enlisted leaders our ranks have ever witnessed, maintaining the 
highest standards during the most dynamic and complex times in history. 
CSM Tatum is a true American hero and a proud Mississippian who always 
placed the needs of others before his own; I am immensely grateful for 
his dedication to our country and to the State of Mississippi.
  Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in recognizing Command 
Sergeant Major Silvester Tatum for his dedication to serve the state of 
Mississippi and his country.

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