[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 75 (Wednesday, May 1, 2024)]
[Senate]
[Pages S3123-S3124]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                            MORNING BUSINESS

                                 ______
                                 

               TRIBUTE TO MAJOR GENERAL RICHARD R. NEELY

  Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, there are few things more American than 
serving our Nation. It is a special privilege of mine when I am able to 
honor some of our Nation's women and men in uniform. And it is even 
more special when I am able to recognize the dedicated service of those 
who have served in Illinois. After a decorated career, Maj. Gen. 
Richard R. Neely--the Adjutant General of Illinois, Commander of the 
Illinois National Guard, and Director of the Illinois Department of 
Military Affairs--is retiring after nearly 40 years of service to our 
State and Nation.
  It is no coincidence that many extraordinary Americans have been from 
Illinois. General Neely is certainly one of them. While he began his 
tenure as the Adjutant General for Illinois in 2019, his military 
career in our State began several decades prior. General Neely hails 
from the South Side of Chicago. The summer before his senior year of 
high school, he joined the Army Reserves and later the Air National 
Guard as an airman. After graduating from Illinois State University, he 
joined the 183rd Wing in my hometown of Springfield, where General 
Neely spent more than two decades of his career serving in various 
positions.
  General Neely's military career also took him well beyond the Prairie 
State. Over the course of his service, he was sent on two combat 
deployments in Iraq in support of Operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi 
Freedom. His bravery helped safeguard American national security during 
a critical time in our history.
  Because of his exceptional service, General Neely was appointed as 
Illinois's Adjutant General in 2019. He served in this role during a 
period of historic challenges for our State and Nation, and in every 
instance, he rose to the occasion.
  Not even 4 months into the job, following major flooding in our State 
in the spring of 2019, General Neely activated 830 soldiers over 9 
weeks to help support the State's recovery. The Illinois National 
Guard's task forces completed 62 requests for assistance along more 
than 362 miles of riverbank as part of an overall response effort led 
by the Illinois Emergency Management Agency.
  In response to the health and safety challenges of the COVID-19 
pandemic, General Neely directed the largest and longest domestic 
operations activation in the history of the Illinois National Guard. 
During this time, Illinois National Guard soldiers and airmen provided 
250,000 COVID-19 tests, delivered millions of masks, and administered 
nearly 2 million vaccines throughout the State. General Neely's 
leadership helped save millions of lives.
  And following the insurrection at the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 
2021, one of the darkest days in our Nation's history, General Neely 
directed five Illinois National Guard activations in response to the 
civil unrest.
  In all of these examples, I hesitate to imagine where we would be if 
not for General Neely's innovative, dedicated, and selfless leadership. 
But perhaps most impactful was General Neely's care for our daughters, 
sons, and friends who made the brave decision to serve our country. As 
commander of the Illinois National Guard, General Neely oversaw 
approximately 13,000 military members, 2,200 full-time military 
employees, and 230 civilian State employees. And he managed the 
deployment of thousands of servicemembers to 21 countries around the 
world. We all owe him a debt of gratitude for ensuring the safety and 
well-being of the Illinoisans in uniform.
  General Neely's work has gone above and beyond what one thinks of 
when they imagine ``military service.'' As technology continues to 
advance and the cyber realm becomes our newest battlefield, General 
Neely is a national leader in the area of cyber security. Prior to his 
appointment as the Adjutant General, General Neely served in the 
Pentagon as the Chief of Current Operations, then as the Deputy 
Director for Cyber, Communications, and Space Operations, and finally 
as the Principal Deputy Director for Air Operations, Intelligence, 
Cyber, and Space Operations. He was the nation's first Cyberspace 
Officer to serve as an Adjutant General, and he has become a trusted 
voice on all things cyber.
  But he did not do this alone. Of special note, I want to recognize 
Maj. Gen. William D. Cobetto, who has known and served with General 
Neely since the late 1980s. Like General Neely, General Cobetto spent 
much of his military career based out of Springfield, and he went on to 
serve as Illinois's Assistant Adjutant General--Air. Although General 
Cobetto retired from the military in 2015, he returned to the 
Department of Military Affairs in 2019 in a civilian capacity, where he 
supported General Neely as a legislative liaison and now as the chief 
of staff. General Cobetto, thank you for your

[[Page S3124]]

dedicated service to our State and Nation.
  I also want to congratulate General Neely's successor, Maj. Gen. 
Rodney Boyd. General Boyd will make history as the first Black officer 
to command our State's National Guard, and he is incredibly qualified 
to serve as the 41st Adjutant General for Illinois. I have no doubt 
that he will faithfully serve the State of Illinois and live by the 
legacy of leadership General Neely leaves behind. I look forward to 
working with him, and I wish him luck in this newest challenge.
  General Neely, you are nothing short of exceptional. You exemplify 
leadership, embody dedication to our country, and epitomize the very 
best of America. Thank you for your service. I am honored to call you a 
fellow Illinoisan.
  Loretta and I wish you, your wife Tammy and your children--Ashley, 
Denton, Janay, Jennifer, and Jessica--nothing but the best in this 
next, well-earned chapter of your life.

                          ____________________