[Congressional Record Volume 171, Number 86 (Wednesday, May 21, 2025)]
[Senate]
[Page S3056]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         ADDITIONAL STATEMENTS

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                     TRIBUTE TO COLONEL RON BARNES

 Mr. WHITEHOUSE. Mr. President, I rise today to congratulate 
Colonel Ron Barnes on his retirement after serving 20 years as 
commanding officer of the Pawtuxet Rangers. The Pawtuxet Rangers are 
among the oldest existing chartered commands in the United States and 
the most active of Rhode Island's historic militia groups.
  The Rangers were chartered in 1774 by the Colony of Rhode Island to 
protect what was then the thriving seaport of Pawtuxet in the wake of 
the Gaspee Affair. The Colonists' first strike against England took 
place in 1772 on Narragansett Bay with the burning of the Royal Navy's 
loathed revenue cutter, the HMS Gaspee. Each year, the spirited Gaspee 
Days Parade takes place in Pawtuxet Village to commemorate this 
important historic event and Rhode Island's great contribution to the 
American Revolution. And Colonel Barnes has become a beloved feature of 
the celebration.
  Colonel Barnes marched in his first Gaspee Days Parade as a student 
at Cranston East High School. In 1987, he formally enlisted with the 
Pawtucket Rangers. He started as a drummer and went on to hold 
positions of artillery officer and executive officer before serving as 
commander. Colonel Barnes was bestowed the high honor of serving as the 
grand marshal of the 250th Gaspee Days Parade, the first event of the 
Nation's semiquincentennial celebrations.
  Some years ago, Colonel Barnes gave me a challenge coin which I have 
always made sure to carry with me on any occasion on which I might see 
him. I thank him for keeping this very special part of Rhode Island's 
history alive and thriving for future generations. He has done a 
wonderful job leading the Rangers and I wish him, his wife Sandra--
known affectionately as ``The General''--and his sons Joshua, Zachary, 
and Alexander all the best. Godspeed, my friend.

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