[Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 106 (Wednesday, June 24, 2026)]
[Senate]
[Pages S3197-S3198]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                 TRIBUTE TO COLONEL WILLIAM BRYAN ANNIE

 Mr. JUSTICE. Mr. President, I rise to acknowledge Col. William 
Bryan Annie, who is retiring on July 1, 2026, after more than 30 years 
of military service to our country and the great State of West 
Virginia.
  Colonel Annie grew up in Kanawha County, and in October 1995, he put 
on a uniform for the first time, joining the 130th Security Forces 
Squadron of the West Virginia Air National Guard. While serving, he 
pursued his education, earning a bachelor of science in 1999 and 
completing airman's leadership school. At that time, he had risen to 
the rank of staff sergeant, and in 2000, he attended the Academy of 
Military Science where he then commissioned as a second lieutenant. 
Colonel Annie wore the bars and then the oak leaves and eventually the 
eagle of a full colonel--pinned on June 3, 2020--a promotion that 
capped an arc of relentless growth and deep responsibility.
  Colonel Annie's career in uniform transcended national borders and 
demanded mastery of nearly every facet of Air Force support operations. 
He completed several overseas missions, including to South Korea for 
Operation Team Spirit and Operation Foal Eagle. In immediate response 
to the attacks on September 11, 2001, Colonel Annie mobilized for 
Operation Noble Eagle. In 2009, he deployed to Baghdad as a Coalition 
Joint Plans Officer with Multi-National Force Iraq, serving in support 
of Operation Iraqi Freedom. Throughout his career, he served as a 
Transportation Officer, Logistics Readiness Officer, and as a Plans 
Officer. No matter the time, the place, or the task, Colonel Annie 
dedicated his life to our great Nation.
  After returning from Iraq, Colonel Annie took on installation and 
security responsibilities at the State headquarters level, then moved 
into command. As the Force Support Squadron commander of the 167th 
Airlift Wing in Martinsburg, a strategic airlift unit flying the C-17A 
Globemaster III, he was responsible for the morale, welfare, and 
readiness of hundreds of airmen and their families. He then commanded 
the 167th Mission Support Group, overseeing the broad infrastructure of 
the wing before being selected as deputy wing commander, where he 
helped guide more than 1,100 military members in training and worldwide 
missions. His command career was defined by steadiness, accountability, 
and genuine care for the people under his charge.

[[Page S3198]]

  Colonel Annie received extensive decorations for his service: a 
Defense Meritorious Service Medal, a Meritorious Service Medal with 
five oakleaf clusters, Air Force and Army Commendation Medals, a Combat 
Action Medal, the Armed Forces Service Medal with six service stars, 
the NATO Medal with a service star. He also received State awards from 
West Virginia to fill an additional column, including the Distinguished 
Unit Awards, Emergency Service Ribbons, and Commendation Medals. Taken 
together, they are not merely a collection of ribbons, but a map of a 
life lived wherever the mission required, doing whatever the mission 
demanded.
  Colonel Annie is a West Virginian in the deepest sense--rooted in his 
community, committed to its people, and unwilling to mistake rank or 
recognition for purpose. He was a soldier-scholar, a commander-servant, 
and by every measure, the kind of officer the institution of the West 
Virginia National Guard was built to produce. His leadership in the 
military organization will be felt for many years to come, as well as 
his positive impact on the many, many lives he changed for the better. 
I express my sincerest gratitude for Colonel Annie's service and 
patriotism, and I send my best wishes for his health and happiness in 
retirement.

                          ____________________