[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 145 (1999), Part 12]
[Senate]
[Pages 17639-17640]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



               TRIBUTE TO MAJ. GEN. PAUL V. HESTER, USAF

  Mr. LOTT. Mr. President, I would like to take a moment today to 
recognize one of the finest officers in the United States Air Force, 
Major General Paul V. Hester. On July 30th, General Hester will leave 
his current job as Director of the Air Force Office of Legislative 
Liaison to take over the important posts of Commander, United States 
Forces, Japan; Commander, 5th Air Force; and Commander, United States 
Air Forces, Japan. During his time here in Washington--particularly 
with regard to his work on Capitol Hill--General Hester personified the 
Air Force core values of integrity, selfless service and excellence in 
all things. Many Senators and Staff enjoyed the opportunity to interact 
with him on a variety of important issues and came to appreciate his 
many talents. Today it is my privilege to recognize some of Paul's many 
accomplishments since he entered the military 27 years ago, and to 
commend the superb service he provided the Air Force, the Congress and 
our Nation.
  Paul Hester entered the Air Force through the Reserve Officer 
Training Corps from my alma mater, the University of Mississippi. While 
at ``Ole Miss'', he completed both bachelor's and master's degrees in 
Business Administration. He earned his pilot wings in December of 1971 
at Columbus Air Force Base, Mississippi and was then assigned to Davis-
Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona, where he flew the A-7D Corsair. A 
short time later, he was deployed to Southeast Asia where he 
distinguished himself flying combat missions and earned five Air Medals 
for outstanding airmanship and courage. Over his career, General Hester 
demonstrated his skill in other fighter aircraft, including the F-4, F-
15 and F-16, and logged more than 2,600 hours of flying time.
  General Hester's exceptional leadership skills were always evident to 
his superiors and he repeatedly proved himself in numerous select 
command positions. While stationed at Langley Air Force Base, Virginia, 
he served as the commander of the 94th Fighter Squadron, Captain Eddie 
Rickenbacker's famed ``Hat in the Ring Gang.'' He was also the first 
Commander of the 18th Operations Group, Kadena Air Base, Japan; 
Commander of the 35th Fighter Wing at Misawa Air Base, Japan, and prior 
to his assignment here in Washington, Commander of the 53rd Wing, Eglin 
Air Force Base, Florida. At each and every one of these important 
posts, Paul Hester inspired the airmen under his command to achieve 
their best, and ensured our forces were sharpened and ready to 
undertake our warfighting commitments.
  Paul Hester also excelled in a variety of key staff billets. He 
served in the Air Force Directorate of Plans at the Pentagon, and he 
was a member of the Commanders' Action Group, Headquarters Tactical Air 
Command, Langley Air Force Base, Virginia. He experienced joint duty as 
both the J-5 Division Chief to the Joint Staff and as the Joint Chiefs 
of Staff representative to the Organization for Security and 
Cooperation in Europe, Vienna, Austria. As a Lieutenant Colonel, he was 
selected as the Chief of the Air Force's Legislative Liaison Office to 
the U.S. House of Representatives. His performance in that important 
position is the reason he was brought back as a Major General to lead 
the entire legislative directorate for the Secretary of the Air Force.

[[Page 17640]]

  During his service to the 105th and 106th Congresses, General Hester 
has been the liaison to the Air Force on a variety of readiness issues 
and most recently, ALLIED FORCE operations in Kosovo. His clear, 
concise, and timely information was instrumental in supporting our 
deliberations of National Security matters. He was a crucial voice for 
the Air Force in representing its many programs on the Hill. General 
Hester's leadership, professional abilities and expertise enabled him 
to foster excellent working relationships that benefitted both the Air 
Force and the Senate. Throughout the time I have known Paul, I have 
been impressed with his skill in working with the Congress to address 
Air Force priorities.
  We were all pleased to see that Paul was recently nominated by the 
President for his third star, which will be pinned on by the Air Force 
Chief of Staff this Friday. I offer my congratulations to him, to his 
wife Lynda, and three children Leslie, Doug and Shelby. The Congress 
and the country applaud the selfless commitment his family has made to 
the Nation in supporting his military career.
  I know I speak for all my colleagues in expressing my heartfelt 
appreciation to General Hester. He is a credit to both the Air Force 
and our great Nation. We wish our friend the best of luck and are 
confident of his continued success in his new command.

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