[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 146 (2000), Part 14]
[Senate]
[Pages 20253-20254]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



TRIBUTE TO REAR ADMIRAL LOUIS M. SMITH, CIVIL ENGINEER CORPS, U.S. NAVY

  Mr. LOTT. Mr. President, it is with great pleasure that I rise to 
take this opportunity to recognize the exemplary service and career of 
an outstanding naval officer, Rear Admiral Louis M. Smith, upon his 
retirement from the Navy at the conclusion of more than 33 years of 
honorable and distinguished service. Throughout his exemplary career, 
he has truly epitomized the Navy core values of honor, courage, and 
commitment and demonstrated an exceptional ability to advance the 
Navy's facilities requirements within the Department of Defense and the 
Congress. It is my privilege to commend him for a superb career of 
service to the Navy, our great Nation, and my home State of 
Mississippi.
  Since September 1998, Rear Admiral Smith has served as the Commander, 
Naval Facilities Engineering Command, and Chief of Civil Engineers. As 
the senior civil engineer in the Navy, he is responsible for the 
planning, design, construction and maintenance of naval facilities 
around the globe. On Capital Hill, he is best known for his quick wit, 
entertaining and informative testimony, and ability to communicate the 
Navy's facilities requirements in addition to his role in developing 
and executing the Navy's Military Construction, Base Realignment and 
Closure and Environmental programs. He often testified before 
congressional committees and ensured that Members of Congress and their 
staffs fully understood the Navy's shore infrastructure requirements. 
In this capacity, Rear Admiral Smith was second to none.
  Previously, he served as the Director, Facilities and Engineering 
Division for the Chief of Naval Operations where he had a hand in 
shaping the Navy's readiness ashore, as well as numerous quality-of-
life initiatives to improve the lives of Sailors and Marines. A true 
shore facilities expert, his previous public works assignments included 
Assistant Public Works Officer, Naval Air Station, Brunswick, Maine; 
Public Works Officer, Naval Air Station, Keflavik, Iceland; and 
Commanding Officer, Public Works Center, San Diego, California.
  As an acquisition professional, he has had numerous contracting 
assignments, including Officer-in-Charge of Construction, Mid Pacific, 
Pearl Harbor, Hawaii and Head of Acquisition and Vice Commander of 
Western Division, San Bruno, California. He embarked on his brilliant 
naval career as the Officer in Charge of Seabee Team 5301, making three 
deployments to Vietnam and earning the Bronze Star and Combat Action 
Ribbon.
  The Navy will best remember Rear Admiral Smith for his mastery of the 
Navy's financial system and his prowess in effectively navigating the 
political waters within the Beltway. His eight tours in the Nation's 
Capital began with duty in the office of the Chief of Naval Operations 
as Facilities Engineer, Security Assistance Division (OP-63). After an 
exchange tour on the Strategic Air Command staff, he then served as the 
Director of the Chief of Naval Operations' Shore Activities Planning 
and Programming Division (OP-44), followed by a tour in the Office of 
the Comptroller of the Navy. Later, he served in the offices of the 
NAVFAC Comptroller and the Director of Programs and Comptroller, 
NAVFAC. After his Command tour in San Diego, he returned to NAVFAC 
Headquarters as Vice Commander and Deputy Chief of Civil Engineers. 
Rear Admiral Smith's knowledge of the Fleet, coupled with his 
unparalleled planning and

[[Page 20254]]

financial acumen, was absolutely vital to successfully charting the 
Navy's course through both the 1980s build-up and the post-Cold War 
draw-down.
  Rear Admiral Smith is a native of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and a 
graduate of Marquette University where he received his Bachelor of 
Science in Civil Engineering. He later attended Purdue University where 
he earned his Master of Science in Civil Engineering. Married to the 
former Susan Clare Kaufmann of Milwaukee, he and Susan have two sons, 
Brian and Michael.
  My home State of Mississippi has benefitted greatly from the 
contributions of Rear Admiral Smith's visionary leadership, consummate 
professionalism, uncommon dedication, and enduring personality. For the 
State of Mississippi, he was there to assist in the disaster recovery 
from Hurricane George; he was there to provide outstanding facilities 
support for U.S. Navy bases in Mississippi; and he was there to assist 
my staff in providing the highest levels of facilities support for our 
Navy. On January 1, 2001, he will enter retirement and the Navy will 
wish him fair winds and following seas. On behalf of the Congress, I 
congratulate Rear Admiral Louis Martin Smith on the completion of an 
outstanding and successful career with very best wishes for even 
greater successes in the future.

                          ____________________