[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 146 (2000), Part 2]
[Senate]
[Page 1897]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



                 TRIBUTE TO LIEUTENANT MICHAEL SULLIVAN

 Mr. McCAIN. Mr. President, I rise today to recognize and say 
farewell to an outstanding Naval Officer and fellow Arizona citizen, 
Lieutenant Michael Sullivan, who has served with distinction for the 
past eighteen months in the Navy's Office of Legislative Affairs. It is 
a privilege for me to recognize his many outstanding achievements and 
to commend him for the superb service he has provided to the U.S. 
Senate and to our great Nation as a whole.
  Lieutenant Sullivan is a graduate of my alma mater, the United States 
Naval Academy. I had the great honor of addressing his class at his 
graduation in May 1993. Similar to myself, academic honors had eluded 
him but the standards at the Naval Academy are such that simply 
surviving the four years reflects great credit upon his ability and 
dedication. When it was his turn to walk across the stage, he shook my 
hand and exclaimed, ``Go Navy and Go Arizona!'' I shared in his 
enthusiasm and we embraced in a bear hug as I handed him his diploma.
  Lieutenant Sullivan proceeded to Surface Warfare Officer School in 
Newport, Rhode Island, before reporting to the U.S.S. Fife (DD-991) 
which was forward deployed to the U.S. Seventh Fleet in Yokosuka, 
Japan. On Fife he served as the Auxiliaries Officer and Fire Control/
Strike Missile Systems Officer. Following that arduous tour, he 
reported to the U.S.S. Antietam (CG-54) as the Combat Information 
Systems Officer. Among his notable accomplishments, he distinguished 
himself in 1997 by being named a Commander, Naval Surface Force, U.S. 
Pacific Fleet Junior Officer Shiphandler of the Year. In July 1998, 
Lieutenant Sullivan joined the Navy's Senate Liaison team and helped 
the Senate ensure that our Navy remained the best trained, best 
equipped, and best prepared Naval force in the world.
  Mr. President, Lieutenant Sullivan represents the very best of 
America's most precious resource--her youth. With being a commissioned 
officer come responsibilities so immense and so important that the 
lives of all Americans and the welfare of much of the world will be 
directly affected by how well they discharge them. I have every 
confidence that Lieutenant Sullivan will continue to acquit himself 
with distinction. As he now departs for the next of many more tours at 
sea, I call upon my colleagues from both sides of the aisle to wish him 
fair winds and following seas.
 Mr. KYL. Mr. President, I rise today to recognize and say 
farewell to an outstanding Naval Officer and fellow Arizonian, 
Lieutenant Michael Sullivan, who has served with distinction for the 
past year and a half years in the Navy's Senate Liaison Office on 
Capitol Hill. It is a privilege for me to recognize his many 
outstanding achievements and to commend him for the superb service he 
has provided this legislative body, the Navy, and our great Nation.
  Lieutenant Sullivan comes from a patriotic family. His grandfather 
was a submariner during World War II and his father is a Navy veteran 
of the Riverine Force in Vietnam. The Sullivan Family lived in the 
Bronx, New York before moving to the great state of Arizona. Lieutenant 
Sullivan attended elementary and middle public schools in Scottsdale 
and ultimately graduated from Saguaro High School. He was attending the 
University of Arizona, and I was still a Member of the House of 
Representatives, when he applied for the most privileged of 
responsibilities I have as a Member of Congress--making a nomination 
for appointments to the U.S. Service Academies. It was with great pride 
that I had submitted his name to attend the United States Naval Academy 
where he graduated and earned his commission in 1993.
  Lieutenant Sullivan joined the Navy's Senate Liaison team in July 
1998, following successful sea tours on board the U.S.S. Fife (DD-991) 
and the U.S.S. Antietam (CG-54). During his service as a Navy Liaison 
Officer he provided members of the Senate and our personal staffs with 
timely support and accurate information on Navy plans, programs, and 
constituent casework. He has helped us maintain the best trained, best 
equipped, and best prepared Navy in the world.
  Mr. President, Lieutenant Sullivan has served proudly with a 
dedication and enthusiasm that only comes from our Nation's best and 
brightest. Lieutenant Sullivan is a great credit to both our Navy and 
our country. As he now departs for Department Head School and his next 
sea tour, I call upon my colleagues from both sides of the aisle to 
wish him the best for a continued brilliant Navy career.

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