[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 148 (2002), Part 1]
[Senate]
[Pages 56-57]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




             TRIBUTE TO COMMANDER MICHAEL LIPSKI, U.S. NAVY

  Mr. LOTT. Madam President, I would like to take this opportunity to 
recognize and say farewell to an outstanding Naval Officer, Commander 
Michael Lipski, upon his departure from my staff. Commander Lipski was 
selected to work as a Navy Fellow in my office during the First Session 
of the 107th Congress due to his outstanding professional reputation 
and superior knowledge of Defense programs, industry, and the military 
construction requirements process. It is a privilege for me to 
recognize a fellow Mississippian for the devotion to duty, exceptional 
performance, and outstanding professionalism he has provided to the 
United States Senate, the Department of Defense, and our great Nation.
  Commander Lipski entered the University of Mississippi in 1979 and 
was commissioned as an Ensign upon graduation in 1984. After his 
completion of the Navy's Surface Warfare Officer School in 1985, he 
served as Auxiliaries Officer and Main Propulsion Assistant on USS 
Oliver Hazard Perry, FFG-7, where he earned his qualification as a 
Surface Warfare Officer. In 1988, Commander Lipski became an Assistant 
Professor of Naval Science at Florida A&M University where he 
instructed Midshipmen in ship systems engineering, weapon systems 
theory, shipboard operations and navigation. While at Florida A&M, he 
also earned his Craftmaster qualification and served as the Officer-in-
Charge of the Naval Sail Training Vessel Dolphin, NSY-29. In December 
1989, Commander Lipski was designated a Civil Engineer Corps Officer 
and served on the staff of the Officer-in-Charge of Construction, 
Mariana Islands as an Assistant Resident Officer-in-Charge of 
Construction. After leaving Guam in 1992, he was assigned to Naval 
Computer and Telecommunications Station, Cutler, ME, as the Public 
Works Officer and Officer-in-Charge of Naval Facilities and Engineering 
Command Contracts. After a follow-on assignment to the Naval 
Postgraduate School, where he earned a Masters degree in Financial 
Management, Commander Lipski served as the Public Works Officer at the 
Naval Mobile Construction Battalion Center in Gulfport, MS. While in 
Gulfport, he superbly managed over $60 million in military construction 
projects. He also wrote a Master Plan for Seabee Base Gulfport that led 
to over $100 million

[[Page 57]]

in quality of life and mission support military construction projects 
that have greatly improved the operational capability and morale of the 
Seabees and their families stationed in Gulfport. Prior to joining my 
staff in January 2001, Commander Lipski served with distinction for two 
years on the staff of the Chief of Naval Operations ensuring that our 
sailors and their families had top-notch bachelor quarters and family 
housing to live in.
  Commander Lipski quickly became a valued member of my staff where he 
led several legislative initiatives that enormously benefitted the 
Department of Defense, the Navy, and the State of Mississippi. He 
worked hard to ensure that the Defense authorization and appropriations 
bills for fiscal year 2002 included legislative provisions and specific 
programs aimed at modernizing and recapitalizing our military and 
improving the quality of life of our service members and their 
families. Specifically, he did a great deal of research and analysis 
that led to a complete rewrite of the statutes governing the management 
and oversight of the Armed Forces Retirement Homes. This new 
legislation will ensure the financial viability of our Armed Forces 
Retirement Homes and quality care for the residents well into the 21st 
century. Commander Lipski also articulated a successful case for adding 
$28 million in military construction projects for Mississippi's 
military bases. Commander Lipski's strong leadership, hard work, and 
vision led to congressional actions that will ensure our military is 
properly equipped and trained to meet head-on the challenges it will 
face in the future.
  Commander Lipski is married to the former Jill Daria Wiltzius of 
Spooner, WI. He is the son of John and Eleanor Lipski of Long Beach, 
MS. Mike is a registered Professional Engineer in the State of 
Mississippi, a member of the Navy Acquisition Professional Community, 
and a member of the Society of American Military Engineers. His many 
awards and decorations include the Meritorious Service Medal, Navy 
Commendation Medal, Navy Achievement Medal and numerous other service 
awards.
  Throughout his career, Commander Lipski has served the United States 
Navy and our Nation with excellence and distinction. He will be sorely 
missed on Capitol Hill but his return to the Naval Service will benefit 
Naval Air Station Jacksonville, the Navy's commands in the southeastern 
United States, and our great Nation. On behalf of my colleagues on both 
sides of the aisle, I wish Mike and Jill ``fair winds and following 
seas.''

                          ____________________