[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 149 (2003), Part 10]
[Senate]
[Page 13234]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




            IN TRIBUTE TO MAJOR GENERAL LEROY BARNIDGE, JR.

  Mr. DASCHLE. Mr. President, our Nation's Air Force will soon lose one 
of its exceptional leaders, MG Leroy Barnidge, Jr., who is retiring in 
the next few weeks after 32 years of outstanding service to this 
country.
  Many in Congress have become acquainted with General Barnidge due to 
his service since 2001 as director of the Air Force Office of 
Legislative Liaison. I have had the great pleasure of meeting and 
working with Leroy much longer, due to his two tours of duty at 
Ellsworth Air Force Base, the last as base commander from August 1995 
to February 1997.
  There is no finer gentleman, nor one with a better sense of humor or 
more likable personality than Leroy Barnidge. As commander of the 
largest military installation in South Dakota, Leroy impressed me with 
his candor, his integrity, and his competence. Knowing and working with 
him has always been a joy, and Leroy will be missed not only in the Air 
Force but also by many of us in the Congress.
  General Barnidge began his Air Force service as I did, through the 
Reserve Officer Training Corps, and was commissioned as an officer in 
1971. Since then, he has held a variety of operations and maintenance 
assignments, including major command and joint staff billets. He is 
experienced in aircrew operations, flight line maintenance and combat 
support activities. The general has also performed major command staff 
and executive support functions, as well as duties as a force planner 
and division chief in the joint staff. He has commanded a combat crew 
training squadron, a logistics group, an operations group, a B-1B bomb 
wing at Ellsworth, and the B-2 wing at Whiteman Air Force Base, 
Missouri.
  General Barnidge also completed the program for senior officials in 
national security at the John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard 
University, and Seminar XXI, Foreign Political and International 
Relations, at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He received 
special recognition in 1999 as the winner of the Air Combat Command 
Moller Trophy, recognizing him as the best among all 28 wing 
commanders. General Barnidge has amassed over 2,900 hours in the T-37, 
T-38, OV-10, B-52G, B-1B, and B-2 aircraft.
  In his years of working with the Congress, General Barnidge provided 
a clear and credible voice for the Air Force, consistently providing 
accurate, concise and timely information. HIs integrity, 
professionalism, and expertise enabled him to develop and maintain an 
exceptional rapport between the Air Force and the Congress.
  On behalf of the Congress and the country, I thank General Barnidge, 
his wife Sandy, and his entire family for their commitment and many 
sacrifices. Sandy always went out of her way to make my staff and me 
feel welcome, and I know she, too, has done much for the Air Force and 
her country during the past 32 years. Thanks to both of you for a job 
well done. On behalf of a grateful nation, we wish you all the best 
during your retirement.

                          ____________________