[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 149 (2003), Part 16]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 22446]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                    REMEMBERING GENERAL BILL CREECH

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. JIM GIBBONS

                               of nevada

                    in the house of representatives

                     Wednesday, September 17, 2003

  Mr. GIBBONS. Mr. Speaker, it gives me great pleasure to pay tribute 
to a distinct man of service and to join Nevadans and Americans in 
honoring the memory of retired Air Force General Wilbur L. ``Bill'' 
Creech.
  Bill Creech started at the bottom as a private in the Air Force in 
1944, and he retired forty years later as four-star general, and 
commander of Tactical Air Command, or TAC. However, he will not be 
remembered only as a man who rose from the bottom to the highest of 
heights. He will be remembered as a man who changed the United States 
Air Force.
  The current Chief of Staff of the Air Force, General John Jumper, who 
served as Creech's executive officer at TAC, said, ``No single officer 
has had greater influence on the Air Force in recent times than General 
Bill Creech. He transformed the way the Air Force conducts warfare.''
  Bill Creech did indeed change the Air Force. The General revitalized 
TAC by improving its efficiency, modernizing the forces with 
transformational weapons and tactics, and developing the teamwork that 
still exists in our Air Force. As a fighter pilot, I personally 
experienced the impact Bill Creech had on the Air Force. His leadership 
philosophy made everyone in a unit--flyers, maintainers, and support 
personnel--believe in the value of making things better. This 
philosophy spread beyond TAC to the entire Air Force. The men and women 
who are fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan today are the beneficiaries of 
his wisdom and leadership.
  For Nevadans, General Creech is probably most appreciated as the 
``father of the Thunderbirds''. After a tragic accident on January 18, 
1982 claimed the lives of four team members, many people questioned the 
value of the Aerial Demonstration Squadrons. But Bill Creech believed 
in the Thunderbirds. He saw the values that the team demonstrated and 
knew they were important for the Air Force and our nation. General 
Creech put himself on the line to back the team and make it the great 
organization it is today. Even today, in the shadow of the accident on 
September 14, 2003, the first major accident since the tragedy in 1982, 
there is no question about the value of this team. The earth will 
continue to tremble under the great wings of the Thunderbirds because 
of Bill Creech.
  To Bill's wife, Caroline, I offer the condolences and admiration of 
Nevadans and- Americans. The loss of Bill Creech is a loss for our 
great Nation. We all join together to express our gratitude for the 
service and sacrifice of a great man.

                          ____________________