[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 149 (2003), Part 17]
[Senate]
[Page 24076]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




   TRIBUTE TO LIEUTENANT GENERAL JOHN M. LeMOYNE, U.S. ARMY, ON HIS 
                               RETIREMENT

 Mr. NELSON of Florida. Mr. President, I rise today to 
recognize a great patriot, soldier and fellow Floridian, LTG John M. 
LeMoyne. General LeMoyne is retiring after a distinguished 35-year 
career in the United States Army.
  John LeMoyne entered military service in 1968 after graduating from 
the University of Florida, in Gainsville, FL. He was commissioned 
through ROTC as a second lieutenant in the Infantry and has served with 
distinction for over three decades in peace and during two wars. Most 
notable was his final assignment as the Army's Deputy Chief of Staff 
for Personnel, G-1. He was personally selected by the Army's senior 
leadership to serve as its head personnel officer and to take control 
of an organization which had sustained substantial casualties during 
the September 11 terrorist attack on the Pentagon. His calm hand, 
steady leadership and personal touch were instrumental in guiding the 
organization through a period of mourning and reconstitution, while 
continuing to support the Army's many personnel needs. Over the past 2 
years, during a period of unprecedented global action, with Operations 
Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom, General LeMoyne ensured that the 
Army's personnel challenges were met.
  Throughout his career, General LeMoyne has distinguished himself in 
numerous command and staff positions both overseas and in the United 
States. In Vietnam, he commanded an infantry company, where he was 
recognized for his heroism and received a Purple Heart. In Europe, his 
assignments included command of the 3rd Battalion, 30th Infantry, 3rd 
Infantry Division; Operations Officer and later Chief of Staff for the 
U.S. Army Europe and Seventh Army. General LeMoyne's stateside 
assignments included serving as the Commander, 1st Brigade, 24th 
Infantry Division and Commanding General, U.S. Army Infantry Center, 
Fort Benning, GA. While in command of the 1st Brigade during Operation 
Desert Storm, General LeMoyne's unit led the famous ``Hail Mary'' into 
the Iraqi Army's rear which contributed to the quick end of hostilities 
and the defeat of the Iraqi Army in Kuwait.
  Mr. President, I ask my colleagues to join me in thanking General 
LeMoyne for the leadership he has provided, for the care and concern he 
has demonstrated for our soldiers and their families and for his 
dedicated and honorable service to our Nation and its Army. As he 
returns to Gainsville, we wish him, his wife Marion and family Godspeed 
and all the best in the future.

                          ____________________