[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 149 (2003), Part 9]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 12714]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




              TRIBUTE TO MAJOR GENERAL LEROY BARNIDGE, JR.

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. IKE SKELTON

                              of missouri

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, May 20, 2003

  Mr. SKELTON. Mr. Speaker, today I wish to pay tribute to an 
exceptional officer in the United States Air Force, an individual that 
a great many of us have come to know personally over the past few 
years--Major General Leroy Barnidge, Jr. General Barnidge, who 
currently serves as Director of the Air Force Office of Legislative 
Liaison, will retire after 32 years of honorable active duty Air Force 
service. During his time in Washington, and especially with regard to 
his work here on Capitol Hill, General Barnidge personified the Air 
Force core values of integrity, selfless service and excellence in the 
many missions the Air Force performs in support of our national 
security. Many Members and staff have enjoyed the opportunity to meet 
with him on a variety of Air Force issues and came to deeply appreciate 
his character and many talents. Today it is my privilege to recognize 
some of General Barnidge's many accomplishments, and to commend his 
superb service he provided the Air Force, the Congress and our Nation.
  General Barnidge was commissioned through the ROTC program in 1971. 
His career has spanned 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 and the B-2 wing at Whiteman Air Force Base, MO. 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 Wing Commander among 28 other 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.
  Throughout his distinguished career, General Barnidge exceptional 
leadership skills were always evident to both superiors and 
subordinates as he repeatedly proved himself in numerous select command 
positions.
  In his years of working with the Congress, General Barnidge provided 
a clear and credible voice for the Air Force while representing its 
many programs on the Hill, 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. The key to his success, I believe, was his 
deep understanding of Congressional processes and priorities and his 
unflinching advocacy of the programs essential to the Air Force and to 
our nation. I am greatly appreciative of General Barnidge's 32-year 
service to his nation and offer my sincere wishes for a happy and 
prosperous retirement. On behalf of the Congress and the country, I 
thank General Barnidge, his wife Sandy, and his entire family for the 
commitment and sacrifices that they have made throughout his honorable 
military career. These family sacrifices demonstrate their commitment 
to our nation and their contributions do not go unnoticed. I know I 
speak for all of my colleagues in expressing my heartfelt appreciation 
to General Barnidge for a job well done. He is a credit to both the Air 
Force and the United States. We wish our friend God-speed in his 
retirement.

                          ____________________