[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 150 (2004), Part 15]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages 21299-21300]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




   TRIBUTE TO COLONEL MICHAEL SMITH ON HIS RETIREMENT FROM THE 440TH 
                              AIRLIFT WING

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. GERALD D. KLECZKA

                              of wisconsin

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, October 5, 2004

  Mr. KLECZKA. Mr. Speaker, on Saturday, October 23, 2004, the 440th 
Airlift Wing will be honoring its Commander, Colonel Michael L. Smith, 
as he enters retirement following an illustrious thirty-three year 
career in the Air Force and Air Force Reserve.
  Growing up in the cornfields of Iowa, Colonel Smith looked to the sky 
and dreamed of flying and serving his country. He pushed himself 
academically and entered United States Air Force Academy as a cadet in 
1967, distinguishing himself as a student in engineering management. 
Following graduation, he attended pilot training, served actively in 
the Air Force for four years, and then transferred to the Air Force 
Reserves where he utilized what he learned at the academy by serving as 
an

[[Page 21300]]

advisor to the director at the Headquarters of the Military Airlift 
Command and Air Force Reserves.
  For the past nine years, he has become a fixture in Milwaukee as the 
440th's Commander. He has trained his base and troops to be ready for 
any challenge that may come. Committed to the Air Force motto, 
``integrity first, service before self, and excellence in all [the 
members] do,'' Colonel Smith has shown himself to be an embodiment of 
those core values and has expected the same from those who serve with 
him.
  Although Col. Smith is leaving his current post, he will continue to 
serve the men and women of the Armed Forces as an Ombudsman with the 
National Committee for Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve, 
ensuring that Wisconsin National Guard Members and Reservists receive 
the necessary support from their employers.
  The same precision, enthusiasm and skill he shows when flying and 
leading the Airlift Wing will be useful when he is pursuing his other 
passions: golf, woodworking and photography with his wife Joni, and 
children, Brett and Abigail.
  It is with both great appreciation and sadness that I join the 440th 
Airlift Wing, his family, and Milwaukee area as a whole in thanking 
Col. Michael Smith for his 33 years of exemplary service. I wish him 
all the best in his future endeavors.

                          ____________________