[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 150 (2004), Part 9]
[House]
[Pages 11426-11427]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




        ON THE RETIREMENT OF BRIGADIER GENERAL MICHAEL F. GJEDE

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Ryan) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. RYAN of Ohio. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to commend Brigadier 
General Michael F. Gjede on his service to the United States of 
America. After more than 35 years in the Air Force, General Gjede will 
be retiring, and we in northeast Ohio have been very privileged to have 
him as the Commander of the Air Force Reserve 910th Airlift Wing at 
Youngstown Air Reserve Station in Vienna, Ohio.
  A graduate of Northeastern University in Boston, General Gjede earned 
his commission through the Air Force Officer Training School program in 
1968. Once he had earned his wings, he served two tours in Vietnam 
flying B-52s and logging over 140 combat missions.
  General Gjede has held numerous command positions in the Air Force, 
and the 910th is the second flying wing

[[Page 11427]]

that has had the opportunity to have him as their commanding officer. 
As our wing commander at the Youngstown Air Reserve Station, General 
Gjede's personal involvement, his encouragement, and intuitiveness have 
produced an overwhelming response, as recognized in the achievements of 
the wing's members.
  The 910th's functional areas performed flawlessly, despite a 
stressful and turbulent atmosphere caused by the events of September 
11, 2001. His superior leadership was the driving force that kept all 
personnel properly focused, allowing them to consistently meet and 
exceed requirements. Despite the challenges of the most aggressive 
reserve operations tempo in history, the 910th immediately responded to 
the homeland defense initiatives in support of Operation Noble Eagle 
and the worldwide requirements for Operations Enduring Freedom and 
Iraqi Freedom.
  General Gjede's continual involvement in base renovation and new 
construction projects, operation and maintenance facilities, and 
quality of life projects will produce benefits far into the future. The 
accomplishments of General Gjede culminate a long and distinguished 
career in the service of his country and reflect great credit upon 
himself and the United States Air Force.
  On a personal note, one of the unique experiences I have had with 
General Gjede was an opportunity to participate in the Youngstown Air 
Reserve parachute program. It is not really a program. It is a 
simulation of parachuting. General Gjede gave me an opportunity to put 
on the suit, strap myself in, and look down and do the virtual reality 
and try to land on a carrier. Well, needless to say, I had my suit 
pants on, so General Gjede got to see me with suit pants, a tie, and 
the equipment necessary for parachuting dangling from the ceiling at 
the air base and missing the boat completely and going directly into 
the water. I do not even believe I got the parachute out in time. So 
General Gjede has seen his Congressman in some very compromising 
positions. Luckily, there was no one in there with a camera to take any 
pictures.
  So that was a good experience I have had, among many, with General 
Gjede; and he is going to be sorely missed.
  But I would also like to say that behind every great man is a great 
woman. He has a phenomenal wife, Jerylynn, who we have had the 
opportunity, my wife Julie and I have had the opportunity to get to 
know. She is a tremendous, tremendous woman. She is a great First Lady 
for the 910th. She has an enormous amount of class and composure and 
brought a lot of elegance to the air base, and we will sorely miss her 
as well.
  So on behalf of the people of the 17th Congressional District, I want 
to thank you, General Gjede and your wife, and wish you and your family 
the best.
  On a personal note, I have enjoyed our time together, our dinners 
together, and hope that in the future there will be many, many, many 
more. We are definitely wishing and hoping that you will stick around 
in our community after your retirement, because our community certainly 
is a better place and a stronger place with you and Jerylynn in it, and 
we will not just miss the General and his wife but we will miss our 
friends.
  So I wish you the best of luck and hope that we get to see you in our 
community and look forward to many, many, many further experiences 
together on behalf of the air base.

                          ____________________