[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 151 (2005), Part 10]
[Senate]
[Pages 14055-14056]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                     MAJOR GENERAL JANET E.A. HICKS

 Mr. CHAMBLISS. Mr. President, I rise today to recognize and 
commend an outstanding patriot and American, Major General Janet Hicks, 
the Commanding General of the United States Army Signal Center at Fort 
Gordon, GA, the first female Chief of the Signal Corps in the history 
of the Army and the first female Commanding General of the U.S. Army 
Signal Center at Fort Gordon, GA. General Hicks will be retiring from 
the Army on July 15, 2005, after a 30 year distinguished military 
career.

[[Page 14056]]

  Originally from Iowa, General Hicks was commissioned into the Army's 
Signal Corps on March 17, 1975, after receiving her bachelor of arts 
degree in French language and literature from Simpson College in 
Central Iowa. Her first assignments took her to Korea, then to Hawaii 
with the 25th ``Tropical Lightning'' Infantry Division, where she 
served as a platoon leader, division radio signal officer and company 
commander. Following her attendance at the Advanced Signal Officers 
Course at Fort Gordon, she joined the faculty and staff there where she 
taught basic and advanced officer courses. General Hicks was then 
reassigned to Alaska with the Information Systems Command and the 6th 
Infantry Division in key leadership positions before joining the staff 
of the U.S. Central Command at McDill Air Force Base in Tampa, FL.
  Recognizing her outstanding leadership qualities, General Hicks was 
designated for Battalion Command and assigned to command the 125th 
Signal Battalion, 25th Infantry Division at Schofield Barracks, HI, in 
June 1992. Following her command there, she was selected to attend the 
Army's War College before being posted as the Chief of the Army's 
Signal Branch at Personnel Command in Alexandria, VA. In June 1997 she 
was promoted to Colonel and assumed command of the 516th Signal Brigade 
in Hawaii, with concurrent duties as the Deputy Chief of Staff for 
Information Management, US Army Pacific. In June 2000, she was promoted 
to Brigadier General and became the Director of Command, Control, 
Communications and Computer Systems, the J-6 for the United States 
Pacific Command, covering the joint communications for all of the 
Pacific Theatre. Major General Hicks assumed command of the United 
States Army Signal Center and School and Fort Gordon on August 7, 2002.
  Throughout her career General Hicks has been decorated with many 
military and civilian awards and citations. But, completing her 
military career as the Army's Chief of Signal is truly an awesome 
responsibility and honor. Since assuming command General Hicks has 
improved the training of soldiers, campaigned for better equipment and 
upgraded the facilities and quality of life for soldiers and their 
families on Fort Gordon. She also claims that besides her demanding 
military life, she credits her successes to two wonderful people in her 
life--her husband Ron and her daughter Jennifer.
  Throughout her military career General Hicks has always taken the 
initiative, faced the challenges and resolved problems. Her leadership 
style has always impressed her superiors. She has always dealt with 
people--young soldiers, senior military leaders and civilians with 
equity, candidness and resolve. She is highly respected by the soldiers 
of her command, people of the Central Savannah Regional Area and the 
citizens of Georgia.
  I feel that it is most appropriate to recognize this outstanding 
American for her 30 years of dedicated and honorable service to this 
Nation as a military leader. I ask that all of my colleagues join me in 
thanking and commending Major General Hicks, her husband Ron and their 
daughter Jennifer on the completion of a distinguished military career. 
We also wish her and her family the best in their well deserved 
retirement and a happy and prosperous future.

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