[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 152 (2006), Part 17]
[Senate]
[Pages 22414-22415]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




          TRIBUTE TO BRIGADIER GENERAL DAVID K. (BOB) EDMONDS

 Mr. LOTT. Mr. President, today I wish to recognize an 
outstanding officer upon his retirement from the U.S. Air Force. 
Brigadier General David K. ``Bob'' Edmonds will retire on February 1, 
2007, after almost 28 years of service. His successes and 
accomplishments have been significant and many. He has been recognized 
by his superiors and subordinates alike for his ability to motivate and 
lead teams and mentor future leaders. Today, it is my pleasure to 
recognize some of General Edmond's many accomplishments and commend his 
service to the Air Force, the Congress, and our grateful Nation.
  Brigadier General Edmonds was born and raised in Charlotte, NC. He 
graduated from the U.S. Air Force Academy in 1979 as a distinguished 
graduate and the top cadet in the civil engineering major. He was 
selected for a Guggenheim Fellowship at Columbia University and 
graduated in May 1980 with a master of science degree in civil 
engineering. He began his Active Duty career at Columbus Air Force 
Base, Mississippi, where he completed undergraduate pilot training as a 
distinguished graduate and was selected to fly the F-15 Eagle. He has 
served in numerous flying positions throughout his career, both as an 
instructor pilot and a commander, and led 45 combat missions with the 
53rd Tactical Fighter Squadron during Operation Desert Storm. He is a 
command pilot with

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over 2500 flight hours and 300 combat hours.
  General Edmonds' last assignment was deputy director for operations, 
National Military Command Center, the Joint Staff, Pentagon, where he 
led a team that performed initial analysis of developing military and 
political situations worldwide for the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of 
Staff, the Secretary of Defense, and President of the United States. He 
also performed nuclear watch in conjunction with the North American 
Aerospace Defense Command and U.S. Strategic Command and was ready to 
advise the President on available courses of action and transmit the 
President's nuclear decisions.
  We especially remember General Edmonds' his service to the Congress 
as the Deputy Director for Air Force Legislative Liaison from 2003 to 
2004 and as the Chief of Air Force Senate Liaison from 2001 to 2003. 
During these tours of duty, he was responsible for articulating Air 
Force priorities and programs to members and their staffs and 
responding to congressional inquiries regarding a broad range of 
issues.
  From 1999 to 2001, General Edmonds was the 16th commander of the 
131st Fighter Wing, St. Louis, MO, where he uniquely served as an 
Active Duty officer commanding an Air National Guard Wing. He had great 
success leading the Wing to achieve and maintain air superiority with 
the F-15 Eagle aircraft and, accordingly, was awarded the 2001 
Executive of the Year for the St. Louis metropolitan region. Prior to 
assuming this command, he was the chief, Joint Requirements Division in 
the Directorate of Force Structure, Resources, and Assessments, J-8, 
Joint Staff, at the Pentagon. In June 1997, he graduated from the 
National War College as a Distinguished Graduate. From 1995 to 1996, he 
was a White House Fellow assigned as a Special Assistant to Philip 
Lader, a member of President Clinton's Cabinet, and the Administrator 
of the Small Business Administration.
  In 1994, he served as commander of the 95th Fighter Squadron, Tyndall 
Air Force Base, Florida, where he commanded over 300 personnel and 
supervised the operation of 26 F-15 aircraft. Under his leadership, the 
squadron was recognized as the 325th Fighter Wing Squadron of the Year. 
Previously, he served in the Air Force Headquarters, with the Air Staff 
Training Program, and was an air officer commander, civil engineering 
instructor, motorglider instructor pilot, and women's rugby coach at 
the U.S. Air Force Academy.
  On the eve of General Edmonds' retirement, I offer my congratulations 
to him, his wife Ann, his son Gregory, who is a freshman at the Air 
Force Academy, and daughter Katelyn. General Edmonds will be missed, 
and I know that I speak for all my colleagues in expressing my 
heartfelt appreciation to him. He is a credit to both the Air Force and 
the United States of America. We wish our friend the best of luck in 
his future endeavors and congratulate him on completion of an 
outstanding and successful active-duty career.

                          ____________________