[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 153 (2007), Part 13]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 18361]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                     TRIBUTE TO MR. DAVID J. RIGBY

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. IKE SKELTON

                              of missouri

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, July 10, 2007

  Mr. SKELTON. Madam Speaker, let me take this means to recognize the 
exceptional service of Mr. David J. Rigby on the occasion of his 
retirement from the Defense Threat Reduction Agency.
  Mr. Rigby is a graduate of the University of Tennessee, where he 
majored in journalism, and the University of Oklahoma, where he 
completed a graduate program in mass communication. He also attended 
the Defense Information School in Fort Benjamin Harrison, IN, and the 
Federal Executive Institute at Charlottesville, Virginia.
  Mr. Rigby has a distinguished history of outstanding work and service 
to his country. A U.S. Air Force Public Affairs Officer, he saw combat 
duty in Vietnam as an advisor to the Vietnamese Air Force. He was also 
responsible for directing the news media relations for the Strategic 
Defense Initiative, also known as ``Star Wars.'' Mr. Rigby has had 
multiple assignments in the Pentagon and also served on the Reagan 
White House transition team.
  On October 1, 1998, Mr. Rigby began his most recent position as Chief 
of the Public Affairs Office in the Defense Threat Reduction Agency. 
From the office's inception, he played a central role in forging the 
agency's image, shaping its mission, and spreading its message around 
the world. His talent and leadership helped change what the U.S. 
Combatant Commands expect of the agency and better prepared U.S. 
military bases to respond to disaster.
  Please join me in sincerely thanking Mr. Rigby for his unwavering 
service to this country, and in wishing him the best in the future.

                          ____________________