[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 154 (2008), Part 10]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages 14356-14357]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                    HONORING COLONEL PAUL J. KENNEDY

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. DAVID DREIER

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, July 8, 2008

  Mr. DREIER. Madam Speaker, today I would like to honor Colonel Paul 
J. Kennedy.

[[Page 14357]]

Colonel Kennedy is taking command of the Second Marine Regiment, Second 
Marine Division, Camp Lejeune North Carolina on July 17, 2008 after 
serving two years as the Director of the Marine Corps House Liaison 
Office. Since June 2006, he has very ably served as a direct link 
between the Marine Corps and the House of Representatives, providing 
Members of this body the information necessary to effectively equip, 
maintain and support the United States Marine Corps, and ultimately 
provide and ensure the nation's security. I know that everyone of my 
colleagues who had the pleasure of working with him shares the deep 
respect I have come to hold for Colonel Kennedy, and has trusted his 
straightforward and dependable assistance. His candor and knowledge 
have been key in maintaining superb relationships on both sides of the 
Potomac. He has demonstrated a unique ability to translate the language 
of the House of Representatives to the language of the Marine Corps and 
vice versa, enabling him to provide Members of Congress with a keen 
understanding of the issues that affect the men and women who wear a 
Marine uniform.
  Over the course of two very busy years, Colonel Kennedy successfully 
planned, coordinated and escorted over 30 international and domestic 
Congressional and Staff Delegations. I had the opportunity to work 
closely with the Colonel on many of these Congressional Delegations as 
part of the House Democracy Assistance Commission, as we have worked to 
strengthen legislatures in emerging and re-emerging democracies around 
the world. HDAC works directly with the Members and staff of these 
institutions, and our Members must travel to places as diverse as 
Afghanistan, Mongolia and East Timor to conduct these programs. The 
technical and logistical support he provided in traveling often to 
remote or dangerous regions ensured that our delegations were always 
conducted safely; professionally and effectively, and afforded us the 
ability to focus entirely on the quality of our programs with these 
legislatures in burgeoning democracies. But just as important were his 
insights into conflict and post-conflict regions, based on his first-
hand observations from the field. They were an invaluable asset to our 
delegations.
  Colonel Kennedy also took a number of delegations to Iraq and 
Afghanistan, helping to educate Members of Congress on the successes 
and challenges facing our service men and women who are currently in 
harm's way. Due to his professionalism, dedication, experience and 
knowledge, Colonel Kennedy became the most sought-after military escort 
for delegations traveling into Central Command. He has made lasting 
contributions to the House of Representatives. I wish the Colonel the 
very best as he pursues other duties within the Marine Corps. He will 
be missed tremendously.
  Colonel Kennedy's 23 years of service have included: Executive 
Officer of a Weapons Company; Instructor at The Basic School and the 
Infantry Officer Course in Quantico, Virginia; a Weapons Company 
Commander and Battalion Operations Officer in Camp Pendleton; 
Recruiting Station Commander in San Francisco, California; Plans 
Officer for Pre-Operation Iraqi Freedom and Plans/Future Operations 
Officer for the First Marine Division during Operation Iraqi Freedom; 
Battalion Commander for Operation Iraqi Freedom II; and Director of the 
House of Representatives, Marine Corps Liaison Office. Colonel Kennedy 
has received the Legion of Merit with combat ``V'', Bronze Star, two 
Meritorious Service Medals, two Navy and Marine Corps Commendation 
Medals and the Combat Action Ribbon.

                          ____________________