[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 154 (2008), Part 13]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 18064]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




 HONORING THE RETIREMENT OF CAPTAIN RUSSELL L. SHAFFER FROM THE UNITED 
                              STATES NAVY

                                 ______
                                 

                             HON. TOM DAVIS

                              of virginia

                    in the house of representatives

                       Monday, September 8, 2008

  Mr. DAVIS of Virginia. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor Captain 
Russell L. Shaffer, Judge Advocate General's Corps, United States Navy, 
who is retiring after more than 21 years of faithful service to our 
Nation, culminating in his service as the Department of the Navy's 
Director of Legislation.
  After earning a bachelor of arts degree from Ohio Wesleyan University 
in 1983, Captain Shaffer was commissioned in 1985. He earned his juris 
doctorate degree from Case Western Reserve University School of Law in 
1987, and began his active duty service in the Navy JAG Corps Student 
Program.
  He served on three occasions in the Naval Legal Service Command, as 
Commanding Officer of the Naval Legal Service Office North Central at 
the Washington Navy Yard, as the Executive Officer of the Europe and 
Southwest Asia office in Naples, Italy, and as a prosecutor, defense 
counsel, and claims attorney in Norfolk, Virginia.
  He also served several tours in the Office of the Judge Advocate 
General, as an attorney in the General Litigation Division, as the 
Deputy Executive Assistant to the JAG and as the Executive Assistant to 
the JAG.
  He served as the Staff Judge Advocate for Commander, Amphibious Group 
TWO in Norfolk, Virginia, and for the Commander, THIRD Fleet in San 
Diego, California. His other assignments have included tours on the 
staff of the Chief of Naval Operations, with the Commander, South 
Atlantic Force, U.S. Atlantic Fleet, and as a Legislative Counsel in 
the Navy's Office of Legislative Affairs.
  During his distinguished career, Captain Shaffer earned master of 
laws in environmental law from the George Washington University in 1996 
and he has been an active member of the Ohio Bar. His personal 
decorations include the Legion of Merit, 3 awards, the Meritorious 
Service Medal, 5 awards, the Navy-Marine Corps Commendation, 2 awards, 
and the Navy-Marine Corps Achievement Medal.
  It is through the commitment and sacrifice of Americans like Captain 
Shaffer that our Nation is able to continue upon the path of democracy 
and strive for the betterment of mankind. I am proud, Madam Speaker, as 
a fellow Virginian, to thank him and his family for his honorable 
service to our Nation in the United States Navy. I wish him fair winds 
and following seas as he concludes a distinguished naval career.

                          ____________________