[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 154 (2008), Part 17]
[Senate]
[Pages 23618-23619]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                       HONORING OUR ARMED FORCES


                      private Jordan P. Thibeault

  Mr. HATCH. Mr. President, I rise to pay tribute to PVT Jordan P. 
Thibeault of South Jordan, UT, who recently lost his life in Iraq while 
serving with the 1st Armored Division.
  I believe it is my solemn duty to learn about the lives of those Utah 
servicemembers who have fallen in the defense of our Nation.
  Looking back on the 7 years of this conflict, I have always been 
stuck by theses remarkable men and women. Such is the case with PVT 
Jordan Thibeault.
  He is remembered by the Utah community as a young man who grew up 
loving to ride bikes, act in plays, and known as a helpful and hard-
working young man.
  I was struck by the words of his family who released a statement on 
their son's passing. So I will take this opportunity to share with the 
Senate the

[[Page 23619]]

moving words from the Thibeault family:

       Mankind today is faced with terrible calamities. Only a 
     select few are willing to forgo comforts of home, indeed the 
     very promise of a brighter future, to place themselves 
     between the forces of hate and oppression and the human 
     spirit yearning for peace and safety . . . [Jordan 
     Thibeault's] passing should give hope to all that there are 
     still those among us who are willing to give the ultimate 
     sacrifice to keep mankind safe and free.

  Mr. President, no truer words have been spoken on the floor of the 
Senate. Those eloquent words are not only a wonderful tribute but firm 
evidence of the quality of the family that raised such a fine man.


                    MAJOR GENERAL RANDALL D. MOSLEY

  Mr. BAUCUS. Mr. President, I rise today with my colleague Senator 
Tester, to recognize MG Randall D. Mosley, Adjutant General for the 
great state of Montana. MG Randall D. Mosley has served our Nation and 
the State of Montana for over 38 years and has recently retired. The 
Montana Guard was established in 1889. Since then, few adjutant 
generals have faced as many challenges as Major General Mosley. We 
Montanans were so lucky to have such a great citizen soldier at the 
helm of our National Guard. I want to take a few moments to recount the 
career of this great Montanan.
  General Mosley's career is a model of public service and serves an 
example for all those in the military. He never backed down to any 
challenging issue, of which he had many. During his tenure, duty called 
several thousand Montana National Guard members to Iraq and 
Afghanistan. The deployments put great strains on the soldiers and 
airmen that answered the call, as well as the families of the soldiers 
that stayed at home. General Mosley worked tirelessly before, during, 
and after each deployment to support his troops and their families.
  General Mosley understood that troops returning home from overseas 
need the support of the whole community. General Mosley worked to 
improve community awareness of the challenges troops face upon 
returning from combat. As it became clear that the wars in Iraq and 
Afghanistan were creating new forms of injuries, he led an overhaul of 
Montana's postdeployment health reassessment program. General Mosley 
put together a task force with community leaders from around the state. 
The task force developed better ways to care for his troops as they 
returned home.
  Thanks to General Mosley's leadership, the Montana National Guard has 
one of the best yellow-ribbon programs in the country. It is a model 
for the rest of the nation to follow. Improved mental health care is 
now available to Montana's guardsmen and their families. The Guard 
offers training workshops to help troops transition back to everyday 
life. Montanans are truly grateful to General Mosley for his leadership 
on this critical issue.
  I now yield to my colleague from Montana, Senator Tester.
  Mr. TESTER. Thank you, Senator Baucus. General Mosley really does 
embody what the National Guard is all about--the citizen soldier. For 
35 years he wore the uniform of his country with great pride and honor. 
But he also takes tremendous pride in being from the State of Montana.
  General Mosley's leadership also has been recognized well beyond 
Montana's borders. He worked with United States Central Command for 
over 14 years to develop Montana's partnership with the country of 
Kyrgyzstan. The partnership has blossomed. Leaders in Kyrgyzstan have 
learned many of the skills and knowledge they need to secure their 
country's democratic future. General Mosley also worked to help the 
Kyrgyzstan military develop a noncommissioned officer cadre. These 
leaders will help Kyrgyzstan train and lead their soldiers now and in 
the future. Montana's partnership with Kyrgyzstan helped their leaders 
improve the cooperation between military and civilian authorities. In 
large measure because of General Mosley's efforts, Kyrgyzstan's 
military has developed strong ties with our military and has rapidly 
advanced to meet the challenges of the 21st century.
  General Mosley's career reminds us all of the value of public 
service. We Montanans are deeply indebted to him. He is an outstanding 
ambassador for the citizens of Montana and the men and women of the 
Montana National Guard. He will be deeply missed, but we wish him well 
in retirement and we thank him for a lifetime of service to our State 
and our Nation.

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