[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 155 (2009), Part 8]
[Senate]
[Pages 11035-11036]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                         ADDITIONAL STATEMENTS

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               TRIBUTE TO MAJOR GENERAL DANIEL V. WRIGHT

 Mr. GRAHAM. Mr. President, I wish today to recognize and pay 
tribute to MG Daniel V. Wright, the Deputy Judge Advocate General of 
the Army, for his many years of exceptionally meritorious service to 
our country. General Wright will retire from the Army on May 29, 2009, 
having completed a distinguished 36-year military career. We owe him a 
debt of gratitude for his many contributions to our Nation and the 
legal profession, particularly during operations in support of the 
global war on terror.
  Born on the Fourth of July in 1951, in Birmingham, AL, this great 
patriot grew up in Miami, FL. He graduated in 1973 from the United 
States Military Academy and was commissioned as an infantry officer. 
His initial assignment was to the 25th Infantry Division, Schofield 
Barracks, Hawaii, where he served as an infantry officer until 1977. He 
was then selected by the Army to attend law school through the Funded 
Legal Education Program and completed his legal studies at the 
University of Miami.
  His career as a Judge Advocate spanned the globe and included the 
most challenging assignments. He quickly distinguished himself as an 
expert in operational law when he served as the first Regimental Judge 
Advocate for the 75th Ranger Regiment, America's premier rapid-reaction 
assault force. He later served as the legal adviser for the Joint 
Special Operations Command at Fort Bragg, NC, where he participated in 
operations in Somalia and Haiti. As the Staff Judge Advocate for the 
U.S. Army Southern European Task Force, SETAF, in Vicenza, Italy, he 
twice deployed to central Africa as the Joint Task Force legal adviser 
in support of regional stabilization, refugee return, and noncombatant 
evacuation operations. From 1999 to 2001 he served as the Staff Judge 
Advocate for XVIII Airborne Corps and Fort Bragg, where he advised the 
operational commander of over 85,000 soldiers worldwide.
  Upon selection and promotion as a general officer in 2001, he assumed 
responsibilities as the Commander, U.S. Army Legal Services Agency, and 
Chief Judge, U.S. Army Court of Criminal Appeals. His service included 
supervision of the Army's considerable litigation program, government 
and defense appellate programs, and Chief Judge of the Army's criminal 
appellate court.
  In 2003, he was appointed the Assistant Judge Advocate General for 
Military Law and Operations, where he forged a cohesive team of experts 
who delivered legal advice across a wide range of disciplines including 
the establishment of the Office of Military Commissions, the evolving 
role of the law in judicial reconstruction and stability operations, 
and the significant growth of contractors as force multipliers.
  General Wright was appointed Deputy Judge Advocate General on October 
1, 2005, and promoted to the rank of major general. In this position he 
served as the principal assistant for the largest legal services corps 
within the Department of Defense, with more than 9,000 uniformed and 
civilian attorneys, paralegal NCOs, and civilian support staff across 
651 offices in 19 countries. General Wright routinely advised the Judge 
Advocate General, the Vice Chief of Staff of the Army, and other senior 
military leaders on the most sensitive matters of policy, personnel, 
ethics, operational law, and military justice. His advice has been 
invaluable because it was built on decades of perspective, experience, 
and study, and was delivered with clarity and candor.
  General Wright's awards include the Defense Superior Service Medal, 
the Legion of Merit, Army Meritorious

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Service Medal, Joint Service Commendation Medal, Army Commendation 
Medal, Army Achievement Medal, Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal, and 
Humanitarian Service Medal. He has earned the Expert Infantryman's 
Badge, the Master Parachutist Badge, and the Ranger Tab.
  I know all my colleagues join me in saluting MG Daniel V. Wright and 
his wife, Jan, his daughter Melissa, also an Army veteran, his daughter 
Katie, and his son Brian and his son Jeff, for the family's many years 
of truly outstanding service and support to the Judge Advocate 
General's Corps, the U.S. Army, and our great Nation.

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