[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 155 (2009), Part 9]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 11641]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




             TRIBUTE TO LIEUTENANT GENERAL CLYDE A. VAUGHN

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. IKE SKELTON

                              of missouri

                    in the house of representatives

                          Tuesday, May 5, 2009

  Mr. SKELTON. Madam Speaker, let me take this time to honor a fellow 
Missourian, Lieutenant General Clyde A. Vaughn, who will be retiring as 
Director of the Army National Guard, after having served the nation for 
35 years in the Army National Guard.
  While General Vaughn has performed a number of important roles during 
his time in the Army National Guard, he has served as Director of the 
Army National Guard since 2005. During his tenure as Director, he has 
overseen a period of increased operating tempo and helped to transform 
the Army National Guard.
  As Director, General Vaughn has implemented policies to increase the 
end strength of the Army National Guard and to ensure new members of 
the Guard are well trained and well equipped. He has overseen important 
Army National Guard missions at home and abroad, including missions 
along the U.S. Gulf Coast during and after Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, 
within California during wildfires, and along the U.S. border.
  Overseas, General Vaughn has helped to coordinate an important 
program in Afghanistan with the help of Missouri National Guardsmen and 
those from other states who are also experts in agriculture. In that 
troubled country, the Guard has partnered with the U.S. Department of 
Agriculture and the Farm Bureau to develop and deploy Agribusiness 
Development Teams. These teams have helped to improve Afghanistan's 
agricultural livelihood. They have provided outreach, education, and 
infrastructure support to officials from the Afghan Ministry of 
Agriculture, Irrigation, and Livestock and to local farmers. The advice 
given by these Guardsmen who are also agricultural experts betters the 
changes for economic stability and alternative livelihoods for 
Afghanistan's rural citizens.
  For the families of Army National Guard personnel, General Vaughn has 
overseen the development of the 325 Army National Guard Family 
Assistance Centers. These centers provide long-term informational, 
referral, and outreach support for geographically dispersed military 
families.
  General Vaughn's leadership has strengthened both the National Guard 
and the United States. I am proud that he is a Missourian who has given 
so much of his time to our country. I trust that Members of the House 
will join me in congratulating General Vaughn and his family for their 
contributions to the United States of America.

                          ____________________