[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 156 (2010), Part 6]
[Senate]
[Page 8194]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                         ADDITIONAL STATEMENTS

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                   TRIBUTE TO COLONEL JOHN D. BIRD II

 Mr. CRAPO. Mr. President, on May 24, 2010, Mountain Home Air 
Force Base, in my home State of Idaho, will bid farewell to COL John D. 
Bird, his wife Megan, and their children Blake and Cole. Colonel Bird 
has been the commander of the 366th Fighter Wing at Mountain Home Air 
Force Base since February 11, 2009. Colonel Bird is a command pilot 
with more than 1,700 flight hours in the F-15C, T-37, and T-38. He has 
been awarded the Legion of Merit, the Defense Meritorious Service 
Medal, the Meritorious Service Medal with three oak leaf clusters, the 
Air Medal, the Air Force Commendation Medal with one oak leaf cluster, 
and the Air Force Achievement Medal. Colonel Bird has given a lifetime 
of service to his country, to the benefit of us all.
  The 366th Fighter Wing consists of over 4,800 United States and 
Republic of Singapore personnel, with 22 squadrons, comprised of a 
fleet of 86 F-15 aircraft, and under Colonel Bird's command, it 
excelled in its mission. He oversaw the deployment of 5,286 personnel 
and 1,507 tons of cargo to 18 different locations around the world, 
with his squadrons surpassing all theater commander objectives in each 
location. During Colonel Bird's time as commander, and due to his 
leadership, the Wing was recognized with 19 individual awards and 9 
program awards at the Air Combat Command level and 10 awards at the 
Headquarters Air Force level. While under his command, the Mountain 
Home Air Force Base thrived. He oversaw the expansion and enhancement 
of the Mountain Home Range Complex, with new urban target construction 
and an increase in training airspace capacity; a family housing 
demolition project, 3 years ahead of schedule, saving $2.2 million; the 
construction of 300 new military family housing units; a temporary 
lodging facility; and a new main gate complex.
  Colonel Bird's outstanding leadership abilities inspired excellence 
and achievement in others, and his comprehensive view of the wing's 
mission within the context of the broader mission of the Air Force and 
the U.S. military made him a particularly outstanding commander. My 
staff and I have enjoyed an extremely positive working relationship 
with Colonel Bird and his staff, which helps to ensure that Mountain 
Home AFB not only retains critical missions, but is considered for 
others as it possesses one of the top training ranges in the Nation and 
has the strong support of the local community and the State.
  Colonel and Mrs. Bird have been exemplary representatives of the Air 
Force and good friends to Idaho. They will be greatly missed. On behalf 
of the State of Idaho, I wish them well as they move back to 
Washington, DC, where Colonel Bird will work as Chief of the Force 
Application Division at the Pentagon, and I thank them for their 
continued service to our Nation and for their time as gunfighters in 
the great State of Idaho.

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