[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 157 (2011), Part 1]
[Senate]
[Pages 63-64]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                 TRIBUTE TO GENERAL CARROL H. CHANDLER

 Mr. INHOFE. Mr. President, today I wish to recognize and pay 
tribute to GEN Carrol H. Chandler for over 36 years of exceptional 
service and dedication to the U.S. Air Force. He will be

[[Page 64]]

retiring from Active Duty on March 1, 2011.
  He currently serves as the Vice Chief of Staff of the U.S. Air Force, 
Washington, DC. As Vice Chief, he presides over the Air Staff and 
serves as a member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Requirements Oversight 
Council and Deputy Advisory Working Group. He assists the Chief of 
Staff with organizing, training, and equipping 680,000 Active-Duty, 
Guard, Reserve and civilian forces serving in the United States and 
overseas.
  A command pilot with more than 3,900 flying hours in the F-15, F-16, 
and T-38, GEN ``Howie'' Chandler has commanded a major command, a 
numbered air force, two fighter wings, a support group and a fighter 
squadron--a true testament to his exceptional airmanship, leadership, 
and judgment. His staff assignments include tours at Headquarters 
Pacific Air Forces, the Pentagon, Headquarters U.S. Pacific Command, 
Headquarters U.S. Military Training Mission in Saudi Arabia, and 
Headquarters Allied Air Forces Southern Europe.
  General Chandler grew up in Carthage, MS. He entered the Air Force in 
1974 after graduating from the U.S. Air Force Academy. Following 
graduation, he attended undergraduate pilot training at Laughlin AFB, 
TX. He excelled throughout his training and after earning his wings was 
selected to remain at Laughlin AFB to teach future pilots as a T-38 
instructor pilot and flight examiner. He continued as an instructor 
pilot and assistant operations officers at Randolph Air Force Base, TX. 
Then, as a testament to Captain Chandler's achievements as a T-38 
instructor pilot, he was selected to fly the Air Force's premier air 
superiority fighter, the F-15 Eagle. Stationed at Kadena Air Base, 
Japan with the 67th Tactical Fighter Squadron, he continued to shine in 
the air and on the ground as a squadron standardization officer, flight 
commander, and wing flight examiner. His prowess in the air earned him 
a selection to become the chief of Air-to-Air Tactics Branch at 
Headquarters Pacific Air Forces, Hickam Air Force Base, HI. His talents 
were quickly realized, and he was selected to become the aide-de-camp 
to the commander-in-chief of U.C. Pacific Command at Camp H.M. Smith, 
HI, and then the Air Force aide to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of 
Staff, the Pentagon, Washington, DC, positions for which only the elite 
are selected. Following his assignment at the Pentagon, he was once 
again stationed at Kadena, where he flourished at every position he 
held: assistant operations officer of the 44th Tactical Fighter 
Squadron, chief of standardization and evaluation, operations officer 
of the 67th Tactical Fighter Squadron, and commander of the 44th 
Fighter Squadron. Having demonstrated his impeccable leadership, he was 
selected to be the chief of the Operations Inspection Division at 
Headquarters Pacific Air Forces at Hickam Air Force Base, HI, and then 
he deployed to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, as the chief of Air Force 
Division, U.S. Central Command Forward, from 1992 to 1994.
  In 1994, Colonel Chandler was selected for back-to-back-to-back 
commands, commanding the 554th Support Group at Nellis Air Force Base, 
NV, the 33rd Fighter Wing at Eglin Air Force Base, FL, and the 56th 
Fighter Wing at Luke Air Force Base, AZ. Now, Brigadier General 
Chandler was selected to become the chief of headquarters staff 
followed by assistant chief of staff for operations, A-3 Division, of 
Headquarters Allied Air Forces Southern Europe, Naples, Italy. After 
being promoted, Major General Chandler returned to Washington, DC to 
become the director for expeditionary aerospace force implementation, 
followed by the director of operational plans, deputy chief of staff 
for air and space operations. Moving from the Pentagon to Langley Air 
Force Base, VA, he became the director of aerospace operations. General 
Chandler continued to demonstrate excellence and was selected for 
promotion to lieutenant general and selected to command Alaskan 
Command, Alaskan North American Aerospace Defense Command Region, 11th 
Air Force and Joint Task Force, Elmendorf Air Force Base, AK. Following 
this assignment, he returned to Washington, DC, to lead as the deputy 
chief of staff for operations, plans and requirements, Headquarters 
U.S. Air Force. general Chandler was selected for the rank of general 
and asked to return once again to the Pacific theater to command the 
Pacific Air Forces at Hickam Air Force Base, HI. Finally, he was 
selected to become the second highest ranking officer in the Air Force 
as the Vice Chief of Staff of the Air Force, where he has served for 
over a year.
  Under General Chandler's leadership, the Air Force handled some of 
our most challenging issues, including the $40 billion KC-X acquisition 
program, creation of Air Force Cyber Command, force structure 
realignment, and creation of Air Force Global Strike Command. Finally, 
General Chandler led the drive for what I consider the Air Force's most 
pressing issue: recapitalization. Through General Chandler's 
leadership, the Air Force secured a budget of $1.7 billion for bomber 
and air-to-ground weapons, acquired $8.2 billion for fighter and 
munitions programs, and laid the foundation for $200 million in 
supplemental munitions funding. The leadership, insight, and dedication 
of General Chandler have been instrumental in building lasting and 
trusting relationships with the U.S. Congress, resulting in an overall 
increase in U.S. national security.
  The breadth and depth of General Chandler's assignments and the 
professionalism with which he has carried them out reflect a keen 
intellect, an unwavering dedication to the Air Force mission, and an 
unrivaled grasp of national security policies developed through both 
personal experience and academic instruction. General Chandler earned a 
master's degree in management, attended the Executive Program for 
General Officers at the John F. Kennedy School of Government at 
Harvard, and the Navy Senior Leader Business Course at the University 
of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. While he has received many 
distinguished awards and decorations, it is General Chandler's 
commitment and sacrifice to this Nation that make him stand out among 
his peers.
  I have the utmost trust in and respect for General Chandler, gained 
over the past several years through our personal interaction during 
numerous meetings and hearings, including the annual Altus Quail 
Breakfast and meetings of the U.S. Air Force Academy's board of 
visitors, which I have been honored to attend. I will miss his honesty 
and frankness, a trait that has served him, the Air Force, and this 
Nation well during his time as a senior Air Force leader.
  On behalf of Congress and the United States of America, I thank 
General Chandler, his wife Eva-Marie, and their three children, Carl, 
Rose-Marie, and Thomas, for their commitment, sacrifice, and 
contribution to this great Nation. I congratulate General Chandler on 
the completion of an exemplary Active-Duty career and wish him and his 
family Godspeed in the next phase of his life.

                          ____________________