[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 157 (2011), Part 4]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages 4596-4597]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




 HONORING SFC TAMMY AMARO FOR THIRTY YEARS OF DEDICATED SERVICE TO THE 
                           UNITED STATES ARMY

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. DANIEL LIPINSKI

                              of illinois

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, March 29, 2011

  Mr. LIPINSKI. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to extend my most sincere 
congratulations and thanks to SFC Tammy Amaro, a constituent of mine, 
who retired on January 1, 2011 after thirty years of service in the 
United States Army. On behalf of the residents of Illinois' 3rd 
District, I am grateful to have the opportunity to thank her for 
devoting her career to the U.S. Army and the defense of our nation.
  Recruited at the age of 17 by her future husband, then-PFC Frank 
Amaro, on December 10, 1980, she immediately demonstrated her potential 
and quickly advanced. Her two promotions during her first assignment in 
the Adjutant General's office demonstrated her outstanding leadership 
abilities. When she reached boot camp in the summer of 1981, she served 
as Platoon Guide and was nominated and competed for Trainee of the 
Cycle, a highly competitive title.
  During SFC Amaro's career, she has collected many honors for 
exceptional service. She received her first medal while serving at Fort 
Benjamin Harrison; this honor was followed by ten other awards. Her 
decorations, including the National Defense Service Ribbon and the 
Armed Forces Reserve Medal, show a rare level of dedication to our 
nation.
  Shortly after returning from Advanced Individual Training at Fort 
Benjamin Harrison, SFC Amaro was promoted to the rank of Sergeant on 
November 1, 1982. She dedicated 13 years of service, eight active, in 
the 86th ARCOM before being promoted to Staff Sergeant and transferring 
to the 85th Training Division in Arlington Heights in 1993.
  Not only has SFC Amaro been selfless in her service to this country, 
she simultaneously managed the competing demands of motherhood. In 
1996, she transferred away from active duty to the Individual Ready 
Reserve so she could be home full time to care for her daughters 
Christina, Catherine, and Jacqueline. She then returned to the Army 
Reserves four years later to serve another ten years before retirement.
  In that time, she served as the Senior Human Resource NCO for the 1st 
Brigade, 85th Division at Fort Sheridan, and as the Operations NCO for 
the Emergency Operations Center for the 416th Theater Engineer Command 
in Darien, Illinois. On December 10, 2010, exactly thirty years from 
her recruitment date, SFC Amaro completed her last day of

[[Page 4597]]

service, marking twenty years of active duty and ten years in the 
reserves.
  If SFC Amaro's military career were not enough of an achievement on 
its own, she has been a devoted mother of three, engaged in her 
community and children's schools, and remained an active parishioner at 
St. Leonard's church in Berwyn, Illinois.
  Please join me in thanking SFC Amaro for a career of service to the 
United States and wishing her a long and happy retirement. She is truly 
an inspiration and a great American. I am proud to have SFC Amaro as a 
constituent and a fellow resident of the 3rd District.

                          ____________________