[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 157 (2011), Part 4]
[House]
[Pages 4825-4826]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




  TRIBUTE TO GENERAL GEORGE W. CASEY, JR., 36TH CHIEF OF STAFF OF THE 
                           UNITED STATES ARMY

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
Texas (Mr. Carter) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. CARTER. Madam Speaker, Congressman Silvestre Reyes and I would 
like to take this opportunity to honor General George W. Casey, Jr., 
the 36th Chief of Staff of the United States Army, for his 
extraordinary dedication to duty and service to our Nation.
  As cochairs of the House Army Caucus, Congressman Reyes and I have 
had the privilege of working with General Casey as he led our Army 
through a difficult period of transformation, simultaneously 
rebalancing and modernizing the Army while our Nation was engaged in 
two wars. After 40 years of distinguished service, General Casey will 
retire from active military duty in June of 2011.
  General Casey is the epitome of the consummate professional, 
exemplifying the special qualities exhibited by all transformational 
military leaders: a strong sense of duty, honor, courage, and love of 
country.
  General Casey continued the tradition of military service to his 
country that was started by his father, Major General George W. Casey, 
Sr., commander of the First Cavalry Division, who died in a helicopter 
crash on July 7, 1970, in Vietnam. That same year, General Casey was 
commissioned as a second lieutenant in the Infantry from Georgetown 
University's Army Reserve Officers Training Corps.
  He went on to excel in a variety of command and staff assignments, 
including notable participation in Operation Joint Endeavor in Bosnia 
and Operation Iraqi Freedom in Iraq. He commanded the First Armored 
Division in 1999 to 2001, served as the director of Strategic Plans and 
Policy (J-5) of the Joint Staff in 2001, and director of the Joint 
Staff in 2003.
  Following these Joint Staff assignments, General Casey served as the 
30th Vice Chief of Staff for the Army until June 2004. From 2004 until 
2007, General Casey commanded the Multinational Force Iraq, a coalition 
of 32 countries, where he oversaw the transition of three separate 
Iraqi Governments. He set the conditions for transition to Iraqi-led 
security, which, in turn, enabled the successful drawdown of U.S. 
forces from Iraq. He was a powerful influence for democratic change in 
Iraq, steadily improving the security and political environment in the 
country so that, in 2005, Iraq was able to conduct open and transparent 
national elections.
  On April 10, 2007, General Casey became the Chief of Staff of the 
United States Army. Since assuming this position, General Casey's 
leadership and commitment have contributed immeasurably to ensuring 
America's Army remains the preeminent military force in the world. As 
the Army's Chief of Staff, General Casey has provided the strategic 
leadership and vision to complete the most comprehensive transformation 
of the Army since World War II, building versatile and modular units 
and improving the capabilities of soldiers to conduct full-spectrum 
operations.
  General Casey has proven himself a tremendous wartime leader, 
demonstrating unselfish devotion to our Nation and to the soldiers he 
leads. Responsible for the organization, training, readiness, 
mobilization, and deployment of Army forces, he has worked tirelessly 
to successfully restore balance to a force stretched and stressed by 
the demands of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
  Above all, General Casey has never wavered from his personal 
commitment to support the soldiers and families who are the heart and 
soul of the United States Army. He implemented the Army Family Covenant 
and the Army Community Covenant to expand and improve services and 
raise awareness about the unique challenges military families face.
  Madam Speaker, during times of uncertainty and crisis, our Nation has 
been fortunate to have exceptional men and women who step forward and 
calmly lead. Such a man is General George W. Casey, Jr. He has been 
exemplary in his selfless service for our country through war, peace, 
and personal trial.
  It is with profound admiration and deep respect that we pay tribute 
to General George W. Casey, Jr., for all he has done for the United 
States Army and this country. We thank General Casey, his wife, Sheila, 
and his two sons, Sean and Ryan, for their dedication and sacrifice on 
behalf of our soldiers, our Army, and our Nation.
  As a personal aside, several years ago, I was on a plane that was 
grounded in Germany coming back from a

[[Page 4826]]

codel in the Middle East, and here comes the Commander in Chief of the 
Army jogging up to the airfield just to say hello to the congressional 
delegation. He is a great man.

                          ____________________