[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 157 (2011), Part 5]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 7260]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                  HONORING LT. COLONEL ALFRED FRANCIS

                                 ______
                                 

                       HON. DONNA M. CHRISTENSEN

                         of the virgin islands

                    in the house of representatives

                         Thursday, May 12, 2011

  Mrs. CHRISTENSEN. Mr. Speaker, next Friday, an outstanding member of 
our military who hails from my district in the U.S. Virgin Islands will 
receive a promotion to Colonel at the Pentagon and I rise today to 
salute his service to our country.
  Lt. Colonel Alfred Francis, known as ``Plow'' to his family and 
friends as a native of St. Croix in the U.S. Virgin Islands, is 
currently assigned to The Army Staff, Pentagon here in Washington, DC, 
and has served there since 2009. He previously commanded the 304th 
Signal Battalion, 1st Signal Brigade, Camp Stanley, Korea from 2007 to 
2009. Prior to serving in Korea, Lt. Colonel Francis served at the 
Pentagon, assigned to DISA's Joint Staff Support Center as Division 
Chief, NMCC Operations. He deployed in support of ENDURING FREEDOM 
between 2002 and 2005. He was assigned to Headquarters, 25th Infantry 
Division (Light), Schoefield Barrack, Hawaii, serving as the Assistant 
Division Signal Officer/Deputy G6 and as the Executive Officer, 125th 
Signal Battalion and later as Deputy CJ6, CJTF-76.
  Lt. Colonel Francis received his Bachelor of Science Degree and ROTC 
Commission as a Distinguished Military Graduate from Alabama A&M 
University in 1989. He has a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical 
Engineering Technology and Minor in Mathematics and a Master of Science 
degree in Quality Systems Management from the National Graduate School. 
Upon completion of the Signal Officers Basic Course, he was assigned to 
the 279th Signal Platoon, Kaiserlautern, Germany, where he served as a 
Platoon Leader and Exercise and Plans officer from 1990 to 1993.
  Upon graduation from the Signal Officers Advanced Course at Fort 
Gordon, Georgia, he was assigned to 525th Military Intelligence, XVIII 
Airborne Corps, Fort Bragg, North Carolina, where he served as Brigade 
Signal Officer, then Company Commander of A Company-327th Signal 
Battalion, 35th Signal Brigade (Corps, Airborne) from 1994 to 1996. He 
was then assigned to the Military District of Washington, where he 
served on the 1997 Presidential Inaugural Committee as Chief, Visual 
Information Branch, followed by assignments within the Defense 
Information System Agency, DISA, as a Commercial Satellite 
Communications Officer and as a Communication Watch Officer in the 
National Military Command Center, NMCC, Joint Staff, Pentagon from 1996 
to 2000.
  Lt. Colonel Francis' awards and decorations include the Defense 
Meritorious Service Medal, the Army Commendation Medal, the Meritorious 
Service Medal, the Joint Staff Commendation Medal, the Army Achievement 
Medal, the National Defense Service Medal with Bronze Star, the Armed 
Forces Expeditionary Medal, the Afghanistan Campaign Medal, the Global 
War on Terrorism Service Medal, the Korean Defense Service Medal, the 
Joint Meritorious Unit Award, the Joint Staff Badge, the Army Staff 
Badge and the Parachutist Badge.
  Mr. Speaker, the people of Fredriksted, St. Croix, the U.S. Virgin 
Islands and indeed the entire nation are proud of Lt. Colonel Francis. 
He is an exemplary young American who serves as a role model to the 
young people of our islands and is a source of pride to his parents, 
Betty L. Wilson and Divincy ``Tino'' Francis. We salute him on the 
occasion of his promotion to Colonel.

                          ____________________