[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 157 (2011), Part 8]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 11978]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




 HONORING LIEUTENANT COLONEL WILLIAM R. TRACY ON HIS PROMOTION TO THE 
             RANK OF COLONEL IN THE UNITED STATES AIR FORCE

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. DANIEL LIPINSKI

                              of illinois

                    in the house of representatives

                         Monday, July 25, 2011

  Mr. LIPINSKI. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor a great American and 
constituent of Illinois' 3rd Congressional District, Lieutenant Colonel 
William R. Tracy. On July 29th, 2011, he will be promoted to the rank 
of Colonel in the United States Air Force. William Tracy's talent and 
commitment were obvious 25 years ago when he received his appointment 
to the United States Air Force Academy from my father, Representative 
William O. Lipinski. I am privileged today to recognize Lt. Col. Tracy 
for his exemplary service to our country.
  Upon his graduation from the United States Air Force Academy in 1990 
as a Second Lieutenant, Lt. Col. Tracy served for three years as a 
maintenance officer at Luke Air Force Base in Arizona. After his 
completion of flight training to become an F-15C Eagle Pilot, Lt. Col. 
Tracy served at Tyndall Air Force Base. Over the past 17 years he has 
accumulated more than 2,000 flying hours, including participation in 
no-fly missions over both northern and southern Iraq. While taking part 
in these no-fly missions, Lt. Col. Tracy was awarded a Purple Heart for 
injuries sustained when an insurgent's bomb exploded near him in Saudi 
Arabia.
  Lt. Col. Tracy graduated in the top ten percent of his class at the 
Air Force Staff and Command Academy, demonstrating his intellect and 
work ethic, and received his promotion to Lieutenant Colonel upon 
graduation from the Air Force War College. Due to his excellent 
leadership qualities, the Air Force placed Lt. Col. Tracy as commanding 
officer of a Test and Evaluation Squadron at Nellis Air Force Base, 
where he currently serves today.
  I would like to recognize the dedication, skill, and valor Lt. Col. 
Tracy has displayed throughout his career in the United States Air 
Force. We are all thankful for his service and the sacrifices he has 
made during his lifetime of service to the United States. I 
congratulate Lt. Col. William R. Tracy on his promotion and I will 
continue to follow his career closely as he continues to be an asset to 
our armed services.

                          ____________________