[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 158 (2012), Part 12]
[Senate]
[Page 17163]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




             TRIBUTE TO LIEUTENANT COLONEL KEVIN K. CALLIES

 Mr. JOHNSON of South Dakota. Mr. President, today I wish to 
pay tribute to LTC Kevin K. Callies, upon his retirement from the South 
Dakota Air National Guard. Lieutenant Colonel Callies has served as the 
financial manager for the 114th Fighter Wing in Sioux Falls, SD, since 
2003. His career with the South Dakota Air National Guard has spanned a 
period of over 30 years.
  Lieutenant Colonel Callies began his career in the South Dakota Air 
National Guard in 1977 as a traditional guardsman in personnel. In 
1978, he transitioned to finance, where he would spend most of his 
career. In 1988, while working full time, he earned a bachelor of 
science in business administration from National College, now known as 
National American University. After almost 17 years of enlisted 
service, he received his commission through the Academy of Military 
Science in 1993.
  Lieutenant Colonel Callies excelled in the field of finance, with 
positions in civilian pay, military pay, accounting, and budget. His 
superior knowledge of financial management has earned him numerous 
awards locally and nationally. In both 1997 and 2004, Lieutenant 
Colonel Callies's unit, the 114th Fighter Wing, was named Air National 
Guard Financial Management and Comptroller Office of the year. As one 
of the best financial managers in the Air National Guard, the National 
Guard Bureau and the Pentagon have sought out his expertise.
  He served as a member of the Resource Protection Team, RPT, and held 
the position of commander from 1993 to 2002. While on the RPT he dealt 
with security issues related to the September 11 attacks, visits by the 
President, and forest fires. In 2002, Lieutenant Colonel Callies 
accepted a position as logistics manager, where he was in charge of all 
the activation activities, expeditionary combat support, and deployment 
functions of the 114th Fighter Wing during their deployment to Turkey 
to support Operation Northern Watch. After serving as logistics 
manager, he returned to finance and in 2010 was deployed to Haiti to 
assist with a Joint Command financial management mission with the U.S. 
Army.
  It is an honor for me to share Lieutenant Colonel Callies's 
accomplishments with my colleagues and publicly commend him for his 
hard work and the many years of dedicated service he has given the 
South Dakota Air National Guard and our Nation. I wish Kevin a happy 
and healthy retirement with his wife Joyce and their four 
children.

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