[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 158 (2012), Part 4]
[Senate]
[Page 4606]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                  TRIBUTE TO COLONEL RICHARD C. GROSS

 Mr. GRAHAM. Mr. President, I ask my colleagues to join me in 
recognizing COL Richard ``Rich'' C. Gross on the occasion of his 
promotion to brigadier general in the U.S. Army. This is a tremendous 
honor, for which he should be especially proud.
  A devoted patriot, Rich has dedicated the past 27 years to serving 
our Armed Forces and protecting our Nation. After graduating from the 
U.S. Military Academy at West Point, he was commissioned in the U.S. 
Army as a second lieutenant in the Infantry. Rich's first assignment 
took him to the 82nd Airborne Division at Fort Bragg, NC, where he 
served in numerous leadership positions. While there, he was accepted 
into the Army's Funded Legal Education Program. In 1993, he graduated 
from the University of Virginia School of Law and entered the U.S. Army 
Judge Advocate General's, JAG, Corps. He later earned a master's degree 
in strategic studies from the U.S. Army War College at Carlisle 
Barracks, PA.
  As a JAG, Rich served in numerous positions across the world. He 
began serving in the 101st Airborne Division, Fort Campbell, KY. After 
assignments at the U.S. Army Litigation Division in Arlington, VA, and 
the 1st Special Operational Detachment--Delta, Fort Bragg, he was 
assigned to the V Corps, Heidelberg, Germany, as the deputy staff judge 
advocate, SJA. Most recently, he served as the SJA for U.S. Central 
Command, USCENTCOM, at MacDill AFB, Tampa, FL.
  I had the opportunity to serve with Rich in Kabul, Afghanistan, and 
was able to see firsthand his strong work ethic, good character, and 
integrity. As the chief legal advisor for the International Security 
Assistance Force, ISAF, and SJA for U.S. Forces--Afghanistan, USFOR-A, 
Rich is an invaluable asset to our Armed Forces and, as a leader, has 
set an example for other service men to follow.
  Rich has received numerous awards, including the Defense Superior 
Service Medal, the Legion of Merit, the Bronze Star with two Oak Leaf 
Clusters, the Defense Meritorious Service Medal, the Army Meritorious 
Service Medal with Oak Leaf Cluster, and the Non-Article 5 NATO Medal. 
He is a recipient of the U.S. Army Ranger Tab, Master Parachutist 
Badge, Air Assault Badge, and Expert Infantryman Badge.
  I ask the Senate join me in congratulating Richard C. Gross on his 
promotion to Army, brigadier general. We thank him for his lifelong 
dedication to our Armed Forces and Nation. I wish Rich the very best in 
his future endeavors.

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