[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 158 (2012), Part 8]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages 11683-11684]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                   HONORING SERGEANT MAJOR TAMMY COON

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. GRACE F. NAPOLITANO

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, July 18, 2012

  Mrs. NAPOLITANO. Mr. Speaker, I along with Representative Issa rise 
today to pay tribute to Sergeant Major Tammy Coon, United States Army. 
Sergeant Major Coon has served a distinguished career in the United 
States Army, spanning over twenty eight years. She has distinguished 
herself with exceptional meritorious service in a succession of 
positions of great importance and responsibility to the Army and the 
nation. She has culminated her military career in the Army's Office of 
the Chief of legislative Liaison as a Congressional Legislative Liaison 
to the United States House of Representatives for the past 2 years. 
Additionally, she is the first Sergeant Major in the United States Army 
to serve as a Congressional Legislative Liaison to the House of 
Representatives. Over the course of the 28 years which she has spent in 
uniform serving her country, she has been cited by her command as 
exhibiting outstanding initiative, leadership and professionalism in 
all of her actions. In doing so, she has made significant contributions 
to the welfare of soldiers and their families, to say nothing of the 
service she has provided to the people of this nation.
  Sergeant Major Coon's previous positions of significant leadership 
included: First Sergeant, Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 1st 
Space Brigade, Colorado Springs, Colorado; Chief, Enlisted Promotions, 
Human Resources Command, Alexandria, Virginia; Senior Enlisted Advisor, 
Directorate of Personnel, Multi-National Forces-Iraq (MNF-I), Baghdad, 
Iraq; Senior Enlisted Advisor, Special Management Division, Human 
Resources Command, Alexandria, Virginia; and Senior Enlisted Advisor 
for Soldier Programs/Community Recreation, Department of the Army, 
Alexandria, VA.
  Sergeant Major Tammy Coon served as a Congressional Legislative 
Liaison to the United States House of Representatives, Washington, DC. 
During this assignment she served as the primary point of contact for 
70 Members of Congress within the Pacific Region, which included 
California, Nevada, Hawaii, Guam, American Samoa and the Commonwealth 
of the Northern Mariana Islands.

[[Page 11684]]

Additionally, she served as the Army House Liaison Division's primary 
point of contact for Wounded Warrior Care issues and for the Mental 
Health and Invisible Wounds Caucuses, routinely interacting with 
Members of Congress and senior staffers.
  As First Sergeant, Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 1st Space 
Brigade, Colorado Springs, Colorado, she was responsible for 
discipline, health & welfare, safety, and training of 120 active duty, 
reserve, and National Guard soldiers as well as 130 Department of the 
Army Civilians. Even though the unit was deployed in five separate 
locations, Sergeant Major Coon ensured that the soldiers, civilians, 
and families were well cared for.
  Sergeant Major Tammy Coon served as the Chief, Enlisted Promotions, 
Human Resources Command, Alexandria, Virginia. She managed the 
Department of the Army's enlisted promotion system, affecting Army 
enlisted soldiers worldwide. Her guidance and leadership were 
instrumental in the execution of over 50,000 promotions annually, while 
markedly increasing the efficiency of the promotion process. 
Additionally, Sergeant Major Coon reviewed and provided input for 
regulatory guidance revisions. She routinely proposed new initiatives 
and prepared correspondence on behalf of the President, Congress and 
Department of Army Senior Leadership.
  As the Senior Enlisted Advisor, Directorate of Personnel, Multi-
National Forces-Iraq (MNF-I), Baghdad, Iraq, she was the principal 
advisor for all enlisted personnel readiness and Human Resource 
management issues for 150,000 U.S. military and 13,000 members from 25 
Coalition Countries deployed in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. 
During this time she developed, synchronized, and implemented personnel 
policies and training that impacted enlisted members throughout the 
Iraqi theater.
  As the Senior Enlisted Advisor, Special Management Division, Human 
Resources Command, Alexandria, Virginia, Sergeant Major Coon was 
responsible for the manpower management and strength management of 
enlisted personnel assigned to Special Mission Units (SMU) and Special 
Access Programs (SAP) which support national security objectives. SGM 
Coon compiled, analyzed, and produced personnel statistical information 
for all enlisted career management fields quarterly reviews ensuring 
that these units were properly manned in order to execute missions 
directed by the National Command Authority.
  While serving as the Senior Enlisted Advisor for Soldier Programs/
Community Recreation, Department of the Army, Alexandria, Virginia, she 
coordinated and implemented Soldier Programs for 84 United States Army 
Garrisons and had oversight of a $40 million budget. She co-authored 
and analyzed strategies and surveys for various Army initiatives and 
served as lead trainer for all Soldier programs across the Army, 
training over 30,000 Soldiers and civilians.
  Sergeant Major Coon is the perfect representative of the United 
States Army. We have gotten to know Sergeant Major Coon as the 
``soldier with a smile''. She brings an enjoyment and enthusiasm to 
serving her country and representing the Army that is unparalleled in 
the halls of Congress. We are grateful for the advocacy Sergeant Major 
Coon has done on behalf of the physical and mental well being of 
soldiers and their families. Sergeant Major Coon has provided us with 
advice and counsel on issues affecting wounded warriors and their 
families that has lead to legislative action improving wounded warrior 
care and mental health care. We particularly appreciate the work 
Sergeant Major Coon has done with our staff in providing them with the 
materials, briefings and support they need to work on issues affecting 
the Army.
  Sergeant Major Coon's dedication to duty and superior leadership has 
left an indelible mark on the United States Army, the soldiers with 
whom she has served, and the Congress of the United States. Her 
actions, in over 28 years of military service, are in keeping with the 
finest traditions of the United States Army. We have been honored to 
work with Sergeant Major Coon, and thank her for extraordinary service 
to our nation.

                          ____________________