[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 159 (2013), Part 10]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 13867]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




           RECOGNIZING AND COMMENDING CSM (RET.) ELLIS DANDY

                                 ______
                                 

                      HON. SANFORD D. BISHOP, JR.

                               of georgia

                    in the house of representatives

                     Wednesday, September 18, 2013

  Mr. BISHOP of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to 
Command Sergeant Major (Retired) Ellis Dandy, who will be retiring from 
Fort Benning's Equal Employment Office after more than 52 years of 
combined active duty military and civil service. He will be honored at 
a retirement ceremony on Thursday, September 19, 2013 at 12:30 p.m. at 
McGinnis Wickam Hall at Fort Benning.
  A Columbus, Georgia native, Mr. Dandy enlisted in the United States 
Army after graduating from high school in 1960. Throughout his military 
career, he served tours of duty in Europe, Southeast Asia and Korea. He 
taught at Army schools and served first as an Instructor/Facilitator 
and later as a Senior Instructor at the former Department of Defense 
Race Relations Institute, which is now called the Defense Equal 
Opportunity Management Institute. His last assignment on active duty 
was at the Pentagon where he served as the Army's Sergeant Major for 
Equal Opportunity (EO).
  After 25 years of military service, Mr. Dandy retired in 1986 with 
the rank of Sergeant Major (E9). He earned both an Associate and 
Bachelor of Arts degree in Sociology/Psychology from the University of 
Maryland while on active duty. He also completed the requirements for a 
Master's in Management from Troy State University shortly after his 
retirement. His military decorations include the Legion of Merit Medal, 
Bronze Star Medal, Department of Defense Commendation Medal, Army 
Commendation Medal (2), Purple Heart Medal, Combat Infantryman's Badge 
and the Army's General Staff Badge, among others.
  Not long after his retirement, Mr. Dandy chose to again serve his 
country as a civil servant and accepted a position as Equal Employment 
Officer with the United States Food and Drug Administration in 
Rockville, Maryland in 1987.
  In 1988, the Second Congressional District of Georgia gained an 
extraordinary and hardworking citizen when Mr. Dandy moved to Fort 
Benning, Georgia where he has served as the Equal Employment Manager 
ever since. Under his leadership, the office has been honored with 
numerous Department of the Army and Army Major Command awards, 
including three times Best EEO Program Management, Most Supportive EEO 
Officer, Best EEO Complaints Program Management, and four times Best 
EEO Program Activities.
  Mr. Dandy wears many hats, both in his line of work and out in the 
surrounding communities. He is a Certified Mediator, Race/Human 
Relations Trainer, and Small Group Facilitator. He is also an Ordained 
Baptist Deacon at his church, where he serves on the Trustee Board and 
sings in the Senior Gospel Choir.
  Mr. Dandy has served in various capacities including president and/or 
board member with the American Red Cross West Central Georgia Chapter; 
Muscogee County Junior Marshall's Program; Greater Columbus Urban 
League and the League's Guild Affiliate; Annual Black History Breakfast 
Committee; National Association for the Advancement of Colored People 
(NAACP); Columbus Consolidated Government's Personnel Review Board; 
Columbus Mayor's Commission on Diversity; Columbus Times Newspaper 
Advisory Board; Lupus Foundation of America; Controller's Civic and 
Social Club; and the American Cancer Society, Columbus Chapter's 
Minority Task Force.
  On a personal note, I have been blessed over the years with Mr. 
Dandy's longstanding friendship. He is one of the founding members of 
my Black History Observance Committee in Columbus, Georgia and I can 
personally attest to his strong commitment and enduring dedication to 
his country and his community.
  Mr. Dandy has certainly accomplished many things in his life but none 
of this would have been possible without the love and support of his 
wife Edith, their six children and twelve grandchildren.
  Mr. Speaker, today I ask my colleagues to join me, my wife, Vivian, 
and the more than 700,000 people in Georgia's 2nd Congressional 
District in recognizing, commending and extending our sincerest 
appreciation to Mr. Ellis Dandy, a true jack of all trades, for his 
years of outstanding service to our nation and his dedication to 
serving his community.

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