[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 160 (2014), Part 11]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 15981]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




IN TRIBUTE TO MCPO. EDWIN F. (BUD) ATKINS (RET.) ON HIS INDUCTION INTO 
                 THE CONNECTICUT VETERANS HALL OF FAME

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                           HON. JOE COURTNEY

                             of connecticut

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, November 18, 2014

  Mr. COURTNEY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor a constituent whose 
lifelong service in our nation's military is truly breathtaking. Our 
men and women in uniform are regularly called upon to sacrifice large 
spans of time away from family, usually with limited contact and in 
dangerous conditions. In few jobs within the military is that truer 
than for our submariners, who can spend months at a time without even 
seeing the light of day, yet Master Chief Petty Officer Edwin F. (Bud) 
Atkins of Oakdale, Connecticut has partaken in a total of twenty 
patrols, spending time attached to nine different submarines.
  Bud first enlisted, not as a sailor, but as a soldier in his native 
Wisconsin National Guard in 1949. He then joined the Navy in February, 
1954 and attended Basic Submarine School before reporting to the USS 
Wahoo (SS 565). After this first assignment, he briefly left the active 
service and joined the Naval Reserve, before returning to active duty. 
He then reported to the USS Congor (SS 477) followed by the USS Corsair 
(SS 435) to take part in the opening of the St. Lawrence Seaway in 
1959.
  Upon completion of that tour, he took part in thirteen strategic 
patrols during which he became a ``plankholder,'' a member of the first 
crew aboard a commissioned naval vessel, on the USS Sculpin (SSN590), 
USS Daniel Webster (SSBN 626) and the USS Francis Scott Key (SSBN 657). 
In 1969, he returned to staff duty at the submarine base in Groton, 
Connecticut to become the leading instructor in Advanced Nuclear 
Weapons, educating a new generation of submariners in the details of 
their unique craft.
  In June of 1973, Bud reported to the USS Kamehameha (SSBN 642) to 
lead his first patrol as Chief of the Boat, the highest ranking 
enlisted personnel on a submarine. He then led six more over ten years 
assigned to the submarine's Gold crew. Upon completing his final patrol 
with the Kamehameha, Bud returned to Groton as Staff Command Master 
Chief for Submarine Group Two.
  Already with more than twenty-five years in the Navy, Bud's desire to 
serve never died. In continuing his naval career, Bud reported to 
precommissioning units for both the USS Michigan and USS Alabama (SSBN 
731), serving as Chief of the Boat for both. Following commissioning of 
the Alabama, Bud served as the Group Command Master Chief for Submarine 
Group Nine, one of the Navy's highest enlisted positions, before 
retiring in March 1988 after forty years of service.
  A life member of the U.S. Submarine Veterans, a Holland Club Member, 
and former Base Vice Commander of the Groton Base U.S. Submarine 
Veterans, Inc. Master Chief Atkins' service still hasn't fully ended. 
Not only is he an active member of the Connecticut veterans community, 
he also still serves as a Captain in the Second Company of the 
Governor's Foot Guard, a unit that, while largely ceremonial, is still 
officially part of the Connecticut military.
  While Bud's service is incredible in both its length and its profound 
impact on numerous ships of the U.S. submarine fleet, the sacrifice of 
his family must be recognized as well. He is married to the former 
Frances Somers of Amherst, Wisconsin, with whom he has two children. I 
wish Bud the best in his induction into the Connecticut Veteran's Hall 
of Fame this week.

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