[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 163 (2017), Part 8]
[House]
[Page 11146]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                        RECOGNIZING STEVE BANTA

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
Texas (Mr. Farenthold) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. FARENTHOLD. Mr. Speaker, I am here today to recognize a great 
American patriot, Captain Steve Banta, call-sign ``Slash,'' who will be 
retiring this week from his post as commanding officer of Naval Air 
Station Corpus Christi.
  A 1991 graduate of the United States Naval Academy, where he earned a 
bachelor's degree in engineering, Captain Banta completed primary naval 
aviation training with the VT-27 Boomers at NAS Corpus Christi, and was 
designated a naval aviator on March 18, 1994.
  His sea duty included deployments on various cruisers, destroyers, 
frigates to the Mediterranean, Arabian Gulf, Caribbean, Southeast 
Pacific, and other areas. During his deployment as maintenance officer 
with HSL-44 Detachment Four, they were the first in the fleet to test 
the Hellfire missile.
  On September 11, 2001, he was deployed on the USS Carl Vinson with 
Carrier Group Three. During the first 4 months of Operation Enduring 
Freedom, he coordinated the daily schedule of more than 40 helicopters 
in 16 different aviation units. In 2009 and 2010, he served as 
commanding officer of the world famous HSL-48 Vipers. During his 
tenure, they earned multiple awards for tactical and retention 
excellence.
  Captain Banta's shore duties includes tours as a Seahawk helicopter 
flight instructor, as an analyst in the Pentagon for the Navy's role in 
Operation Enduring Freedom, and as the lead country program director 
for Afghanistan with the Defense Security Cooperation Agency.
  He earned a master's degree in national security strategy at the 
National War College in 2011.
  Captain Banta assumed command of Naval Air Station Corpus Christi on 
June 26, 2014. During his tour, improvements in infrastructure, program 
management, and quality of life resulted in numerous awards, including 
Department of Defense Fire Department of the Year, Fire Department 
National Accreditation, SECNAV Gold Award for Energy and Water 
Management, and CNO Shore Safety Award. The Wingspan Newspaper was 
ranked number one in the Navy, and the base was on the A-list for 
outstanding customer satisfaction in family housing, and more.
  Captain Banta has been an invaluable asset to the Navy, south Texas, 
and the United States. I wish him and his wife, Sarah, a Corpus Christi 
native, best of luck as he moves into civilian life and begins his new 
job as executive director of the USS Lexington Museum on the Bay. Thank 
you, Captain Banta, for your service.

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