[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 163 (2017), Part 9]
[Senate]
[Page 12614]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




        TRIBUTE TO CHIEF MASTER SERGEANT ROBERT ``TREY'' WALKER

  Mr. BOOZMAN. Mr. President, today I wish to recognize and 
congratulate a tremendous airman, CMSgt Robert ``Trey'' Walker, on his 
recent promotion to the highest enlisted rank within the U.S. Air 
Force, effective August 1, 2017. Selection for chief master sergeant is 
extremely competitive, as only 1 percent of the Air Force's entire 
enlisted population may hold the pay grade of E-9 at any time. Chief 
Walker clearly epitomizes the finest qualities of a military leader, as 
evidenced by his distinguished career and elevation to the highest 
enlisted level of leadership within the Air Force.
  Chief Master Sergeant Walker entered the U.S. Air Force on September 
11, 1996, as a voice network systems specialist and was later selected 
for retraining into the field of imagery intelligence. Chief Walker's 
honorable service has spanned numerous overseas and stateside 
assignments including four European countries, two States, and the 
Nation's Capital. He has also completed several deployments in support 
of Operations Desert Fox, Northern Watch, and Enduring Freedom. Chief 
Walker currently serves as the deputy chief of strategic basing and 
force structure in the Office of the Secretary of the Air Force's 
legislative liaison directorate.
  Chief Master Sergeant Walker has chosen to repeatedly lead his airmen 
by example. Despite years of challenging work schedules and countless 
military obligations, Chief Walker elected to make his education a 
priority. Since 2005, he has earned two associate degrees, a bachelor's 
degree, two master's degrees, and a graduate-level certificate. 
Furthermore, Chief Walker's outstanding performance has garnered 
numerous accolades, including the 548th ISR Group's Lance P. Sijan 
Leadership Award, the Noncommissioned Officer Academy's Distinguished 
Graduate Award, the Senior Noncommissioned Officer Academy's 
Distinguished Graduate Award and Academic Achievement Award.
  As a true testament to Chief Master Sergeant Walker's exceptional 
career, he was selected to represent the U.S. Air Force on Capitol Hill 
as its sole enlisted legislative fellow in 2016. I was fortunate to 
have Chief Walker spend the year in my office as an integral part of 
Team Boozman and was pleased with his professionalism, character, and 
devotion to duty. His tireless efforts were critical to the passage and 
implementation of Public Law 144-292, the Combat-Injured Veterans Tax 
Fairness Act of 2016. Moreover, Chief Walker led a bipartisan effort to 
protect the Defense Department's basic allowance for housing by 
educating 18 Senators on the impact for military members. Finally, he 
played a key role in the successful execution of the Senate Air Force 
Caucus agenda by increasing service engagement opportunities with 
Members of Congress.
  Chief Walker, congratulations on your well-deserved promotion and 
successful career thus far. I am so proud of your many accomplishments 
and wish the very best for you and your family in the future.

                          ____________________