March 26, 2019 - Issue: Vol. 165, No. 52 — Daily Edition116th Congress (2019 - 2020) - 1st Session

[Pages S1983-S1984]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   TRIBUTE TO GENERAL JOSEPH L. VOTEL

  Mr. INHOFE. Madam President, I rise today to honor GEN Joseph L. 
Votel, of the U.S. Army and the Commander of United States Central 
Command. General Votel is one of our Nation's finest military officers, 
and he will retire from Active military duty on May 1, 2019, bringing 
to a close 39 years of distinguished service to our great Nation.
  In 1980, General Votel was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the 
infantry upon graduation from the United States Military Academy at 
West Point. He commanded units at every echelon, from platoon to 
theater, with duty in Germany, Italy, Sarajevo, Afghanistan, Iraq, and 
the United States. As a young officer, General Votel deployed with 75th 
Ranger Regiment in support of Operation Just Cause. He later commanded 
the 1st Ranger Battalion at Hunter Army Airfield in Georgia. General 
Votel commanded the 75th Ranger Regiment and

[[Page S1984]]

led them on deployments in support of Operation Enduring Freedom and 
Operation Iraqi Freedom. Later he served as deputy commanding general 
of the 82d Airborne Division in Operation Enduring Freedom.
  As a general officer, he served in the Pentagon as the Director of 
the Army and Joint IED Defeat Task Force and subsequently as the Deputy 
Director of the Joint IED Defeat Organization established under the 
Deputy Secretary of Defense. He served as the Deputy Commanding General 
and then Commanding General of the Joint Special Operations Command 
headquartered at Fort Bragg, NC. He also served as the Commanding 
General of U.S. Special Operations Command, MacDill Air Force Base, 
Florida. Most recently General Votel has served as the Commanding 
General of U.S. Central Command.
  At a time of great uncertainty in the world, General Votel has led an 
incredible combatant command that has an enormous influence and 
presence in some of the most volatile parts of the globe. He has led 
the way in strategic relationships with our partners and allies that 
have made our country safer. General Votel is an exceptional leader, an 
American patriot committed to our Armed Forces, our national security 
and our Nation, but most importantly, General Votel is a great man of 
character. It is for GEN Joe Votel, a soldier, leader, and selfless 
servant, whom we with profound admiration and deep respect pay tribute 
to for all he has done for the defense of our Nation for nearly four 
decades.
  We thank General Votel, his wife Michele, and their two grown 
children, Scott and Nicholas, for their dedication and sacrifice, and 
we wish them well in the years to come.

                          ____________________