September 16, 2020 - Issue: Vol. 166, No. 160 — Daily Edition116th Congress (2019 - 2020) - 2nd Session

[Page S5647]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                 TRIBUTE TO COMMANDER EDWARD H. MURRAY

  Mr. SHELBY. Mr. President, I rise today to recognize the service of 
Commander Edward H. Murray of the U.S. Navy on the occasion of his 
retirement after 20 years of Active Duty. I would like to briefly share 
with my colleagues some of the highlights of his fine career.
  For the past 20 years, Commander Murray excelled in leading Navy 
Sailors as an E-2C naval flight officer. He served sea tours with VAW-
116, deploying on the USS Constellation and USS Abraham Lincoln in 
support of coalition forces in Iraq and operations in the Western 
Pacific. He also deployed to the Western Pacific with VTC-12 onboard 
the USS Bonhomme Richard, providing airspace and diplomatic 
coordination. Ashore, Commander Murray's assignments included a special 
selection as aide-de-camp to the four-star commander of the U.S. Naval 
Forces in Naples, Italy, during operations in Kosovo and Libya. He also 
served my colleague, Senator Tim Kaine of Virginia, as a legislative 
fellow and then continued his service in the Navy Office of Legislative 
Affairs as deputy director of the Senate Liaison Office.
  I have gotten to know Commander Murray over the past 2 years through 
his assignment to the Navy's Appropriations Matters Office. As a 
representative of the Chief of Naval Operations and Secretary of the 
Navy, he provided valuable support to Members of the Senate and House 
Appropriations Committees regarding the Navy's budgetary needs. His 
efforts to provide timely and transparent information to the committees 
contributed to the enactment of the Defense Appropriations Acts for 
fiscal years 2019 and 2020. Commander Murray also provided superior 
support to me and many of my colleagues as we traveled across Europe 
and Asia conducting oversight of critical national security assets 
abroad.
  As Commander Murray departs the Pentagon, I want to take this 
opportunity to congratulate him on his retirement; to thank him, his 
wife Amanda, and his family for their years of service; and to wish him 
the very best going forward.

                          ____________________