Recognizing the Retirement of Lieutenant General John P. Healy

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Mr. PFLUGER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to a remarkable Airman and leader, Lieutenant General John P. Healy, on the occasion of his retirement as the Chief of Air

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Force Reserve and Commander, Air Force Reserve Command, after more than three decades of distinguished service. A native son of Connecticut, General Healy graduated from Windsor High School in 1985 and attended the University of Connecticut (UConn), earning his commission through the Reserve Officer Training Corps in 1989. General Healy then embarked on a career that would see him become a command pilot with more than 5,000 flight hours, including 402 combat hours operating in hostile airspace over Iraq and Afghanistan. An ``Air Mobility Warrior,'' his journey took him from the C-141 Starlifter at then-McGuire Air Force Base, to the initial cadre of the C-17 Globemaster III program at then-Charleston Air Force Base, and ultimately to the C-5 Galaxy at Westover Air Reserve Base. A true Citizen Airman, General Healy also served as a Captain with U.S. Airways from 1999 to 2002, commanding the Boeing 737, and continues to serve as an Airbus A320 Captain with JetBlue. Throughout his career, General Healy has commanded at all echelons, demonstrating exceptional leadership and a deep commitment to the Airmen under his command. Joining him on this journey and making it all possible is his wife of 34 years and fellow UConn Husky, Cathy. The Healy's have two daughters, Shannon and Paige, born in 1996 in Charleston, South Carolina, and in 1998 in Altus, Oklahoma, respectively. It was while they were in South Carolina and Oklahoma that General Healy was actively training future generations of C-17 pilots as an Instructor Pilot and the Chief of Standardization and Evaluation. General Healy then progressed from critical squadron and wing assignments to key command and joint assignments, including the Director of Exercises and Assessments for U.S. European Command and then the Commander of the Twenty-Second Air Force, culminating in his current position where he is a steadfast advocate for more than 67,000 Reserve Citizen Airmen worldwide. General Healy's tenure as Chief of Air Force Reserve has been marked by his clear vision of a force that is ``Ready Now and Transforming for the Future.'' He has championed the modernization of the Air Force Reserve, ensuring that it remains an efficient, experienced, accessible, and lethal force prepared to meet the challenges of the twenty-first century. Having personally experienced the challenges of balancing civilian-sector expertise with military excellence, General Healy is a tireless promoter for the well-being of Reserve Citizen Airmen and their families, recognizing that they are the foundation of the Reserve Advantage and the key to the Air Force's continued success. General Healy's leadership has been instrumental in shaping the Air Force Reserve into the formidable force it is today. His dedication to our Nation, his commitment to the men and women of the Air Force, and his visionary leadership have left an indelible mark on the service. Mr. Speaker, on behalf of a grateful Nation, I extend my deepest thanks to Lieutenant General John P. Healy for his extraordinary service to his family, his airmen, and this country. I wish him, his wife Cathy, and their daughters, Shannon and Paige, all the best in his well-deserved retirement.

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