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Floor Speech

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Ms. MURKOWSKI. Mr. President, I think here in the Senate, so many of us have the privilege to occasionally host military fellows, congressional military fellows, and I would like to take just a minute here to recognize the great work of a former member of my staff, Air Force Lt. Col. Randi Ludington. She spent the last year working in my personal office as part of the U.S. Air Force congressional fellowship program. She just concluded that fellowship program just last week and has moved on to her next assignment, but I think it is important to be able to publicly express my appreciation for the work she did over the last year and really for her service to the Nation overall.

For 17 years now, Randi has served in the U.S. Air Force. She was first an enlisted financial technician before she earned her commission and worked her way up to the rank of lieutenant colonel. She had a level of exposure before coming to my office certainly. These experiences of being in different places around the world, leading airmen, advising commanders, really proved invaluable when she came to provide her expertise in my office.

Not only has she spearheaded efforts legislatively and prepped me for meetings and hearings, she really became a key member of our team, working with Alaskans, working with counterparts back here, but really serving them just as she would serve her own troops.

When we were faced with a very chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan, Randi was one of those who was really burning the midnight oil. She was putting in long days and long nights, answering calls from constituents and veterans who were seeking help. She was doing just that. She was there around the clock, sometimes just listening, offering words of support; other times just really helping to synchronize the efforts between people on the ground in Kabul, lining them up with Departments and Agencies here in Washington, doing everything she could to try to help facilitate the needs of so many who were so desperate to get out.

In the end, Randi was honored by an Alaska Native Corporation, the Goldbelt Corporation. They had been engaged in an airlift, a significant airlift, and she was recognized by Goldbelt for her dedicated efforts assisting them throughout that whole ordeal. So it was nice to know that she had received not only the recognition and thanks from those here, fellows back in Alaska, but also the broader international recognition.

So I take this moment to just express my thanks to Randi. It was a pleasure having her in my office. She has a fabulous family. It was a great pleasure to be able to get to meet her husband Brad, an Air Force veteran himself. They have three super-great little kids: Charlee, Ryan, and Graham.

I wish Randi and her family nothing but the best as she moves forward with her military career.

I feel very fortunate that we get some of our Nation's best, who are able to take kind of a little bit of a detour through their professional trajectory in the military to come here, work with us, share their level of expertise, and also educate themselves on the internal process we have here.

I was very fortunate to have her as part of my team. I think we should all be proud to know that it is leaders like her who comprise our military.

So, again, thank you, Randi, for what you have done for our country and what you have done to help Alaska.

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