Tribute to United States Navy Captain Dudley B. Berthold

TRIBUTE TO UNITED STATES NAVY CAPTAIN DUDLEY B. BERTHOLD

Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, today I honor a great American from the Commonwealth of Kentucky. After 25 years of dedicated service to our country, Captain Dudley B. Berthold of the United States Navy will retire on August 8 of this year. I would like to take a moment to recognize his accomplishments.

Captain Berthold is the son of retired USAR, Brigadier General Julius L. Berthold. I am pleased to say he attended the University of Louisville as an NROTC Midshipman and graduated in 1978. Upon graduation he was commissioned as an Ensign in the U.S. Navy, and shortly after completing Surface Warfare Officer School he reported to his first assignment on board the USS O'Bannon, DD 987, serving first as Auxiliary Officer and then as the Main Propulsion Assistant.

Captain Berthold began his extensive study in aircraft carrier design in 1982, when he enrolled in the Naval Postgraduate School of Monterey, CA, and earned an MS degree in Mechanical Engineering. He was selected for the Naval Nuclear Power Training Program, which led to training assignments at the Naval Nuclear Power School in Orlando, FL, and the Nuclear Prototype Propulsion Plant Training Unit in Ballston Spa, NY. His assignments took him from the decks of the USS Theodore Roosevelt, CVN 71, where he served as the Electrical Officer, to the shores of Virginia where, in 1989, he was assigned as the Aircraft Carrier New Construction Principle Assistant Project Officer on the staff of the Supervisor of Shipbuilding at Newport News. Here, he assisted in the planning and execution of the construction, test & trials, and delivery of the USS George Washington, CVN 73. On later tours, he oversaw the delivery of both the USS Harry S Truman, CVN 75, and the USS Ronald Reagan, CVN 76.

Most recently, Captain Berthold served as Program Manager for the Navy's future aircraft carrier programs at the Navy's Program Executive Office for Aircraft Carriers in Newport News, VA. He has played a key role in developing new and innovative acquisition strategies for the design and construction of the final Nimitz Class Aircraft Carrier, USS George H W Bush, CVN 77, and the new CVN 21 class. This new class of aircraft carrier design sets a new standard for war-fighting capability and will influence the readiness of our military throughout the 21st century.

Captain Berthold has earned a great number of personal decorations, including the Meritorious Service Medal with three Gold Stars, the Navy Commendation Medal with one Gold Star, and the Navy Achievement Medal. I am proud to represent such a fine Kentuckian in the U.S. Senate, and I thank him for his dedication to the people of the United States. His list of accomplishments is great, yet being the son of retired USAR, Brigadier General Bud Berthold, whom I consider to be a close personal friend and wonderful role model, certainly ranks high on that list. While the Navy will lose a loyal seaman, his wife, Deborah Lynn, and two children, Bryant and Bridgette, will welcome him home with open arms. I wish Captain Dudley B. Berthold the traditional naval wish of "Fair winds and Following seas" as his military career comes to an end. And I congratulate him on his retirement.