Thanking Col. Lee Farmer for his Service to the United States of America

THANKING COL. LEE FARMER FOR HIS SERVICE TO THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA-HON. DARRELL E. ISSA (Extensions of Remarks - February 26, 2004)

HON. DARRELL E. ISSA
OF CALIFORNIA
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 2004

Mr. ISSA. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Colonel Lee Farmer for his service to the country for over 30 years in the United States Marine Corps. On March 4, Colonel Farmer will be retiring from the Corps, completing a career marked by dedication and excellence.

Colonel Farmer was commissioned as an officer in November 1973. Early in his career he served as a Rifle and Weapons Platoon Commander as well as the Executive Officer and Commanding Officer of Company A, 1st Battalion, 4th Marines. He remained with the Battalion as it became the first unit to initiate the unit Rotation Program, relocating to Twentynine Palms, Calif. There he served as a Rifle Company Commander for two years and was later assigned as the Staff Secretary of the 7th Marine Amphibious Brigade.

After graduating from the Amphibious Warfare School in 1982, Colonel Farmer served as Aide-de-camp to the Commandant of the Marine Corps. In July 1984 he was reassigned to the Basic School, Quantico, VA, where he eventually assumed command of Company A. He then attended Marines Corps Command and Staff College.

He later transferred to Okinawa, Japan, where he served as the Assistant Plans Officer to Marine Aircraft Group-36. Transferring to Camp Pendleton in 1987, Colonel Farmer was later deployed to Southwest Asia and participated in Operation Desert Shield.

Following the war, he attended the Defense Language Institute in Monterey, California, in preparation for his two-year assignment to Chile where he attended the Chilean Naval War College. He was reassigned to the Office of the Secretary of Defense, at the Pentagon, in July 1993, where he worked counter-narcotics issues until his assignment as the Military Assistant to the Under Secretary of Defense for Policy.

Following this assignment, he returned to Camp Pendleton to command the School of Infantry. After leaving Camp Pendleton for another brief assignment in Okinawa, Japan, he again returned to Camp Pendleton, where he served as the Assistant Chief of Staff, Operations and Training until his reassignment as the Chief of Staff in May 2001.

Since Colonel Farmer assumed his role as Chief of Staff, he has worked closely with my office on a number of issues. Colonel Farmer has distinguished himself as an honest, sincere, and hard-working leader-ready to listen and always ready to help. During Colonel Farmer's tenure, Camp Pendleton has become one of our Nation's finest defense installations, training Marines who have served on the front lines of Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Camp Pendleton Marines are in the process of returning to Iraq, replacing the Army's 4th Infantry Division in the largest troop rotation in history. These Marines will now carry out a task that is critical to our national security and to the security of the entire Middle East. They have been prepared by the leadership of Camp Pendleton-Colonel Farmer and the commanding officers who serve alongside him. These leaders of Marines have good reason to be proud of their service.

It has been a pleasure working with Colonel Farmer. We are grateful for his distinguished service to our country. He will be missed.

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