Kay Bailey Hutchison: “I rise today to honor General Michael E. Ryan, the Chief of Staff of the United States Air Force. General Ryan is a…”

“I rise today to honor General Michael E. Ryan, the Chief of Staff of the United States Air Force. General Ryan is a great American and, more important, and I'm sure no surprise to my colleagues, he is a fellow Texan. General Ryan has long been a tribute to Texas, the Nation, and especially to the Air Force. General Ryan graduated from the Air Force Academy in 1965, and during his 36 years of service he commanded at the squadron, wing, numbered air force and major command levels, and accumulated more than 4,100 flying hours in seven different aircraft with 153 combat missions. He flew combat in Southeast Asia, including 100 missions over North Vietnam, and he served in key staff assignments at the major command level, at Headquarters U.S. Air Force and the Joint Staff. As commander of 16th Air Force and Allied Air Forces Southern Europe in Italy, he directed the NATO air combat operations in Bosnia-Herzegovina. We owe him a huge debt of thanks for just this duty alone as his leadership directly contributed to the Dayton Peace Accords.”