I retired as a Lieutenant Colonel after serving for 32 years in the U.S. Army Reserves and National Guard. I started out as a private in the Virginia National Guard and was the only ROTC Cadet commissioned at Gustavus (I performed my military drill in Mankato) in 1984. During my career, I was called to active duty twice – the Bosnia conflict and Iraq. I was commander of the Joint Reserve Unit on Capitol Hill when I retired.
My commissioning at Gustavus in 1984.
My retirement ceremony on Capitol Hill. The Chief of Army Reserves, LTG Talley is awarding me a Legion of Merit for my service during the ceremony.
SPEECH OF
HON. JOHN SHIMKUS
OF ILLINOIS
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 5, 2013
• Mr. SHIMKUS. Mr. Speaker, I rise to pay tribute to Lieutenant Colonel Peter Ford for his extraordinary service to the Nation while serving in the United States Army Reserves and National Guard for the past 32 years.
• Lieutenant Colonel Ford started his military career in 1981 as an enlisted Soldier–an infantryman–in the Virginia National Guard. After graduating from Gustavus Adolphus College, where he was the only ROTC Cadet at Gustavus, Lieutenant Colonel Ford was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the Army Ordinance Corps. After the Officer Basic Course, Lieutenant Colonel Ford in his civilian capacity was sworn in as a Special Agent with the State Department Diplomatic Security Service.
• While serving as the Regional Security Officer (RSO) at the embassy in Switzerland, Lieutenant Colonel Ford was assigned as a Military Intelligence Officer at the Military Intelligence Group at the 7th Army Reserve Command in Germany. In 1997, he was called up to support the war in Bosnia. Upon his return to the United States, he joined the Office, Chief of the Army Reserves, as a Reserve Congressional Liaison Officer and also served as a Reservist with the 157th Individual Mobilization Augmentee Detachment.
• In 2003, Lieutenant Colonel Ford was assigned as a Congressional Detailee to the Homeland Security Committee and was named Executive Officer of the 157th that same year. After serving as RSO in Armenia, he was detailed to the House Foreign Affairs Committee.
• In the fall of 2007, at the beginning of the “surge” in Iraq, Lieutenant Colonel Ford volunteered to serve as an Army Reservist in Iraq. He was attached to the American Embassy in Baghdad and, as the Director of the Office of Hostage Affairs, was responsible for resolving U.S. kidnapping cases in Iraq. Following the completion of his military tour, Peter continued his service in Iraq. For an additional year, he worked as a DSS Agent with the State Department in the same position.
• Returning to the U.S., Peter obtained a Masters Degree from the National Defense Intelligence College and joined Prisoner of War/Missing in Action Affairs as a drilling Reservist. He was subsequently assigned to the Diplomatic Security’s Overseas Security Advisory Council (OSAC). In October 2011, Lieutenant Colonel Ford took command of the 157th Individual Mobilization Augmentee Detachment. During his military and civilian careers, Lieutenant Ford has worked in over 110 countries.
• Mr. Speaker, on behalf of the grateful Nation, I join my colleagues today in saying thank you to Lieutenant Colonel Peter Ford for his extraordinary dedication to duty and service to the country throughout his distinguished career in the United States Army.