Mr. Chairman, due to my chairing another hearing scheduled at this same time, I appreciate you and the other members of this Committee agreeing to accommodate my request to introduce Lieutenant General Mick Kicklighter.
Mr. Chairman, I have the honor today of presenting to you, and the distinguished members of this Committee, the President's nominee to be the next Inspector General of the Department of Defense, General Mick Kicklighter. General Kicklighter is one of our nation's most precious kind of resources, a public servant who has dedicated his life in service to our country. He has personally provided our nation with over 50 years of combined military and public service. Following his retirement from the Army in 1991, after a distinguished 35 year military career, he continued to answer the call of duty to serve our great nation in various civilian positions, wherever his leadership was needed.
I met General Kicklighter through my brother, Reverend Doctor Abraham K. Akaka, Pastor of Kawaiaha'o Church, known as the Westminister Abbey of Hawaii. We became close and personal friends with General Mick Kicklighter and his wife, Elizabeth, who is here and his family, since he commanded the 25th Infantry Division at Schofield Barracks, in Hawaii from 1984 to 1986. From that time, I have always known him to be an honorable and selfless public servant who has always sought opportunities to serve our great nation.
General Kicklighter's accomplishments are many, and I will not go through all of them here, but I would like to note some of the highlights. As a public servant, he has served in a number of positions in the Departments of State, Defense, and Veterans Affairs. Most recently, he led, at the request of the Secretaries of State and Defense, the establishment of the Iraq/Afghanistan Joint Transition Planning Group, a joint Department of State and DoD team that provides analysis and recommendations for coordinating efforts to address transition challenges in Iraq and Afghanistan. In prior assignments, he served as the Chief of Staff for the Department of Veterans Affairs, Special Advisor to the Deputy Secretary of State for Stabilization and Security Operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, Director of DoD's Iraq Transition Team, and Assistant Secretary for Policy, Planning and Preparedness. He also served five years on the Board of Directors for Habitat for Humanity International, three of which were as Chairman. But Mr. Chairman, Mick Kicklighter's public service is not even half the story.
As a member of our armed services for 35 years, General Kicklighter served as a leader in all levels of the military from Platoon to Theater Command, completing his career as Commander of the U.S. Army Pacific. He also held senior level staff assignments with the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the Office of the Secretary of Defense, and the Department of the Army. A combat veteran, General Kicklighter served two tours in Vietnam.
His list of awards is as long as his service to our country. He has been awarded the Distinguished Service Medal (3 times), the Defense Superior Service Medal, the Legion of Merit (4 times), the Bronze Star, the Meritorious Service Medal (twice), as well as, a number of foreign decorations. As a civilian, he has been awarded the Presidential Citizen Medal, the Eisenhower Liberation Medal, the Decoration for Exceptional Civilian Service, and has twice been awarded the Department of Defense Medal for Distinguished Public Service.
Mr. Chairman, I believe, if confirmed by the Senate, that Mick Kicklighter will continue to give our country the high quality service and dedication that have been characteristic of his service throughout his entire career, during which he was supported by his wife, Elizabeth.
I would like to thank you, Elizabeth, and your family for all you have given and sacrificed for our country, I would like to welcome you, General, to this Committee.
Mr. Chairman, I thank you for the opportunity to introduce my close and personal friend, General Mick Kicklighter.
