The publication is reproduced in full below:
HONORING COMMAND SERGEANT MAJOR GARY E. GRAHAM
______
HON. STEVEN M. PALAZZO
of mississsippi
in the house of representatives
Thursday, November 18, 2021
Mr. PALAZZO. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the outstanding military service of Command Sergeant Major Gary E. Graham who will be retiring this year after over 43 years of service in the Mississippi National Guard.
CSM Graham hails from Conehatta, MS where he lives with his wife, Julie, and their children, Micah, Jessica, and Layla. I want to take the time to thank his wife and children for their strength and support as a military family.
CSM Graham served a long and impressive military career beginning in 1978 when he attended Basic Training and AIT as a Wheeled Vehicle and Generator Mechanic at Fort Jackson, SC. CSM Graham mobilized and deployed to Iraq in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom from 2003 until 2005. Upon his return from deployment, he mobilized once again and assumed the position of Task Force Magnolia CSM for Hurricane Katrina Operations. From 2006 to 2011, he was assigned as the Commandant of the 3rd NCO Academy. He was then reassigned as the 154th Regimental Training Institute CSM. In August 2011, he was hand selected for NATO HQ Sarajevo Command as the Senior Enlisted Advisor to the Military and Government leadership of the Balkan countries. From 2016 to 2017, he was appointed as the first Land Component Forces CSM. CSM Graham is currently serving as the Garrison CSM for Camp Shelby Joint Forces Training Center.
For his outstanding service, CSM Graham has been awarded numerous prestigious awards, including the Bronze Star, Defense Joint Meritorious Service Medal, Meritorious Service Medal, Joint Service Commendation Medal, Army Commendation Medal, Army Achievement Medal, Army Reserve Components Achievement Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Iraq Campaign Medal, and many other federal and state awards.
CSM Graham perfectly embodies the official organizational march of the United States National Guard ``Always Ready, Always There!'' He is a true American patriot and I am honored to call him my friend and fellow Guardsman. Our military servicemembers deserve to be recognized for their commitment to our great Nation and I am grateful for his unwavering dedication to our country.
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SOURCE: Congressional Record Vol. 167, No. 201(1), Congressional Record Vol. 167, No. 201(2)
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