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“RETIREMENT OF MR. LEONARD G. CAMPBELL” mentioning the U.S. Dept. of Commerce was published in the Senate section on pages S2230-S2231 on March 18, 1998.
The publication is reproduced in full below:
RETIREMENT OF MR. LEONARD G. CAMPBELL
Mr. WARNER. Mr. President, I rise today to pay tribute to Mr. Leonard Grove Campbell--one of our federal government's finest public servants and a distinguished son of the Commonwealth of Virginia. At the end of this month, he will retire from a truly distinguished career of over 37 years of exemplary service to his country.
Mr. Campbell was well-prepared for his distinguished career. After graduating from the University of Virginia with a degree in economics, he entered Officer Candidate School in 1963 and began his first career with the United States Navy. Mr. Campbell served as a weapons officer aboard the USS Iwo Jima in the Pacific--service which included tours in Vietnam. He completed his active duty service in the Navy in 1967, and retired from the Naval Reserves in 1983 as a Commander.
After completing his active duty service with the Navy, Mr. Campbell went to work for the Department of Commerce as a senior economist in the Balance of Payments Division. In 1973, he began a remarkable 25-
year career with the Department of Defense.
I am proud to honor him today for his tremendous accomplishments, and to recognize the support and sacrifices of his wife, Lois, and his daughters, Lisa and Kristin, who wisely followed in their father's footsteps as UVA graduates.
The quality of Mr. Campbell's work has been recognized by every Administration he has served. He has received the Presidential Rank Award for Meritorious Service, the Department of Defense Distinguished Civilian Service Award, the Department of Defense Meritorious Civilian Service Award, and the Department of Defense Exceptional Civilian Service Award.
Mr. Campbell has served as the key advisor on budget issues for nine Secretaries of Defense and nine Department Comptrollers. His recommendations on a wide range of vital issues were constantly sought by the Pentagon leadership and greatly helped the Department robustly defend the funding requirements which support U.S. forces and missions. Year in and year out, his sage counsel and sound advice produced the best possible, yet fiscally responsible, spending plans to satisfy the nation's national security needs.
Mr. Campbell always brought exceptional insight and skill to the many diverse challenges presented to and undertaken by him. He is one of the few individuals in the Department who understands and can explain succinctly the complexities contained in numerous legislative proposals. On many occasions, his advice assured the adoption of sound spending decisions that supported major Defense Department requirements while remaining consistent with the President's budget priorities and prevailing perspectives in the Congress. His comprehensive knowledge, the consummate clarity by which he explained issues, his exceptional skill in guiding senior officials through the intricacies and restrictions of legislation, and his tireless dedication were immensely valuable to a whole generation of Department of Defense leaders, to our armed forces, and to U.S. national security.
The ultimate result of Mr. Campbell's performance within the Department of Defense over the last 25 years was that senior U.S. leaders, both in Congress and in the Defense Department, benefited enormously from his extensive knowledge, exceptional dedication, superb political sensitivity, and wise judgment. His invaluable contributions allowed our nation's leaders to make the wisest possible allocation of declining defense resources while maintaining America's future security.
Mr. Campbell has had a career of singular merit and has earned the profound gratitude of the American people. I wish him well in his future endeavors.
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