HONORING THE SERVICE OF COLONEL PATRICK FLOOD

On 2026-01-07, Representative Don Bacon (R-NE-2) delivered a floor speech titled "HONORING THE SERVICE OF COLONEL PATRICK FLOOD" in the House. The speech addressed taxes and also covered the environment, foreign policy.

HONORING THE SERVICE OF COLONEL PATRICK FLOOD

Congressional Record, Volume 172 Issue 4 (Wednesday, January 7, 2026) [Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 4 (Wednesday, January 7, 2026)] [House] [Pages H106-H107] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [ www.gpo.gov ] {time} 1030 HONORING THE SERVICE OF COLONEL PATRICK FLOOD (Mr. Bacon of Nebraska was recognized to address the House for 5 minutes.) Mr. BACON. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Colonel Patrick Flood, United States Air Force retired, who recently departed the House of Representatives as our deputy chief of staff and national security advisor after more than 39 years of Federal service. Colonel Flood comes from a family with a distinguished record of Federal and military service dating back to the American Civil War. Born in Baltimore, Colonel Flood was raised in Ohio and entered military service at the age of 18. He was nominated in 1986 to attend the United States Air Force Academy by Representative Ralph Regula of Ohio's 16th Congressional District. A distinguished graduate of the Academy, Pat established an early reputation for excellence in military leadership, academics, and athletics. In his senior year at the Academy, Flood commanded Cadet Squadron 33 and was honored as one of the top squadron commanders in the cadet wing. As a commissioned officer, Colonel Flood's remarkable career spanned more than 26 years in the combat air forces and special operations communities. Serving in nearly every major U.S. military operation since 1991, Colonel Flood deployed for operations Southern Watch, Provide Comfort II, Deny Flight/Provide Promise, Uphold Democracy, Enduring Freedom, and Odyssey Dawn. His distinguished record also includes two tours of duty in Korea with service as a corridor patrol officer for the eastern demilitarized zone, service as a continuity of operations officer for the Air Force Chief of Staff during the 9/11 attacks on the Pentagon, and aviation duty as an RC-135 crewmember flying long-range combat operations over Afghanistan. [[Page H107]] Selected to lead several of the Air Force's most engaged combat intelligence units from 2006 to 2013, Colonel Flood commanded the 55th Wing's 488th Intelligence Squadron at RAF Mildenhall, England; led the 603rd Intelligence Surveillance and Reconnaissance Division at Ramstein Air Force Base, Germany; and commanded Distributed Ground Station 2 and the 548th Intelligence Surveillance and Reconnaissance Group at Beale Air Force Base, California. Following my election to the House in 2016, I invited Pat to help me establish our Washington, D.C., office. We both arrived in Congress in January of 2017 with no prior legislative experience. Without hesitation or any formal training, for the next 9 years Pat selflessly committed himself to learning and mastering Congress' complex legislative processes. Pat personally drafted hundreds of legislative bills and amendments, shaping America's national defense policy, force structure, and capabilities. The results of his efforts have been remarkable with a significant number of his proposals enacted into law via the National Defense Authorization Act and the Defense Appropriations Act from the years 2018 to 2025. While by no means exhaustive, here are some of the accomplishments: quality of life reforms for the all-volunteer force and military families; comprehensive management reforms for DOD's electromagnetic spectrum superiority policy; numerous casualty assistance policies; program reforms for Gold Star and surviving families; the first DOD program for integrated military-civilian national emergency medical response; the reconstruction of Offutt Air Force Base following the devastating 2019 floods; the DOD's Warfighter Brain Health Initiative; the elimination of Russian fuel at U.S. military installations in Europe; the significant expansion of the EA-37B Compass Call electronic attack combat aircraft fleet; academic copyright ownership for civilian faculty members of DOD academic institutions; direct support to military service academy foundations; sustained funding for the Baltic Security Initiative; and significant funding to establish the first secure software development facility to modernize our aging nuclear command, control, and communications enterprise. However, these legislative victories only tell a small part of the story of the impact Pat has had. As my closest and most trusted adviser, he turned my intent and aspirations as a member of the Committee on Armed Services into legislative action that delivered tangible progress and results for DOD, Nebraska, and for the men and women who commit, and sometimes sacrifice, their lives for our security and the defense of our freedom. I was selected multiple times as the most effective Member of Congress, and I owe much of this to Pat Flood. Mr. Speaker, I thank Pat for his years of service to our great Nation. ____________________