[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 154 (2008), Part 4] [Senate] [Page 4718] [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]TRIBUTE TO COLONEL MICHAEL P. BARBERO Mr. REID. Mr. President, the U.S. Army will soon say farewell to one of its most honorable officers, COL Michael P. Barbero. The colonel will retire after 26 years of service to the Army and to the Nation. For the last 5 years, I have come to know him as Chief of the Army's Senate Liaison Office. Throughout his career, Colonel Barbero has always put the well-being of our soldiers and our country first. Of primary concern to him and his team at the Liaison Office has been helping soldiers, Guard and Reserve, navigate the bureaucracy to solve the problems that can be common to a soldier's life. Sometimes this has meant guiding them through the bureaucracy to access Government benefits for their families. Sometimes it has meant dealing with a family emergency during deployment. Sometimes it has meant helping whistleblowers who report fraud or abuse that needs further investigation. No matter what the challenge, Colonel Barbero always treated our citizen soldiers who seek help from Congress with care, fairness, and the respect they deserve. As Senate minority and majority leader, I had the privilege to ask the Army to support my foreign travel. For the last several years, Colonel Barbero was a central part of these efforts. He handled high- profile and sensitive congressional delegation visits that I led to Israel, Jordan, Iraq, Georgia, Ukraine, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Paraguay, Colombia, Mexico, and Guatemala. These missions were successful because of the careful planning of Colonel Barbero and his excellent team. On these long trips, I also came to know Mike Barbero as a person, not as a soldier. He is a gourmet chef. He remembers birthdays and makes sure there is a cake--even when it means the cake is packed on dry ice and stored for 6 days on an airplane. I also learned he is a loving father and husband. In sacrifice for his service to our country, his wife Vicki and his daughter Mary and son Michael have not seen as much of him as probably they wanted. Our loss with his retirement will be his family's gain, and, hopefully, they will soon get their father back for all the ball games and school events that his duties here have required him to miss. We in the Senate honor the service and contributions of COL Michael Barbero. Always thinking of his soldiers and the interests of the Army and the Nation he loves, Colonel Barbero is an example for generations of officers to come. So on behalf of all my colleagues who know this good man, I thank him for his outstanding service and wish him well in the next chapter of his life. ____________________