The publication is reproduced in full below:
RECOGNIZING THE RETIREMENT OF COLONEL GERALD ``JERRY'' LUKOWSKI JR
______
HON. JOE COURTNEY
of connecticut
in the house of representatives
Friday, June 4, 2021
Mr. COURTNEY. Madam Speaker, I rise today to commend the esteemed career in public service of Colonel Gerald ``Jerry'' Lukowski, Junior. Colonel Lukowski retires on June 5, 2021, from the apex of his service as Chief of Staff to the Joint Staff for the Connecticut Army National Guard. Having dedicated a 36-year long career toward securing the common defense through a distinguished vocation in the military, Jerry will move on and continue to benefit the State of Connecticut with his skill and expertise within the Connecticut Department of Transportation.
Jerry's sense of duty catalyzed his service to the public through a military-oriented career. This was exemplified from the earliest days of his education, when he was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant through the University of Connecticut's ROTC program in 1989, before graduating from the University of New Haven in 1991. Armed with a Bachelors in Civil Engineering, Second Lieutenant Lukowski set his sights on a path to leadership within the State's civil defense unit, the Connecticut Army National Guard. He put himself forward on this path, engaging with various career-related roles whilst simultaneously advancing a civilian and military education, obtaining his Master's in Environmental Engineering from his alma mater in 1997, completing countless military instruction courses and acquiring numerous licenses within the State's engineering apparatus as recent as 2019.
Colonel Lukowski applied his affinity for knowledge throughout the ranks of his distinguished profession. His education prepared him for 17 years of service at several stations of duty with the Combat Engineers and most prominently catalyzed his ability to excel in the latter half of his career as the Construction and Facility Management Officer (CFMO) for 13 years, and then Chief of Staff to the Joint Staff since 2016. As Chief of Staff, Colonel Lukowski greatly enhanced the operations of the Connecticut Army National Guard, pushing the troops to work with their respective units on their pre-deployment and redeployment requirements. During his tenure as CFMO, Colonel Lukowski's leadership and expertise in facilities management, fiscal policy and federal contracting enabled the state to obtain nearly $975 million in Military Construction Project and Sustainment Restoration and Modernization funding, resulting in the planning and implementation of 17 total projects. His tenacity as an advocate for boosting Connecticut's emergency response infrastructure has well positioned our state's readiness capabilities for generations to come and has truly kept the safety of our public at heart.
Madam Speaker, Colonel Lukowski has spent his life developing Connecticut's emergency response infrastructure. His example of selfless service now extends throughout his family--his wife Mary Beth and children John, Sarah, Megan and Emily--the last of whom has gone on to attend the US Air Force Academy after receiving a nomination from my office. While the Connecticut Army National Guard is losing an incredibly influential proponent, we can at least find comfort knowing that he will continue to serve the State and the maintenance of its essential infrastructure in the Connecticut Department of Transportation. Having risen through the ranks from Second Lieutenant in 1989, all the way to Colonel in just 18 years, Colonel Lukowski's impressive line of service to Connecticut has been displayed by his rapid rate of promotion and further by his list of numerous accolades. To that end, I ask my colleagues in the House join me in honoring and thanking Colonel Jerry Lukowski for his extensive history of service and wishing him and his family all the best in this new chapter of their lives.
____________________
SOURCE: Congressional Record Vol. 167, No. 97
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