Recognizing Colonel Carl E. Shelton, Jr.

Floor Speech

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Mr. WITTMAN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Colonel Carl E. Shelton, Jr., United States Marine Corps, Retired, at the conclusion of 43 years of dedicated service to the United States, both in uniform and as a civilian. Carl is a native of Newark, New Jersey and earned a Bachelor of Art Degree in Political Science from Rutgers University. Prior to joining the Marine Corps, he served this House as staff member to Congressman Nicholas Mavroules (D-Mass). Carl was then commissioned a Second Lieutenant in the United States Marine Corps in June 1980.

Beginning his career as an Infantry Officer serving in North Carolina, Norfolk, Virginia and California. He served at sea aboard the USS John F. Kennedy (CV-67) and on the USS Denver (LPD-9) during which time he deployed for Operations Desert Shield/Desert Storm. He then attended the National War College, Washington, D.C. and earned a master's degree in National Security Strategy. In 2006 he was reassigned to the Inspector General's office in September 2006 where he served as Director, Assistance and Investigations Division for 3 years and became Acting Deputy in September of 2009.

When Carl retired from the Marine Corps in 2010 his commitment to the Marine Corps, and the Nation, continued. He immediately began serving as the Deputy Inspector General, Headquarters, U.S. Marine Corps. In that capacity Carl served as the principal advisor to the Inspector General of the Marine Corps (IGMC) on all matters related to inspections, analysis, assessments, investigations, and other oversight matters of importance to the United States Marine Corps with particular emphasis on institutional readiness.

Among his noteworthy accomplishments, Carl is the only senior official within the Department of the Navy (DON) who is a certified inspector general through the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center (FLETC) and the Association of Inspectors General. As a result of his extraordinary Inspector General qualifications and tested leadership abilities, Carl was elevated to ``Acting Inspector General of the Marine Corps'' on a number of occasions to include extended periods from 2014 to 2016 and 2020 through 2022. Of note, the Service Inspectors General for the Army, Navy and Air Force are 3-star flag officers.

During the uncertainty of the Pandemic, Carl flawlessly executed the full range of responsibilities to include senior official investigations and an aggressive inspections process throughout the Pandemic (2000 through 2022). What's more remarkable is that Mr. Shelton executed these substantial duties without an assigned Deputy.

Our Nation is better because of great Americans like Carl Shelton. Those who volunteer to wear the uniform and continue to serve after they take it off. It is my great pleasure to offer my own congratulations for Carl on the happy occasion of his retirement after 43 years of service to the United States.

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