Recognizing Kelly Wheaton on the Occasion of His Retirement From the Transportation Service Adminstration

Floor Speech

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Mr. CONNOLLY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor my constituent, Mr. Kelly Wheaton, who is retiring after more than 38 years of faithful Service to our Nation culminating in his service as the Deputy Chief Counsel for Enforcement in the Transportation Security Administration for the past 14 years.

Kelly Wheaton was born in Dallas, Texas, and was raised in a small town in the middle of Tennessee after his father died at a young age. Mr. Wheaton went on to attend the University of Notre Dame on a four- year ROTC scholarship and graduated with honors. After undergrad, he graduated with honors from the University of North Carolina School of Law.

His passion for service and dedication to our country led Mr. Wheaton to the U.S. Army in the Judge Advocate General's Corps. There, he served 23 years and rose to the rank of colonel. He held almost every position in the Army Judge Advocate General's Corps and was deployed to Saudi Arabia in 1990, Liberia in 2003, and Afghanistan in 2005. He received numerous accolades and honors throughout his military service, including the Bronze Star for his service in Afghanistan and the Defense Superior Service Medal for his service as the Chief of Staff for the DoD General Counsel.

In 2008, Mr. Wheaton joined the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) in the role of Deputy Chief Counsel for Enforcement. As the Deputy chief Counsel, he held authority from the Administrator to address violations of TSA's security requirements. He oversaw the work of attorneys providing legal advice and support in the areas of regulatory enforcement, intelligence, international law, criminal law and internal investigations, and credentialing, vetting, and screening.

From January 2021 until June 2021, Mr. Wheaton was selected to accompany the Administrator when he served as the Acting Secretary and Acting Deputy Secretary. That year his efforts were recognized when he received the prestigious Presidential Rank Award, Meritorious Rank Recipient, an award that was established back in 1978 to honor a select group of career members for a sustained record of exceptional professional achievement.

Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in congratulating Mr. Wheaton on his retirement. I am proud to represent Mr. Wheaton in Congress, and I thank him and his family for his honorable 38 years of service to our Nation with the U.S. Army and Transportation Security Administration.

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