The publication is reproduced in full below:
RECOGNIZING COMMANDER GEORGE O. FULENWIDER, III, UNITED STATES COAST
GUARD
______
HON. GREGORY F. MURPHY
of north carolina
in the house of representatives
Tuesday, March 1, 2022
Mr. MURPHY of North Carolina. Madam Speaker, I rise today to pay a heartfelt tribute to Commander George O. Fulenwider, III of the United States Coast Guard, to honor his long and illustrious career. Commander Fulenwider began serving in the Coast Guard in January of 1984, when he enlisted as an E1. Upon graduating from basic training in Cape May, New Jersey, Commander Fulenwider was stationed on the Coast Guard Cutter UTE based out of Key West, Florida and has been serving our great nation with dedication and honor ever since. His retirement after many years of service to the United States Coast Guard is extraordinary and is a testament to his love for our country.
During his very successful career, Commander Fulenwider spent 15 years on 8 different cutters with positions including Engineering Petty Officer (EPO), Main Propulsion Assistant (MPA) and Engineering Officer
(EO). During his service, Commander Fulenwider supported various Coast Guard missions including: Port and Waterway Security, Drug Interdiction, Aids to Navigation, Search and Rescue, Living Marine Resources, Marine Safety, Defense Readiness, Migrant Interdiction, Marine Environmental Protection, Ice Operations and Law Enforcement.
Throughout his career, Commander Fulenwider was either directly involved in or supported nearly every mission and operation the Coast Guard was involved in during his tenure. This includes Operation Just Cause in Panama (December 1989 to January 1990), Operation Desert Shield (August 1990 to January 1991), the Gulf War (August 1990 to February 1991), Operation Enduring Freedom/Global War on Terrorism resulting from the September 11th attacks on America's World Trade Centers (October 2001 to December 2014). In addition, Commander Fulenwider responded to the devastating 7.0 magnitude earthquake in Haiti that killed 250,000 people and displaced thousands of survivors.
During his dedicated time of service, Commander Fulenwider quickly rose through the ranks of Seaman Recruit-Fireman (E1-E3), Machinery Technician Third Class (MK3, E4), MK2 (E5), MK1 (E6), MKC (E7), Chief Warrant Officer 2 (CWO2), Chief Warrant Officer 3 (CWO3), Lieutenant
(LT, O3E), Lieutenant Commander (LCDR, O4), and finally Commander (O5). Furthermore, the U.S. Coast Guard afforded him the opportunity to obtain his Associate of Science in Naval Engineering from Trident Technical College located in North Charleston, South Carolina.
Commander Fulenwider has received countless awards and achievements during his illustrious career. These include the Meritorious Service Medal, numerous Coast Guard Commendation Medals, numerous Coast Guard Achievement medals and Commandants Letter of Commendation, The Coast Guard Presidential Unit Citation, Joint Meritorious Unit Award, Coast Guard and Navy Unit Commendation amongst many more.
Currently, Commander Fulenwider is a Program Support Manager & Executive Officer at Project Resident Office Gulf Coast, assisting with the acquisition and construction of the Legend-Class National Security Cutters (NSC) at Ingalls Shipbuilding in Pascagoula, Mississippi. The NSCs are the most technologically advanced ship in the Coast Guard's fleet, with capabilities for maritime homeland security, law enforcement and national security missions. The NSCs are the largest cutters in the Coast Guard fleet at 418 feet long and have a maximum speed of 28 knots with a range of 12,000 nautical miles; these cutters are equipped to carry a crew of 148 and can be out at sea for 3-6 months, projecting a U.S. presence around the globe, from the straits of Taiwan to the Black Sea.
Commander George O. Fulenwider, III will retire in Hubert, North Carolina with his high school sweetheart and wife of 37 years, Nancy Fulenwider, who has supported his selfless career from the very beginning. The sacrifices they both have made to make this distinguishing career possible is simply admirable.
Madam Speaker, please join me in honoring the retirement of this incredible and noble patriot and wishing Commander George O. Fulenwider, III, a happy retirement from his life of outstanding service to our country.
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SOURCE: Congressional Record Vol. 168, No. 37
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