Washington, D.C. – Today, Congresswoman Elise Stefanik (R-NY-21) spoke on the House floor in honor of Major General Jeffrey Bannister, who passed away recently. Click here for video of her remarks; a transcript is below.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor an exceptional patriot and military leader, Major General Jeffrey Bannister, who recently passed away.
General Bannister served as the 10th Mountain Division Commander and Senior Commander at Fort Drum in my district.
I am proud to have gotten to know General Bannister and his family during my first term in office, when we worked closely together to successfully prevent devastating personnel cuts from taking place at Fort Drum.
Whenever I visited Fort Drum, Major General Bannister was always a wonderful host.
It was clear he commanded the greatest respect from the men and women stationed on post, and I know his greatest interest was their well-being.
I remember running into Jeff with his family at the Cream Cheese Festival in Lowville after he returned from a recent deployment.
He was casually wearing his baseball cap and eating at a picnic table with his wife and they both gave me a warm hug.
He was truly dedicated to our country and our community.
The hearts of our entire Fort Drum community go out to the family of Major General Bannister, his wife Trese and his daughter Lindsey during this difficult time.
I yield back.
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