- Record: Senate Floor
- Section type: Floor speeches
- Chamber: Senate
- Date: April 30, 2026
- Congress: 119th Congress
- Why this source matters: This section came from the Senate floor portion of the record.
REMEMBERING LIEUTENANT COLONEL JAMES “TONY” MOFFATT, LEASA MOFFATT,
ANDREW MOFFATT, AND WILLIAM MOFFATT
Mrs. BRITT. Mr. President, I rise today with a heavy heart to honor the Moffatt family of Huntsville, AL, whose lives were tragically lost in a plane crash on April 17, 2026, while traveling from Raleigh- Durham, NC, to Huntsville. LTC James “Tony” Moffatt, USA (Ret.) along with his beloved wife of nearly 35 years, Leasa, and their sons Andrew and William, were taken far too soon. Today, I join their surviving children Grant, Victoria “Tori,” and Cate, along with their extended family and loved ones, in mourning this unimaginable loss.
Andrew, and William each left an indelible impact on the Huntsville community, our entire State, and all who had the privilege of knowing them.
Lieutenant Colonel Moffatt was a retired U.S. Army aviator and a decorated pilot. His 21-year military career also included experience as an aerospace engineer who served as a payload and flight crew support specialist at NASA's Johnson Space Center Astronaut Office. After his retirement from the U.S. Army in 2008, Lieutenant Colonel Moffatt founded Moffatt Systems, Inc., a defense and aerospace consulting firm and served as a principal research engineer at the University of Alabama at Huntsville, UAH, where he supported the Rotorcraft Systems Engineering & Simulation Center, RSESC, and also directed the Digital Engineering Transformation Lab until 2024. Lieutenant Colonel Moffatt coached the Freedom Cowboys football team from 2015 to 2017, during which William played for the team, Andrew was the team's sideline photographer, and Leasa came to the games and practices to support.
Leadership Academy. Her incredible heart for education is reflected in a statement from her school, which reads, in part, “She was devoted to her students and brought warmth, wisdom, steadiness, and joy into her classroom each day. She had a remarkable gift for teaching young children, and her influence on their lives will not be forgotten . . . While Valley Leadership Academy welcomes families of all faiths, we honor the beautiful way Leasa's Christian faith shaped her life. Her faith underpinned the way she loved, served, taught, and cared for others, and it was evident in the kind of person she was-beautiful inside and out.”
industrial and systems engineering in 2021. He followed his father's career, serving as a research engineer in the UAH RSESC since his graduation. Jerry Hendrix, executive director of RSESC, said it best when he reflected, “Andrew was a well-rounded and fine young man, and his spirit made every day an enjoyable day,” in addition to his “smile, inviting personality and his encouragement.” Andrew's talents as a sports photographer also extended to volleyball, and he photographed the Huntsville Volleyball Academy for several years.
studied information technology and Cloud security, earning his Microsoft Certified Azure Administrator Associate certification and CompTIA Security+ and Linux+ credentials. He worked as a NOC analyst and vulnerability analyst with Summit 7, a Huntsville-based defense IT firm, and most recently as a Cloud security administrator for Family Resource Home Care. Calhoun Community College noted William's “resilience, determination, and a commitment to his future that reflected the very best of our student body.” Both William and his brother Andrew also served as counselors at Space Camp at the U.S. Space & Rocket Center.
the lives of Tony, Leasa, Andrew, and William Moffatt. Their strong faith, deep love for each other, and dedicated service to their community will always be remembered. I am humbled to ensure their legacy is preserved in the annals of Congress, a testament to lives lived with faith, love, and devotion.