Jerry Lewis

Mr. LEWIS of California

Mr. LEWIS of California. Mr. Chairman, I reserve a point of order on the amendment.

Mr. LEWIS of California. Mr. Chairman, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. LEWIS of California. Mr. Chairman, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Young), chairman of the full committee.

Mr. LEWIS of California. Mr. Chairman, I offer an amendment.

Mr. LEWIS of California. Mr. Chairman, the minority has seen the amendment and has no objection. I simply ask for its passage.

Mr. LEWIS of California

Mr. LEWIS of California. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that it be in order on Tuesday, July 8, 2003, for the Speaker, as though pursuant to clause 2(b) of rule XVIII, to declare the House resolved into the Committee of the Whole House on the State of the Union for consideration of a bill reported pursuant to section 6 of House Resolution 299 making appropriations for the Department of Defense for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2004, and for other purposes, which shall proceed according to the following order: The first reading of the bill shall be dispensed with. All points of order against consideration of the bill are waived. General debate shall be confined to the bill and shall not exceed 1 hour equally divided and controlled by the chairman and ranking minority member of the Committee on Appropriations. After general debate, the bill shall be considered for amendment under the 5-minute rule. Points of order against provisions in the bill for failure to comply with clause 2 of rule XXI are waived. During consideration of the bill for amendment, the Chairman of the Committee of the Whole may accord priority in recognition on the basis of whether the Member offering an amendment has caused it to be printed in the portion of the Congressional Record designated for that purpose in clause 8 of rule XVIII. Amendments so printed shall be considered as read. At the conclusion of consideration of the bill for amendment, the Committee shall rise and report the bill to the House with such amendments as may have been adopted. The previous question shall be considered as ordered on the bill and amendments thereto to final passage without intervening motion except one motion to recommit with or without instructions.

Mr. LEWIS of California

Mr. LEWIS of California. Mr. Speaker, I would like today to pay a special tribute to a very special teacher, Clara Corrin, who is retiring after 48 years in education--including 3 decades molding thousands of fourth graders into knowledgeable and confident youngsters at Kimberly Elementary School in my hometown of Redlands. Clara Corrin got her start working with children even before she finished her own education, starting in 1955 as a nursery school teacher in Orange, NJ. She taught at a number of nursery schools and eventually became assistant director of the Head Start program in Springfield, MA. Showing a lifelong dedication to improving her teaching expertise, Mrs. Corrin earned a bachelor's degree in elementary education in 1970, and went on to get her Masters of Arts in Education in 1976. She has continued her training with an administrative credential in 1977 and received a Mott Fellowship for studies in Educational Counseling at the University of Redlands. A generation of fourth graders has now benefited from that expertise at Kimberly Elementary. Mrs. Corrin began her career with Redlands Unified as a substitute in 1972, and began full time the next year. In recent years, many of her former students, who have gone on to become doctors, lawyers, teachers and successful business owners, have been delighted to find that their own children are also in Mrs. Corrin's classroom and capable hands. Her dedication led to a nomination for Teacher of the Year for the Redlands Unified School District in 1993, and she was appointed Summer School principal at Cram School in Redlands. Going beyond the classroom, Mrs. Corrin coordinated the district's ``Here's Looking at You 2000'' drug abuse prevention program, and has been an active member in the Redlands Teachers' Association and the State teachers association. She is also active in the Phi Delta Kappa and Pi Lambda Theta teachers' sororities. Outside of the school, Mrs. Corrin has served as chapter president for the California Association of Neurologically Handicapped Children, and has been a board member for the Redlands Valley Rehabilitation Workshop. She is an active member of The Links, Incorporated and raised more than $19,000 for scholarships awarded by the San Bernardino Valley Chapter. Mr. Speaker, the thousands of students who passed through Clara Corrin's door learned well the motto posted there: ``Enter to Learn, Exit to Lead.'' Please join me in congratulating this exemplary leader of youth for a lifetime of public service, and wish her well in her well-deserved retirement.

Mr. LEWIS of California

Mr. LEWIS of California. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding me this time. Ladies and gentlemen, this is a totally unexpected circumstance, for it has not been my privilege to serve on the Page Board. My name is Jerry Lewis, from California. I have the privilege of chairing the subcommittee that deals with national defense. Our Secretary of Defense and General Meyers are briefing the Members, as you may know, over in the Rayburn Building; and we have had those discussions many a time. But I came here to the floor for other reasons and found this going on and thought it might be an opportunity to express my appreciation and say a few words to this class as you are leaving, for a time at any rate, the Nation's capital. I wanted to share a couple of thoughts with you. When I was young, not really thinking about public affairs, I grew up in a household where my mother was a Democrat and my father was a Republican. So I grew up pretty confused, and over those early years spent a lot of time trying to figure out what are the Democrats all about and what are the Republicans all about, and is there really a lot of difference between these huge gray donkeys and elephants. I came to Washington for the first time in 1955 as a student at UCLA, along with 11 other students, on our way to India in a program that existed before the Peace Corps, called Project India. Our job was to travel to Southeast Asia, go from community to community in India and try to communicate with our friends, Indian college students. On the way, we stopped in the Nation's capital. I had not been far out of San Bernardino before that. We spent a couple of days talking to USIA and the State Department people, and then we took a half day off to look at the monuments of this wonderful place. That is the story I kind of want to begin to share with you. On that trip together we walked up the steps of the Lincoln Memorial for the first time, saw that wonderful statue seated in that temple. It is a magnificent first experience, chills up your spine. We had an appointment shortly thereafter on the edge of the Potomac, and in those days you could take a chain of boats and ride in a chain of boats along the Potomac and look at the Capitol and monuments from a different perspective. We found ourselves waiting for a half hour, 45 minutes, and finally an hour went by only to learn that the reason for our wait was because two of our students were being told they would have to ride in a boat to be attached to the back because they happened to be black. The summer of 1955, 12 young idealistic kids from UCLA going to India to talk about freedom and hope and opportunity, and that scene at the Lincoln Memorial, and then that experience on the Potomac is something you just cannot wipe out of your memory. But the point was not at all that our country had not made significant progress between the days of Lincoln and that summer of 1955. Clearly we had made much progress in our country. Clearly, also, we have made a lot of progress since then and today. But the real point is, as I visit Lincoln, the real point is that this is our government, your government. If we are not happy with pieces of it, clearly we have a responsibility to try to impact it, to push it, to shove it down a pathway that makes a lot more sense from our perspective. Mr. Speaker, I went to India that summer thinking that maybe I might actually go into politics some time. I thought then I would probably run for office as a Democrat. I came back from India convinced, as I went through the summer trying to figure out the differences between the two great parties, that for me, Jerry Lewis, I probably absolutely would run for public office one day, but if I did so, I had made the decision that the place where I could have the biggest impact was on the Republican side of the aisle instead. I draw the painting regarding the Potomac for one reason, and the quest for the difference between one or the other, I would love to hear from some of you in the months and years ahead, hear from you about what you decide to do in terms of your pathway in life, and what you decided to do if you involved yourself in partisan politics. Because it is people like you who make the two great parties great. But, more importantly, you can continue to make sure that our country is by far the best and the most important force for freedom in the world. Thank you for what you have done, and it is a pleasure to have been with you.

Mr. LEWIS of California

Mr. LEWIS of California. Mr. Speaker, I have before me an outline of information regarding General Eric Shinseki, Chief of the United States Army, who is on the verge of his retirement. The material before me involves much more than the 5 minutes that is available to us at this moment, but the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Murtha) and I want to make sure that all of this is in the Record. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to a genuine American hero, our retiring Chief of Staff of the United States Army, Eric K. Shinseki. After leading the Army during successful campaigns against terrorism in Afghanistan and Iraq and putting the Army on an irreversible track towards transformation, General Shinseki is stepping down as Chief of Staff of the Army next week. Mr. Speaker, there is many a thing that I would say, but most of us in the House have come to know and be spellbound by the story of General Shinseki's life. Indeed, Hollywood could not have written a better story that would reflect an Horatio Alger kind of hero during our very age. Mr. Speaker, when I first met General Shinseki, I was a newly elected chairman of the Subcommittee on National Security of the Committee on Appropriations. Shortly after assuming that responsibility, I was asked to go to the swearing-in of the new Army Chief, meeting a general whom I had really not known at all for the first time, the beginning of a very deep and growing friendship. Eric Shinseki, upon being sworn in, was introduced; and in that introduction I learned for the first time when he was born, Rick Shinseki was born a foreign alien, for he was of Japanese dissent, born in Hawaii, and World War II was raging. So a foreign alien. Think of that and think of the reflection and what that says about our country that some years later that same individual rises to be the Chief of the United States Army. It is a fantastic reflection of this country's strength and what it means in terms of service and opportunity for those who will but serve. Another piece of that introduction and the Chief's speech says an awful lot about this guy Rick Shinseki. I will never forget his words. Turning to the audience, he said, I want all of you who are here present to know I would not be here today if it were not for the Shinseki women, and he pointed out some two dozen of those women who were in the audience, his grandmother, his mother, wife, daughters, et cetera. With that, he went on to outline his vision for the future of the Army relatively near term, and for the first time I heard in a meaningful way an outline by a military leader that involved the term transformation. He was about transforming the American Army and making sure we found ourselves on a pathway that would allow the Army to lead this free country as the only remaining superpower for the decades ahead. As he discussed the fact that the Army needed to be lighter and quicker and stronger, I heard a fellow just behind me who also had stars on his shoulders, I heard him gasp, what does this guy think the Marine Corps is for, although the terms he used in expressing that sentiment were a little stronger than I have used here. But, nonetheless, a clear illustration that there continues to be competition between our branches, which is good, but there also continues to be a great need for transformation throughout the Department of Defense. And the first guy out on the point regarding that transformation is this great Chief who is now retiring, Eric Shinseki. The gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Murtha) and I have had a chance to work very closely with the Chief. We have had a chance to play a role in developing ideas of his such as the future combat system, to talk out loud about what that future battlefield might look like and to talk about the fact that we are responsible for by far the largest budget in the Congress, those moneys that flow on behalf of our national defense and allowing America to be the voice for freedom. Indeed, in those conversations time and time again, the General and I come back to this thought: That is the thought that the reason we spend these moneys is not because we are about to wage war but because America is the force for peace and we appropriate these dollars and work with the Army and the rest of our forces on behalf of peace in the world. So as General Eric K. Shinseki goes on to a new part of his life, we thank him for his great and wonderful service, and we all are in his debt. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to a genuine American hero-- our retiring Chief of Staff of the United States Army, General Eric K. Shinseki. After leading the Army during successful campaigns against terrorism in Afghanistan and Iraq and putting the Army on an irreversible track towards transformation, General Shinseki is stepping down as chief of staff next week. Many of us in the Congress have come to know, and be spellbound by, the story of General Shinseki's life. Indeed, Hollywood couldn't have written a better Horatio Alger story. General Shinseki, as we've all come to know, was born during World War II to Japanese-American parents at a time when the fears of war created a regrettable episode in our history--the internment of American citizens and loyal immigrants. Between then and now, much has changed in the world and in this country. General Shinseki has been a positive force for some of that change, even as his incredible professional accomplishments are a symbol of that change. Indeed, I remember so well the first time I heard the Shinseki story. It was during the introduction at his swearing-in ceremony as the Army's Chief of Staff. That story moved me, but I was also struck by General Shinseki's own remarks that followed. He spoke eloquently and forcefully on a broad range of topics--it was during these remarks that I first heard the term ``transformation.'' General Shinseki shared with us his powerful vision for change and I was intrigued at how clear his transformational ideas were, and how resolute and determined he seemed in bringing this about. I also remember what he said about his family-- just how important they were to him. He singled out, as he called them, the dozen or so ``Shinseki women,'' in the audience--his grandmother, mother, sisters, wife, and daughters--saying he wouldn't be where he was today without them. His sincere humility and gratitude on this his big day, was inspiring. It was a moving set of remarks on a propitious and portentous day, an event that remains fresh in my memory even now. With the guiding hand of loving parents, Ric Shinseki matured into an extraordinary young American with rock-solid values and with a calling to serve--``Duty, Honor, Country.'' This West Point graduate is a decorated combat veteran and an accomplished peacemaker. He is a fierce warrior-leader with a Master's degree in Literature--a true Renaissance man. His story is an inspiration for us all. He has lived the ``American Dream'' rising to become the 34th Army Chief of Staff. As a young junior officer, Ric Shinseki served valiantly and selflessly in Vietnam, where he was wounded twice--once so severely his troops were convinced he would not survive. His valor and courage under fire won him three Bronze Star Medals for valor and two Purple Hearts. A ``soldier's soldier'' who has commanded at every level, General Shinseki is also a reflective and intellectually gifted leader. In addition to West Point, General Shinseki has attended the National War College and Duke University. Those of us in the Congress involved extensively with defense issues have come to know him as an insightful thinker and inspirational speaker and writer. He is someone we all trust and respect. Nearing the pinnacle of his Army career, General Shinseki spent 15 months as the commander of the NATO Stabilization Force in Bosnia in 1997. He led this force with remarkable skill, helping that land begin to heal the wounds of years of war. His abilities as a warrior-diplomat subsequently helped the Army prepare for and execute its peacekeeping responsibilities in Kosovo. General Eric Shinseki became Army Chief of Staff in June 1999--just six months after I took the job as chairman of the House Defense Appropriations Subcommittee. Over the past four years, we have spent a lot of the time together, professionally and socially, and I have always come away from those meetings inspired and thoughtful about the general's visionary ideas. In many ways his early performance in Vietnam revealed the true measure and character of this man. This is a tough man who sticks to what he believes is right, even when it is unpopular, controversial, and sometimes even when it is against his own interests. True courage. And we have seen more of this during his tour as Army Chief of Staff. After only a few months into his tenure as Army Chief, General Shinseki unveiled his comprehensive plan for transformation, the vision for which, as I mentioned earlier, he introduced at his swearing-in ceremony. This town is indebted to him for bringing our collective attention to this important mandate. Transformation is now a very popular phrase in defense circles, with many proclaimed authors, but in this Body in these chambers, we know where this all started and gained traction--with the humble and understated Ric Shinseki. Think about how difficult it was for this career Armor officer, a Tanker himself, to lead the Army in a direction away from 70-ton tanks towards a lighter, more strategically responsive force. Indeed, General Shinseki faced considerable skepticism within the naturally conservative institution that is the U.S. Army. An Army, after all, that had been tremendously successful over the past decade during major combat operations in Panama, the Persian Gulf, and in several other lesser contingencies and peacekeeping operations around the globe. Yet, General Shinseki knew that more than incremental changes were needed to get the Army ready for future requirements--it wasn't enough to look backwards as validation of work well done. After 9-11, and after devastating attacks only yards away from his office, General Shinseki quickly moved the Army onto a ``wartime footing.'' Like all Americans, I watched with pride and wonderment as our armed forces quickly accomplished their objectives time and again in Afghanistan and most recently now in Iraq. This is the legacy that General Shinseki leaves behind--a fabulously well trained and disciplined force that is helping win the Global War on Terror, while at the same time it is transforming itself to meet the threats of the 21st Century. Throughout our time together, I have greatly valued this man's opinion and judgment that is always carefully arrived at and based upon over three and a half decades of experience and committed service to the nation. We haven't always agreed, in fact, we've had some major differences over the years, but there is not one in this town I respect more than our outgoing Army Chief of Staff. We will miss him sorely. And we will miss his lovely wife Patty, too. She has steadfastly and selflessly stood by her husband and the Army for over 38 years and today on behalf of my colleagues of the United States Congress, we say ``thank you'' for a job well done, and may God bless you with health and happiness in all future endeavors. Although we now end our time together as Chairman and Chief, we will always remain friends. Mr. Speaker, I greatly appreciate this very special opportunity to honor my friend, General Eric Shinseki--a model citizen and soldier.

Mr. LEWIS of California

Mr. LEWIS of California. Mr. Speaker, Mr. Murtha and I rise today to pay tribute to General Eric Shinseki, an outstanding soldier and American who is retiring as the 34th Chief of Staff of the Army after more than 38 years of distinguished service to his country. He is an exceptional leader with a clear sense of purpose, conviction, and conscience of service to his nation. General Shinseki has served as Chief of Staff in one of the most dynamic and challenging periods in the storied 228-year history of the United States Army. Under his leadership, the Army began a ``transformation'' from a force focused on a defined threat that won the Cold War to a more flexible force that is capable of meeting the new and varied threats of the 21st century. At the same time General Shinseki was managing this historic level of change, he ensured the Army maintained the highest levels of combat readiness that were demonstrated so successfully during operations in Afghanistan and Iraq. General Shinseki received his commission from the United States Military Academy in 1965. He served two combat tours in the Republic of Vietnam with the 9th and 25th Infantry Divisions, first as an artillery forward observer and later as Commander of Troop A, 3rd Squadron, 5th Cavalry. During both he was seriously wounded. Since Vietnam, General Shinseki has served in a variety of command and staff assignments in the Continental United States and overseas. He served in Hawaii at Schofield Barracks with Headquarters, United States Army Hawaii, and at Ft. Shafter with Headquarters, United States Army Pacific. He also taught at the United States Military Academy's Department of English. During duty with the 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment at Ft. Bliss, Texas, he served as Regimental Adjutant and Executive Officer with the 1st Squadron. Ric spent over ten years in Europe, which included assignments as Commander, 3rd Squadron, 7th Cavalry; Commander, 2nd Brigade; Assistant Chief of Staff G3; and Assistant Division Commander, all with the 3rd Infantry Division (Mechanized). From 1994 to July 1995, he commanded the 1st Cavalry Division at Ft. Hood, Texas and in July 1996, he was promoted to Lieutenant General and became the Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations and Plans at the Department of the Army. He was selected for the rank of General in June 1997 and assumed duties as Commanding General, United States Army Europe and Commander, NATO Stabilization Force in Bosnia-Herzegovina. In November 1998 he assumed duties as Vice Chief of Staff of the Army. In addition to receiving a Bachelor of Science Degree from the United States Military Academy, he also holds a Master of Arts Degree in English Literature from Duke University. General Shinseki's military education includes the Armor Officer Advanced Course, the United States Army Command and General Staff College, and the National War College. His awards include the Defense Distinguished Service Medal, the Distinguished Service Medal, the Legion of Merit (with Oak Leaf Clusters), the Bronze Star Medal with ``V'' device (with 2 Oak Leaf Clusters), as well the Purple Heart (with Oak Leaf Cluster). He has also been awarded the Parachutist Badge, the Ranger Tab, the Office of the Secretary of Defense Identification Badge, Joint Chief of Staff Identification Badge, and Army Staff Identification Badge. History will look very favorably on the accomplishments of General Shinseki. It is easy to talk about concepts such as ``transformation'', but it takes a visionary leader to implement them. There are countless decisions that he has had to make that might very well mean the difference between success and failure on current and future battlefields. General Shinseki successfully met every challenge during his tenure as Chief of Staff with professionalism, commitment, and perseverance. To Ric and his wife Patti, God speed and enjoy a well-deserved retirement. The United States Army will miss you and so will we.

Mr. LEWIS of California

Mr. LEWIS of California. Mr. Speaker, we in America have a penchant celebrating milestones in just about every endeavor, be it sports, business or even school attendance. But today I would like to recognize a truly amazing milestone, which is only rarely reached in our modern world: the 75th wedding anniversary of Boyd and Irene Maddox of San Bernardino County. Boyd Maddox and Irene Crozier are lifelong residents of the Old West, growing up in the rugged early 20st-Century New Mexico Territory, marrying in Tombstone, Arizona and finally settling at the 250,000-acre Las Flores Ranch in the Mojave Desert--a working cattle ranch that still provides good employment to the cowboys of the 21st Century. Boyd was born in Lordsburg, New Mexico in 1908 and grew up on a cattle ranch where he got to know a young neighbor girl named Sandra Day--later to become Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor. After graduating from New Mexico Military Academy, Boyd became a messenger for Continental Bank of Los Angeles, and then worked his way up through a series of banks to become chief bookkeeper of the Douglas State Bank in southern Arizona. Irene had graduated from Tombstone High School, and married the young bank officer on June 10, 1928 at Old Adobe Episcopal Church in her hometown. The couple homesteaded for 2 years, but the depression forced Boyd to go to work for the Civilian Conservation Corps as a bookkeeper. A former bank employer had purchased a cattle ranch--the Las Flores Ranch in the Mojave Desert, and urged the Maddox's to come west and help him manage it. They finally visited in September 1938, and never left. Boyd became the working general manager and stayed for the next 50 years until his retirement. Irene raised Boyd, Jr., who is now 67. Mr. Speaker, Boyd and Irene Maddox are enjoying an active retirement, traveling, visiting friends and reminiscing. I'm sure we would be spellbound by the stories they could tell of their remarkable life together all these years. Please join me in congratulating them on their 75th wedding anniversary, and wishing them many more years to come.

Mr. LEWIS of California

Mr. LEWIS of California. Mr. Speaker, I would like today to join the people of Loma Linda, California, in singing the praises of Minnie Iverson Wood, who has been teaching music and directing choirs for more than 75 years--and plans to continue teaching students after her 95th birthday on May 26th. This remarkable teacher and musician got her start in music at Pine Tree Academy in her native Maine, and continued her education in voice and foreign languages at Columbia Union College in Takoma Park, Maryland and Catholic University of America. She took lessons in voice, choir conducting and piano in the United States, Europe and the Far East. With her husband, Dr. Wilton Wood, Mrs. Wood went to China, where she taught at Far Eastern Academy in Shanghai and Hong Kong. She has taught music and conducted choirs at the Baltic Union Seminary in Riga, Latvia; the Malayan Seminary in Singapore; and the Philippine Union College. Back in the United States, she taught at Columbia Union College for 10 years and at Andrews University in Michigan for 16 years. Mrs. Wood has conducted choirs around the world, and organized major musical events such as Handel's Messiah and Brahms' Requiem. She personally sang for President Truman, and her choirs performed for Presidents Eisenhower and Nixon. Her choral groups also sang a yearly memorial service at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Arlington, Virginia. Many of Mrs. Wood's musical groups have performed live on radio programs, including an a cappella choral group from Columbia Union College that gave weekly Sunday performances. She also organized the choir music for the Seventh-Day Adventist Church General Conference Session in Cleveland in 1958. In addition to her long career as a music teacher, Mrs. Wood was a grade school teacher for 11 years. Her use of phonics helped her first grade class to be able to read at least one grade level above average by the end of each school year. The method was so successful she was asked to train other teachers in its use. Mr. Speaker, as she reaches her 95th year, Minnie Iverson Woods continues to teach and mentor several dozen private students, and to be active on the Sabbath School Music Committee. Her students from 75 years of teaching will gather this week in a special Vespers concert to honor this wonderful teacher. Please join me in thanking her for a lifetime of making a joyful noise, and wishing her well in the years to come.

Mr. LEWIS of California

Mr. LEWIS of California. Mr. Speaker, I would like today to congratulate Daniel S. Coelho, a good friend and mentor of mine, as he celebrates his 50th year as a leader in the financial security industry. As he celebrates this milestone, he can take pride in having helping thousands of families to ensure their financial future and start productive new businesses. Many of my colleagues know that I began my professional life as an independent insurance agent, specializing in whole life insurance. It was during those early years that I came to know Daniel Coelho, who was my general agent with Penn Mutual Life and helped me learn the trade and how important these policies can be for American families. Americans today have an entire universe of options to invest in their future, from Individual Retirement Accounts to 401k savings. But before any of these were established, whole life insurance was the most important way for American families to plan for their future. Millions of families ensured that their spouses and children would have financial security, while at the same time laying a foundation for their own retirement. And millions of entrepreneurs have used these policies as the only way to get capital to start the small businesses that are the bedrock of our economy. Dan Coelho has spent 5 decades in this industry, establishing a record of business ethics and policy leadership that has earned the trust of thousands of families who have counted on him and his firm to lay their financial future. His advice and support has helped entrepreneurs create thousands of small businesses--many of which are now large and successful firms. A California native born to immigrant parents, Dan graduated from University of California, Berkeley in 1950 after capping his college career by being elected student body president. He went to work for Bechtel Corporation in Arkansas, where he met his future wife, Jenny Johnson. After service in the Korean conflict, Dan entered his life insurance career with the Penn Mutual Life General Agency in San Francisco, and was appointed General Agent in Detroit in 1957. After that agency was given the company's President's Award, he was offered the Los Angeles agency in 1962. Over the next 23 years, the Los Angeles agency grew into one of the nation's largest, and was renamed Resources Financial. It now offers a full range of investment and estate planning and business services for small and large companies. Daniel Coelho has become known to many of my colleagues as a Core Group Member for the Association for Advanced Life Underwriters, which seeks to protect these basic investments for Americans. There is no doubt that some in government have had their eye on these pools of individual financial security as potential sources for taxation, and investors should thank Dan Coelho and his fellows for watching over their interests in Washington and state capitals. Mr. Speaker, thousands of families owe their financial peace of mind to Daniel S. Coelho and the company he has led for the past 50 years. Please join me in congratulating him for those years of success and service, and wish him and Jenny well in their future endeavors.

Mr. LEWIS of California

Mr. LEWIS of California. Mr. Chairman, will the gentleman yield?

Mr. LEWIS of California. Mr. Chairman, I thank my colleague, the chairman of the Subcommittee on Foreign Operations, Export Financing and Related Programs for yielding. I rise simply to share with my colleagues from New York and New Jersey that I feel very, very strongly about our ally India and the role she may play in our future. For no reason that my colleague would know, I spent a decent amount of my life in India. I consider it to be my second country. In the case before us, however, we are talking about Pakistan, who has been our great ally in this war on terrorism. To mix the two at this moment could be a very dangerous procedure for us to follow. I am very appreciative of the fact that the gentleman is going to withdraw this amendment. I would hope that we could carry forward this discussion, though, in another forum at another time for there is a lot of work that needs to be done here. India is our ally and our friend and a great democracy. In turn, Pakistan today is helping us in a very special way in the war against terrorism.

Mr. LEWIS of California

Mr. LEWIS of California. Mr. Chairman, I appreciate my colleague yielding me this time. I must say that the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Kucinich), I know, is very sincerely serious about his position on this matter. I respect his position greatly. I must say that I was one of those who believed deep in my heart that we would solve this problem by way of peace; that there was an avenue open for us to change the regime in Iraq, and at the same time do so without having to find ourselves in war. That opportunity for peace closed. The door closed entirely when friends and allies of ours in Europe took a different position. When France decided to take the position they did, when Germany decided to take the position they did, there was no opportunity to find a peaceful solution. In the meantime, this bill before us is designed to make sure that our troops will be fully supported as they go forward attempting to ensure the opportunity of freedom for the people of Iraq. It is absolutely certain by the time we get through this process before us that they will have an opportunity they have not had during all of the history of this brutal regime. Indeed, it is difficult for me to understand my colleague's position. I happen to think he is absolutely wrong, but I have risen in part to support his right to express that position. That is what this debate is all about. I hope at another day, another time, we will find a peaceful solution for dealing with people like Saddam Hussein. I just do not see that time in the near future.

Mr. LEWIS of California. Mr. Chairman, I very much appreciate my colleague yielding me this time and rise simply to say that I very much empathize with the position of my colleague, the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Kucinich). We happen to rather intensely disagree as to what role America is going to be playing in the world in the years and months, perhaps decades, ahead. Our country remains, whether we like it or not, as the only remaining superpower in the world. We now spend dollars at a level, 380-plus billions of dollars to make sure that we are the strongest country in the world. Indeed, it is my view that those dollars are spent because we are the force for peace. If there is a country that, long term, is going to maintain the peace in the world, it is America. And it is the men and women of the very troops serving presently in the Middle East who reflect the best of the best, who are of course for peace. This bill is designed to make sure that they can carry forward their job at this moment to its completion and do it well. Indeed, no force is more capable than these men and women. Their purpose, though, is to ensure that freedom becomes available to the people, the men and women, the mothers, the children of Iraq. Without their presence, Saddam Hussein would take us down the pathway towards appeasement. He would be the voice that says ``we ought to stand still for whatever time is necessary for me to rebuild my position of strength.'' He will say, ``I will find any another way to win one more time.'' This is not a plan of peace. America is the voice for peace in the world. We need to recognize that. And because we need to recognize that, we must reject this amendment.

Mr. LEWIS of California. Mr. Chairman, I would like to begin my remarks by first expressing the deepest appreciation we have for the work that has been done between the gentleman from Florida (Chairman Young) and the gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. Obey), seeing that this bill that really is a work in response to the needs of our military forces who are fighting for freedom overseas. The way in which the House is responding today is a reflection of the best work of the House, perhaps demonstrated best in recent days by our all coming together to celebrate the freedom now that is being experienced by Jessica Lynch, the prisoner of war, this young American, who our forces made every effort to identify by way of location and made sure that she once again has the opportunity to breathe free. This bill would not be in the condition it is in if it were not for the magnificent work of staff on both sides of the aisle. The growing relationship between David Morrison and Kevin Roper, working with the Committee's staff, is somewhat magnificent to see, even though it is not a surprise to most who have observed often our committee work. In turn, however, there are others who deserve credit today, such as our personal staff, and all those people who spend endless hours to make sure that we get this work done in a timely fashion. The bill before us has some $74.5 billion in supplemental funding that is designed in large form to make sure we can carry forward the war in a timely fashion and make sure that our forces do not run out of funding at this critical moment in our history. Of that $74.5 billion, approximately $62.5 goes to national defense matters. Within that package of funding, there is approximately one-half of it, a little over $30 billion, which really goes to money that has already been obligated and essentially spent; that is, the money that was required to deploy the forces, to mobilize the National Guard and Reserve, to train and equip for battle those men and women who are the backbone of our successful effort in Iraq. From there, there is little doubt that in the months ahead we will be called upon time and time again to make sure that the pipeline does not run dry, and that is the work of our committee. Working very closely with Members on both sides of the aisle, it has been my experience that this House is most responsive when our forces need them most. So having said that, Mr. Chairman, the defense portion of this bill, which does spend as much money as I indicated, is going to be the least controversial of this bill. We will probably spend much of the day talking about other relatively smaller elements that are before us today. That piece of the bill that involves homeland defense will lead to a lot of discussion. And I would say to my colleagues on the other side of the aisle that the challenges that we face as they relate to homeland defense are challenges that really have come to our attention because of 9/11. They are primary in our mind. But I would remind us also that this is not the last bill of the year. We are going to have more than one opportunity in the appropriations process to be responsive to the needs of protecting our homeland, and the committee will come together again when those items are before us, and I am sure respond in a bipartisan way. There will be a good deal of discussion today regarding those elements that relate to Turkey's role in the struggle that is ahead of us; and the issues that flow around the foreign operations portion of the bill are difficult issues, but, indeed, those too can be handled through regular order. In the months and the years ahead, we will be making decisions regarding the way we relate to those allies who are not nearly as responsive as we might have expected as we went about attempting to lay the foundation for freedom for the people of Iraq. I am most pleased with the fact that this body today will give dramatic illustration that we can come together in time of need, in a nonpartisan way, on behalf of the men and women who are fighting for freedom in Iraq. In the final analysis, our purpose is to make certain that the children of Iraq have the same chance for opportunity and freedom that so many of us experience in this country because, by the grace of God, we happen to have been born here.

Mr. LEWIS of California

Mr. LEWIS of California. Mr. Speaker, I would like today to congratulate the citizens and community leaders of the city of San Jacinto, CA, who on April 9, 2003 will celebrate 115 years of cityhood. I am happy to report, Mr. Speaker, that the friendly folks in San Jacinto have managed to preserve their past while preparing for a future as one of the fastest growing cities in California. The San Jacinto Valley is in Riverside County, California, about 90 miles southeast of Los Angeles, in the shadow of 10,804-foot Mt. San Jacinto and the beautiful surrounding mountains. For thousands of years it has welcomed human habitation, including the ancestors of the Soboba Indians, whose reservation is adjacent to the current city of San Jacinto. When Spanish explorers moved into California, they soon discovered the valley and by the 1770s it was a stop on Anza Trail, one of the oldest serving the Spanish colonies in California. The padres of the Spanish missions named the valley in honor of St. Hyacinth (San Jacinto in Spanish), one of the early Dominican apostles, and established an outpost there in 1820. In 1842, Jose Antonio Estudillo received a land grant to the entire valley from the Mexican government. They built the Estudillo Mansion in downtown San Jacinto, which is today considered one of the most important historic structures in inland Southern California. In the 1860s, the Estudillo family began selling off portions of the rancho, and a small American community began to form. In 1868, local residents petitioned to form a school district, and by 1870 a store and post office had been established. In 1883, the San Jacinto Land Association laid out the modem city of San Jacinto at Five Points. The Santa Fe railroad arrived in 1888, and the city was incorporated that same year, making it the oldest incorporated community in Riverside County. The community has primarily been an agricultural town for much of its history, and is still home to several large dairy operations. It has also worked closely with the neighboring city of Hemet to sponsor the famous Ramona Pageant, an outdoor play on early California history that is now in its 80th year. Most recently, the city has seen the beginnings of rapid growth because it is at the edge of the Southern California urban area. Community leaders are working hard to maintain their small-town community even as they plan for growth that is expected to nearly double the population of 26,000 by 2010. Mr. Speaker, I am confident that the citizens and leaders of San Jacinto will help their town continue to be a warm and welcoming place that combines a respect for the history of California with an eye to the state's booming future. Please join me in congratulating them on their 115th birthday, and wish them well in the years to come.

Mr. LEWIS of California

Mr. LEWIS of California. Mr. Speaker, I very much appreciate my colleague yielding time to me. I cannot help but say to the House that later in the day I expect that I will have a lot of exchange with my very good friend, the gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. Obey). I express my appreciation for the magnificent work that he and the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Young) have done together regarding this bill. It is a war supplemental for the 2003 year. It is a process that will go forward today in a very, very positive way with both sides of the aisle expressing their support for our troops, both sides of the aisle responding I think positively to the need to make sure that funding goes forward effectively. I cannot help, however, as I sit and listen to this discussion regarding open rules to share with my colleagues a conversation I had a moment ago with my colleague, the chairman, who was not really wringing his hands but he was saying to me, ``I cannot help but remember a decade I spent in the minority in the Florida Senate. I cannot help but remember all the time I spent as a Member of the House.'' Some, not all, of 40 years in this House, but a very big hunk of time, when the other side controlled, the other side of the aisle. And indeed, they are constantly talking about open rules the way they saw them, and beauty does lie in the eyes of the genuflector around this place. I was reminded a moment ago of the gentlewoman from New York (Ms. Slaughter) in a parade that she participates in regularly, I understand, and as she came down the roadway in that parade that day, one of our fine staffers over here happened to flash up a sign that said ``Louise, more open rules, please.'' It is fascinating when one majority controls a place for more than 4 decades, and indeed, now comes here to the floor and complains so rather effectively about our learning so much from them, during the years they controlled it with such an iron fist.

Mr. LEWIS of California

Mr. LEWIS of California. Mr. Speaker, I rise really to express my deep appreciation for both the gentleman from Missouri (Mr. Skelton) and the gentleman from California (Mr. Hunter) for the fabulous job they do on behalf of the men and women who make up our Armed Forces. The gentleman from California (Mr. Hunter) and I have talked about the fact that I am very proud at this moment in our history to have the privilege to chair the subcommittee of appropriations that does the funding for the men and women who are now serving us overseas. This evening we will have before us a budget that is probably the finest budget in terms of national security that I have seen in all the years I have been in Congress, and we will have the opportunity in that budget to express our strong support for those men and women who are doing this work on our behalf and on behalf of freedom in the Middle East this evening. But particularly relative to this resolution are these two gentlemen, the gentleman from Missouri (Mr. Skelton) and the gentleman from California (Mr. Hunter), who have come together to provide a vehicle for us to express our deep appreciation, our deepest appreciation, for the work that they are about. Indeed, it is America's challenge to preserve freedom and provide leadership for freedom in the world. The men and women who are serving us this evening who we are praising by way of this resolution are right at the point of the strength of America as we go out carrying forward that responsibility we have to be the world's force for peace as well as for freedom. I thank them so much for what they are doing. I appreciate the gentleman yielding me this time.

Mr. LEWIS of California

Mr. LEWIS of California. Mr. Speaker, it is with great pleasure that I rise today to commend the incoming president of the California Medical Association, Dr. Ronald Bangasser. For nearly two decades, I have known Dr. Bangasser as a friend and a community leader in San Bernardino County, California, and I believe he will be a strong asset at the head of the nation's largest state medical association. Dr. Bangasser has been a prominent member of the San Bernardino County medical community since 1977, when he began in private practice. By 1982, he had established a reputation as an expert at treating complicated wounds as director of the Wound Care Center at Redlands Community Hospital. He became Chief of Staff at the hospital in 1990 and is now Medical Director for the Beaver Medical Group in Redlands. Known for his interest in teaching, Dr. Bangasser is a member of the American Board of Family Practice, American College of Hyperbaric Medicine, American College of Physician Executives, and is a fellow of the American Academy of Family Physicians and an associate Professor at Loma Linda University Medical Center. The legions of patients devoted to Dr. Bangasser include many in the retirement communities of Yucaipa, California, and a generation of young athletes at San Bernardino Valley College, where he has given 12,000 sport physicals in 22 years as team physician for the football team. Since 1986, he has served as team physician for the local minor league baseball team, currently known as the Inland Empire 66ers. Dr. Bangasser is well known for his leadership role in the medical community and on public policy both in California and on the national level. He has served on nine medical association reference committees, and has been a San Bernardino County Medical Society board member for 25 years. He has served in a series of top positions on the California Medical Association, and is a delegate to the American Medical Association. He is a member of the AMA Council on Medical Services, and was recently appointed to the AMA's Quality Committee for NCQA. He was named Outstanding Physician by the San Bernardino County group in 1995, and was presented with the San Bernardino Valley College Distinguished Service Award in 1999. In the community, Dr. Bangasser spearheaded a collaborative effort between the San Bernardino and Riverside County medical associations and the San Bernardino Bar Association on domestic violence awareness. He annually sponsors and pays for travel costs of two students to AMA events, and helped cover the costs of a group of teens to attend an AMA conference on teen pregnancy. He has served on the boards of the local United Way, the YMCA, the Redlands Community Hospital Foundation and the ``Just for You Volunteers'' seniors group in Yucaipa. Dr. Bangasser is not unknown to us in Washington, where he has traveled to testify in support of medical programs, and last year he was honored by President Bush in a White House discussion on senior citizen health. He has already gained a reputation as a strong advocate of health care in his role as president-elect of the 35,000-member CMA. Along with his other accomplishments, Dr. Bangasser trained as a former Navy Diving Medical Officer, and has taught many colleagues, friends, and patients the joys of this underwater adventure. I can thank him and his wife Susan for helping me rediscover my love for this sport, and helping me to train and qualify as a SCUBA diver. Mr. Speaker, the job of president of the California Medical Association comes with heavy responsibility, but I am certain Dr. Ronald Bangasser will perform wonderfully in the role. I ask you and my colleagues to congratulate him on his election as president, and wish him success in his future endeavors.

Mr. LEWIS of California

Mr. LEWIS of California. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding me this time, and it is very appropriate that I should follow with my remarks those of my friend and colleague and partner in this business, the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Murtha). The gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. Obey) was very kind to begin his remarks with a tribute to Greg Dahlberg. I wanted to mention that the work of our subcommittee, that is the Subcommittee on Defense, along with MILCON, got their work done last year for the 2003 year; and it is largely because of the very fine relationship we have with our professional staff and with the gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. Obey), the ranking member. Just the day before yesterday in our meeting, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, responding to the needs that are within this bill, and this bill includes a $10 billion package which is an additive to the 2003 bill which was not included in that budget relative to some of the costs carrying forward the war on terrorism. It is costing us over $1.5 billion a month, and we are very cognizant of the importance of this legislation in connection with that defense effort. Indeed, I want to have in the Record a copy of the letter from the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff that reflects his support for this legislation. But probably this piece would not be a part of this package or would not be effectively here if it were not for the work of our very fine staff. Greg Dahlberg reflects the finest of those professionals that we have around this place. We have them on both sides of the aisle, and especially among those committees that deal with the work on behalf of defense. I think the Members know that, year in and year out, we come to the floor with a major portion of our discretionary money in the defense arena and we carry those bills forward with almost no rancor, taking usually very little time on the floor. And I think, generally speaking, those who are watching the action on the floor today should know that a significant reason for this bill going forward, so important that it go forward now, is that we do have this rather sizable piece of money that is critical to our being able to be consistent in moving forward with the war on terrorism. And so while Greg leaves us officially in the near term, shortly, sometime, I am not sure when, I am sorry to see him leave. I am proud to be a friend of his; I expect to work with him in the months and years ahead, but in turn, I want to thank him for helping us get the kind of bipartisan support we expect to have for this bill as it passes. Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Washington, DC. Hon. C.W. Bill Young, Chairman, Committee on Appropriations, House of Representatives, Washington, DC. Dear Mr. Chairman: During our meeting yesterday you asked Secretary Rumsfeld and me how significant the $6.1B for Defense currently in the FY2003 Omnibus Appropriations Bill is to the Armed Services. The following elaborates on our answer of yesterday. The Global War on Terrorism is costing about $1.6B per month. This expense is not part of the Services' FY 2003 budgets. As a result, the Services are dipping into their budgeted 4th quarter operating accounts--we are in fact dipping into Service 3rd quarter operating accounts now--to fund first and second quarter FY 2003 expenses associated with the war. Without the $6.1B funding in the FY 2003 Omnibus, we will need to take immediate actions to reduce spending. These actions will negatively impact readiness. I offer my support for your efforts in passing the Omnibus (H.J. Res. 2) before the President's Day recess. The package you have worked includes essential funding for the Defense Department; that is important to our national security. The men and women of our Armed Forces deeply appreciate the support of your Committee and that of the entire Congress. Sincerely, Richard B. Myers, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

Mr. LEWIS of California

Mr. LEWIS of California. Mr. Speaker, I would like today to offer my congratulations to the board of directors and employees of the Mission Springs Water District for 50 years of high quality service to the residents of Desert Hot Springs, California and the surrounding desert communities. As you can imagine, Mr. Speaker, water is one of the most important concerns to residents of a desert community. However, many of my colleagues from the watery East may not know that there are millions of gallons of some of the finest water to be found in the underground basins of the deserts of California. Blessed with one such basin, the early residents of the community (later to become the city) of Desert Hot Springs established, by vote, a water district that was later to become Mission Springs Water District. That original district served one square mile when it was created in February 1953. Today, it covers 135 square miles of a rapidly growing desert area. Since its inception, the district has committed itself to provide, protect and preserve its high-quality drinking water. The district has gained widespread respect for its water conservation and attention to top quality materials in its distribution system. Mr. Speaker, I know that it is common for members of Congress to speak proudly of the quality of their local products. But in this case, the product served by Mission Springs Water District has certified by experts as some of the best in the nation. The district has received one gold and two silver medals in the largest international water tasting competition held: the Berkeley Springs, West Virginia, International Water Tasting and Competition. In 1998, the district sponsored state legislation to ensure protection of its award winning groundwater. The legislation amended Section 13281 of the Porter-Cologne Water Quality Act (the California Water Code), granting special protection to the Mission Creek and Desert Hot Springs Aquifers--the sources of the cities drinking water and world-renowned mineral water. The district has continued to support other legislation that protects water resources throughout California. The district has also been a good corporate citizen. In 1999, the district created the Mission Springs Foundation, a 501(c)(3) dedicated to educating the community about water and human impact on water quality. It was instrumental in the formation of the Desert Hot Springs Groundwater Guardian Team in 1995. The Groundwater Guardian is committed to working in the community with the mission of ``teaching the community to care for and about groundwater.'' In 2000, under the leadership of district and the Groundwater Guardian Team, the newly constructed Desert Hot Springs High School became the first Groundwater Guardian Campus in the Nation. In 1995, the district sponsored the First Big Blood Drive on behalf of the Desert Hot Springs Chamber of Commerce and the Coachella Valley Blood Bank. The drive set records for net pints donated in a single day drive in subsequent years. Mr. Speaker, it is clear that in its 50 years of existence, the Mission Springs Water District has not only provided the highest quality water in the nation to its customers, but has also served as an inspiration source of community pride for those who live in its service boundaries. Please join me in congratulating the board and employees, and wishing them well for the future.

Mr. LEWIS of California

Mr. LEWIS of California. Mr. Speaker, I would like today to pay tribute to Mrs. Lillian Wood, who is well-known in many of our offices as the ``go-to'' person to provide service and answers to constituents who are Marines or former Marines. After 50 years of service as a civilian with the U.S. Marine Corps, Mrs. Wood is retiring as head of the Legislative Affairs Correspondence Branch. As you and my colleagues know, when our constituents decide to ``call my Congressman'' to fix a problem, we turn to the agencies involved to help us with that solution. During her several decades with the Marine Corps legislative affairs office, Mrs. Wood helped tens of thousands of our constituents gain satisfaction, and she has become a shining example of a government official dedicated to public service. A native of East Millsboro, Pennsylvania, Lillian went to work for the Marine Corps as a clerk-typist in 1952, not long after her high school graduation. She soon moved up to clerk-stenographer and began a quick ascent in the Marine Corps support services. From 1955 to 1966, she served with the Marine Corps dental/administrative division, and later with the reserve, aviation and G-4 divisions. Her supervisors were so impressed with her business administration acumen that in 1966 Mrs. Wood was asked to join the Special Correspondence Branch of the Manpower and Reserve Affairs Department, formerly the Personnel Department. She was ultimately responsible for 28 employees in that department, and advanced to assistant branch head before her assignment to the legislative affairs correspondence branch. Because of her personal integrity and the utmost respect and confidence she receives from the Corps, Mrs. Wood ensures that the Marines speak with one voice to congressional offices. She serves as the focal point for more than 4,000 written inquiries sent each year from Members of Congress. Her understanding of the needs of the average Marine and former Marine has been vital not only to our offices, but to the Secretary to the Navy, the Bureau of Medical Surgery and other military services. Mr. Speaker, I ask you and my colleagues to join me in thanking Lillian Wood for 50 years of dedicated service with the Marine Corps, for showing exemplary leadership and inspirational service that set the standard for civilian service in the Corps and the United States Naval Service. We wish her well in her retirement.