Steven LaTourette

Mr. LaTOURETTE

Mr. LaTOURETTE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I strongly support this bipartisan legislation. H.R. 5483 is a bill to help disabled railroad employees. Under our current system, a permanently disabled railroad worker is given a monthly stipend by the Railroad Retirement Board. The average stipend is about $1,911 a month, which is often too little to support a family. This has led disabled workers to seek a supplemental source of income. If a disabled railroad worker is well enough to work at another job, current law limits his or her earnings to only $400 a month, a limit which has remained unchanged for years. Mr. Speaker, in my own district, the mayor of Mentor, Ohio, is a disabled railroad worker, and he can only accept $400 as his monthly pay for being the mayor of Mentor. This legislation that we are considering today, H.R. 5483, the Railroad Retirement Disability Earnings Act, will increase that amount to only $700 per month, with no decrease in retirement benefits. The $700 figure will also be indexed to inflation. The cost of this legislation is estimated to be at less than $500,000 a year. To put things in perspective, the National Railroad Retirement Trust is currently valued at over $29 billion and has been so well managed that railroad payroll taxes are actually going down. H.R. 5483, the Railroad Retirement Disability Earnings Act, is important to disabled railroad employees and their families and is one of the most important pieces of railroad legislation that we will consider this year. I urge your support for this bill and wish to commend our committee chairman, Mr. Young of Alaska; the ranking minority member, Mr. Oberstar; and the subcommittee's ranking minority member, Ms. Brown, for her outstanding leadership on this issue. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. LaTOURETTE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Very shortly, I would advise my distinguished ranking member that I have no additional speakers, but I do want to make this comment. This is my first session of Congress to serve as the chairman of the Railroad Subcommittee, and it has been my distinct pleasure to serve with the gentlewoman from Florida, and I want to thank her for the kind and bipartisan way in which she has treated all of the issues that have come before the subcommittee these last 2 years. I do not know where our forces are going to take us in the next couple of years, but I very much look forward to working with you, and with that, when the gentlewoman yields back, I will do the same.

Mr. LaTOURETTE. Mr. Speaker, I urge passage of the bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. LaTOURETTE. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on H.R. 5483.

Mr. LaTOURETTE. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 5483) to increase the disability earning limitation under the Railroad Retirement Act and to index the amount of allowable earnings consistent with increases in the substantial gainful activity dollar amount under the Social Security Act.

Mr. LaTOURETTE

Mr. LaTOURETTE. Mr. Speaker, on that, I demand the yeas and nays.

Mr. LaTOURETTE. Mr. Speaker, in closing, I just want to thank everyone who spoke, Mr. Boehlert, Mr. Latham, Mr. Kucinich, Mr. Davis, again, and thank Mr. Davis of Virginia and Mr. Leach for talking about Bob Feller. I again would tell folks that at 87 years old, he will be here tomorrow, and, if schedules permit, I hope you take time to say hello to him. I urge passage of the resolution. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. LaTOURETTE. Mr. Speaker, when we called up Bob Feller and said we were going to be doing this and invited him to Washington tomorrow, he said there are two people I need to see, my good friend Senator Jim Bunning, who he knows, of course, from the Baseball Hall of Fame, and I have to see my great friend, Sherry Boehlert, who represents Cooperstown, New York. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from New York (Mr. Boehlert). (Mr. BOEHLERT asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. LaTOURETTE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. (Mr. LaTOURETTE asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. LaTOURETTE. Mr. Speaker, I want to, first of all, thank the chairman of the full committee, Mr. Davis of Virginia, for moving this legislation forward. This measure recognizes my constituent, Baseball Hall of Famer Bob Feller, for his military service to our country and also commemorates the 60th anniversary of his greatest baseball season. It is my honor to have introduced this measure, together with a number of our colleagues that you will hear from this afternoon, and it will be our honor to host Bob Feller tomorrow when he visits Capitol Hill on the eve of his trip to Cooperstown for the annual Hall of Fame weekend. Mr. Speaker, in 1941, Bob Feller was at the peak of his baseball career. The right-hander from Van Meter, Iowa, had signed with my beloved Cleveland Indians at the age of 16 and became an instant sensation. Feller made quick work of rewriting the record books and thrilling fans. In his first major league start, he struck out 15 St. Louis Browns. In 1938, Feller established a new major league strikeout record by striking out 18 Detroit Tigers in a single nine-inning game. He was the first pitcher in modern major league history to win 20 or more games before the age of 21. He pitched his first no-hitter on opening day at Comiskey Park against the Chicago White Sox on April 16, 1940. It remains today as the only no-hitter ever thrown on a major league opening day. Two days after the attack on Pearl Harbor, Mr. Speaker, in 1941, Bob Feller did what seems almost unthinkable with some of today's professional athletes. A month after his 23rd birthday, he enlisted in the Navy and volunteered for combat, placing service to his country above the sport he loved. It didn't matter that his father was dying of cancer and that his mother and sister depended upon him for financial support. His country needed him, and Feller didn't think twice. Bob Feller was sworn in by heavyweight champion Gene Tunney and was off to fight in World War II. For the next 44 months, Feller's life was devoted to his country and his fellow sailors aboard the USS Alabama, where he served as an anti- aircraft gunner. Feller participated in the famous 1944 Battle of the Marianas Turkey Shoot, where 219 of Japan's 326 planes were downed in a single day. He has called the Marianas shootout the greatest day of his life. He left the Navy a war hero, earning eight battle stars. Bob Feller missed nearly four full seasons to defend our great Nation and returned at the end of the 1945 season just in time to pitch a handful of games. He tried to keep his fastball in shape during the war, often tossing the ball on the deck of the Alabama. Still, there were a number of whispers that perhaps his best days were behind him. Sixty years ago, in 1946, Feller silenced the critics. He had his best season ever, one for the record books and the stuff of Hollywood movies. The season reminds us why baseball is so revered. In 1946, Feller pitched a remarkable 36 complete games in 42 starts. To gauge this feat, consider this: The five teams in the American League Central Division had just 35 complete games between them all of last year. Feller led the American League in wins, shutouts, strikeouts, games pitched and innings. He struck out 348 batters, then a major league record. In April of 1946, he pitched his second no-hitter, this time against the Yankees in New York. He went 26-15 with 10 shutouts, including the no-hitter, and had a career low 2.18 earned run average. He pitched in six relief games, saving four of them. He pitched a total of 371-1/3 innings and often threw 125 to 140 pitches a game. He says today that he never iced his arm, if you can imagine that. He had a fastball clocked at 109 miles an hour that year, again, after a 4-year hiatus. The Baseball Hall of Fame has said Feller's ``blazing fastball set the standard against which all of his successors have been judged.'' He was the winning pitcher in the 1946 All-Star Game and threw three scoreless innings in a 12-0 victory by the American League. He achieved all of this while my beloved Indians that year, 1946, only won 68 games. Mr. Speaker, Bob Feller has been a member of the Baseball Hall of Fame since 1962. Purists can recite his stats: His three no-hitters, his 12 one-hitters, his 266 wins, his 2,581 strikeouts and his 18 years with the Indians. What many sports fans don't know, however, is that none of these records or accolades are as important to Bob Feller as was his service to our country. Bob has said, ``It was more important for me to be in the military trying to protect the sovereignty of this country than playing professional baseball or any other sport.'' He also said that the only win he ever wanted was World War II. Bob Feller today says that he is no war hero, but rather a survivor, because he is one of the lucky ones to have made it home. Mr. Speaker, I would argue that ``Rapid Robert'' Feller is a hero in every sense of the word, both on and off the field. Now 87 years old and part of the Greatest Generation, he remains completely devoted to his sport, to the Indians, and to our men and women in uniform. He is a wonderful and selfless American. I urge my colleagues to support the resolution. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. LaTOURETTE. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include Dextraneous material on H.Con.Res 449.

Mr. LaTOURETTE. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the concurrent resolution (H. Con. Res. 449) commemorating the 60th anniversary of the historic 1946 season of Major League Baseball Hall of Fame member Bob Feller and his return from military service to the United States.

Mr. LaTOURETTE. Mr. Speaker, when we introduced this resolution with all of the folks that are speaking here today, we got a call from Representative Gingrey's office. I said to myself, well, he is not from Iowa, he is not from Cleveland, why would a guy from Georgia want to talk about Bob Feller? He is about to tell us. It is my pleasure to yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Gingrey).

Mr. LaTOURETTE. Mr. Speaker, in my opening remarks I mentioned Van Meter, Iowa. It is now my pleasure to yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Iowa (Mr. Latham), who represents Van Meter, Iowa.

Mr. LaTOURETTE. Mr. Speaker, when we introduced this resolution, I was riding over for a vote yesterday and saw Mr. Leach of Iowa, and his eyes lit up when I said we were going to do this, because he too has some remembrances that he wants to share about Bob Feller. It is now my pleasure to yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Iowa (Mr. Leach).

Mr. LaTOURETTE

Mr. LaTOURETTE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I strongly support this bipartisan legislation. In 2001, after several years of intense labor management negotiations, the most comprehensive reform of the railroad retirement system in nearly 2 decades was enacted. The ERISA-type investment trust in which Tier II pension assets are invested has been performing extremely well. Payroll tax rates have gone down for both the railroads and workers, benefits have increased and the investment trust has experienced a nearly 50 percent growth in asset value in those 5 short years. At the time of the 2001 legislation, we included a retirement that Tier II pension benefit checks be issued through a private contractor. This rested on the belief, since proven wrong, that this would be more efficient than continuing the use of the Treasury for this purpose. In fact, the Railroad Retirement Board, the trustees of the investment trust and the Congressional Budget Office have all found that by using an outside disbursing agent, actually costs to the program are increased by $2 million a year more than they would have been if we had used the Treasury. As a temporary expedient, the mandate to use an outside disbursing agent has been legislatively postponed in appropriations measures since 2001, but is it is obviously time to make the correction permanent. H.R. 5074 does this by amending the permanent Railroad Retirement Act to designate the U.S. Treasury as the disbursing agent for the benefits. This legislation has been fully bipartisan from the outside. I particularly want to commend the chairman of the full committee, Mr. Young, the ranking member of the full committee, Mr. Oberstar, and my ranking member on the subcommittee, Ms. Brown, for their leader in moving this bill forward expeditiously. It means greater efficiency for a system that is critical to the well-being of the Nation's retired railroad workers and deserves the endorsement of the House. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. LaTOURETTE. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. LaTOURETTE. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous materials on H.R. 5074.

Mr. LaTOURETTE. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 5074) to amend the Railroad Retirement Act of 1974 to provide for continued payment of railroad retirement annuities by the Department of the Treasury, and for other purposes.

Mr. LaTOURETTE

Mr. LaTOURETTE. Mr. Speaker, I would like to enter into the Record an article from yesterday's Akron Beacon Journal about a baseball legend who also happens to be one of my constituents--Hall of Famer Bob Feller. The article was written by columnist and author Terry Pluto, one of the Nation's most respected sportswriters and someone whose work I greatly admire. Pluto's article recounts the 60th anniversary of Feller's greatest season in 1946, his first full season after serving nearly four years in the Navy during World War II. It is a story for baseball fans of all ages, and it truly reminds me of all that is good in baseball and in America. As a lifelong Cleveland Indians fan, I am honored to share Pluto's wonderful story about Feller so it is forever preserved in the pages of the Congressional Record. All-Star for All Time Hall of Famer Bob Feller Put Up Season for Ages in 1946 What Bob Feller did 60 years ago will never happen again. That's not a surprise, a lot has changed in baseball since 1946. But what Bob Feller did in 1946 never should have happened at all. Start with pitching the 36 games. Excuse me, the 36 complete games. That's 36 complete games in 42 starts. For a little context, the entire American League Central Division--that's five teams, including the Indians--had 35 complete games in 2005. So in 1946, Bob Feller finished more games than all the pitchers on all the teams in the Central Division--combined! In 2005, the Indians had the lowest ERA in the American League, along with 10 shutouts--the same as Feller had in 1946. Did I mention the four saves? Feller also pitched in relief six times, saving four games. Just what was the premier starting pitcher in baseball doing in the bullpen? ``I started every fourth day,'' Feller said. ``I'd rest a day after my start, then I'd throw batting practice on the second day. Other times, I'd help out in relief just to get my throwing in.'' He paused. ``Know what was crazy?'' he said. ``When I threw batting practice, I didn't have a (protective) screen in front of me. That was crazy, because I could have gotten hurt.'' Everything in 1946 for Feller was insane, at least by today's pitching parameters. Consider his 371 1/3 innings. His 348 strikeouts. His 26-15 record for a team that was 65-89. His 2.18 ERA. It was a season in which he threw a no-hitter, a one- hitter, was the starting and winning pitcher in the All-Star Game and had a fastball clocked at 109 mph. After the final game of the year, he took one day off. ``Then me and Satchel Paige went on a barnstorming tour,'' Feller said. ``Played about 35 games in 30 days across the country--the major-league stars against the stars of the Negro Leagues. Traveled around in two jets. I started every game, usually pitched three innings.'' Feller tells this story as if he were stating the obvious, like this is July and sometimes the weather is warm. ``I didn't think it was a big deal,'' he said. The white-haired Feller, now 87, would like to lose a few pounds. He comes to most Indians games. He has little use for what he considers the coddling of pitchers--everything from icing their arms to counting their pitches. ``I probably averaged 125-to-140 pitches (per game) that season,'' he said. ``I was going for the strikeout record.'' Feller says things like that, causing you to call a timeout. Let's consider the pitch counts first, then the strikeout record. Feller knows all of his crucial statistics, and he's probably right in his estimate. An Associated Press story reported Feller using 133 pitches to no-hit the New York Yankees in Yankee Stadium. The story explained: ``The Cleveland speedball artist threw 54 balls, 35 strikes (17 were called, 18 were missed), 29 were fouled off and 15 were hit to the infielders and outfielders.'' Feller fanned 11, walked five. ``I always threw a lot of pitches,'' Feller said. ``I had a high school game where I threw a shutout, walked 14 and struck out 14.'' He paused. ``The game was called after five innings,'' he said. I laughed. He wasn't kidding. If you do the math on that game, it meant only one batter made an out by hitting the ball. It meant he constantly had the bases loaded, and that he indeed threw a no-hitter. In high school, most of his games were no-hitters. So when he threw three nohitters in the majors and a dozen one- hitters, at least one person wasn't shocked: Feller himself. Back to the 1946 no-hitter. Consider this: It was the bottom of the ninth inning. The Indians had a 1-0 lead. The Yankees' George Stirweiss led off by bunting for a hit, which was ruled an error on Tribe first baseman Les Fleming. Newspapers from New York and Cleveland both reported it was an easy play that Fleming botched, the ball rolling through his legs. Think of today's unwritten rules about bunting to break up a no-hitter in the late innings, how it's considered an insult and somehow unsportsmanlike. ``Nah,'' said Feller last week. ``It was 1-0. He was just trying to win the game.'' Feller retired the next three hitters on ground balls to preserve the no-hitter. ``There was some talk, especially in New York, that I was washed up after the war,'' Feller said. The no-hitter on that day in late April silenced any doubts. So did that incredible 1946 season, when he pitched in a league that featured the likes of Ted Williams, Joe DiMaggio, Hank Greenberg, Mickey Vernon and Rudy York. Feller's 26 victories plus his four saves meant he had an arm in 30 of the Tribe's 68 wins. Feller was 27 that year, at the height of his physical powers. If he says he threw more than 125 pitches most games, he probably did. By contrast, in 2005, only two of the World Champion Chicago White Sox pitchers used more than 120 pitches. None had more than 130. No Tribe pitcher went over 120. ``I don't care how many pitches you throw,'' Feller said. ``It's, `Are you tired?' How are you throwing?'' Feller believed the arm is a muscle, and you develop it with exercise. The best one is throwing. He also lifted light weights, rare for a player of his era. He didn't smoke, rarely drank and ate reasonably well, lots of protein. Never iced his arm, either. ``I used a little rubbing alcohol,'' he said. ``Then after I'd pitch, I'd go home and take a nice, hot bath.'' He lived at the Tudor Arm Hotel on East 107th and Carnegie Avenue. ``I had a beautiful suite, they had a great pool and I swam a lot,'' he said. Feller was 6-foot, 185 pounds, in 1946. He looked taller because he had long arms, a high leg kick and a big windup that seemed to make him look so much closer to the hitter than the regulation distance of 6-feet, 6-inches when he released the ball. He had a fastball for the ages, but he believes he notched as many strikeouts with his big, overhand curveball. It was a pitch that didn't just break about a foot to the right, but also dropped about a foot. The rotation of the ball was so tight, so fast, that hitters swore you could hear it ``bite'' the air on the way to the plate. Feller finished his career with 266 victories despite missing nearly four years while serving in World War II, much of it on the battleship Alabama. He didn't pitch in 1942-44, and only in nine games at the end of 1945. He was in his early 20s, and had averaged 26 victories the three previous years. So you have to figure Feller could have won another 100 games. Who knows how many more strikeouts (at least 1,000) and no-hitters he might have had? As for his military service, Whitey Lewis wrote in the Cleveland Press: ``The erstwhile boy wonder, now a man, had served 44 months and had earned eight battle stars as a gunnery specialist on the USS Alabama. But could he still pitch?'' Feller did his throwing on the deck of the Alabama. ``Guys took turns wanting to catch me,'' he said. Why not, even if they ended up losing some teeth because they missed a pitch. Feller had already won 107 games at age 22 when he entered the Navy. He led the American League in strikeouts for four consecutive seasons. His fellow sailors knew he was Cooperstown bound. After nearly four years away from the majors, Feller returned to pitch nine games at the end of the '45 season. He was 5-3 with a 2.50 ERA, but some whispered he didn't throw quite as hard, his breaking ball was not as sharp. Then came 1946, when Feller pitched and pitched and pitched--almost as if to make up for lost time. At the all-star break, Feller had 15 victories and 190 strikeouts. In 1945, there was no All-Star Game because of war-time travel restrictions. In 1946, it was a celebration of returning stars such as Feller and Williams. Feller was the winning pitcher, throwing three scoreless innings. Williams had four hits, including two homers. The American League rolled, 12-0. ``Only time I ever won an All-Star Game,'' Feller said. Feller always wanted to beat Rube Waddell's major-league strikeout record of 343 for a season, set in 1904. ``Wheaties was going to pay me $5,000 if I did it,'' he said. But then he detoured into a story of having his fastball measured. The Indians were playing in Washington, and Senators owner Clark Griffith advertised that Feller would throw his fastball into what was known as a Rube Goldberg device, and they would figure out the speed. ``I read about it in the paper, but Griffith never asked me,'' Feller said. ``I got to the park to pitch that night, and finally they told me about the idea.'' Feller said, ``Fine, I want $1,000.'' Griffith said it was good for the game for Feller to go along with the gimmick. Feller knew it also was good for Griffith's gate with all the extra fans coming. ``Settled for $700,'' Feller said. ``I threw 15-25 pitches into that thing.'' The numbers ranged from 98 to 117 mph, depending upon where they set up the device. They came up with an average of 109. ``Then I pitched something like 10 innings,'' Feller said. ``Got beat 2-1.'' Feller said part of the reason he pitched in relief was to pick up some extra strikeouts. In the second-to-Iast game of the season, the Indians were in Detroit. In the game, he tied Waddell's record of 343. The next day, there was no game. Forty-eight hours later, the Indians played their final game of the season--and Feller was on the mound again. He pitched nine innings, winning 4-1, and striking out five to claim the record at 348. ``But 10 years later, they went back and recounted Waddell's strikeouts (from 1904) and found six more, putting him ahead of me by one,'' Feller said. ``If I knew it back then, I just would have pitched in relief another game and struck out some more guys.'' At least he did get the $5,000 from Wheaties. The barnstorming tour was an adventure all its own. ``Started in Pittsburgh, ended up in Seattle,'' Feller said. ``Had two DC-3s; went first class. I paid Stan Musial $10,000. Other guys got $300 to $500 a game. Some got more.'' Consider that in 1946, the winner's share of the World Series was only $2,000 per player, which was big money. Remembering the barnstorming tour, Feller didn't care about the race issue. He liked Paige, he respected the black players and knew the games would draw big crowds, everyone making money in the process. ``I was excited to be chosen to play for the Satchel Paige All-Stars,'' Buck O'Neil wrote in his book, Right on Time. ``I knew I'd be making more money in that month than I did in six. I'd be taking my first plane ride and I felt this tour was an event that could have a real effect on big-league integration.'' Feller made more than $100,000 in 1946. His base salary was $50,000, and Tribe owner Bill Veeck paid him a bonus for attendance at his home games. He also had his own radio show, made commercials and personal appearances. He led the American League in wins (26), shutouts (10), strikeouts (348), games pitched (48) and innings (371\1/3\). He would never again strike out more than 196 batters in a season. His career ended in 1956. ``It wasn't because I threw too much in 1946,'' he said. ``It's because I slipped on the mound in Philadelphia the next year. I had maybe my best fastball, struck out nine of the first 11 guys. I went to throw a curve, my front foot gave out and I felt something rip in the back of my shoulder.'' He pitched a few more innings, then rested. But not for long. Feller still was 20-11 with a 2.68 ERA in 1947. He threw 299 innings, completed 20 games and struck out a league-leading 196. ``But I never was really the same after that,'' he said. ``That's why I say 1946 was my greatest year.'' Feller said it with a shrug. Sixty years and another era ago. That season, shortstop Lou Boudreau also was the manager. A fellow named Bob Lemon began the year as a light-hitting outfielder and was converted to pitcher during the season--no stop in the minors. He was 4-5 with a 2.49 ERA in 1946 and eventually made the Hall of Fame, just like Feller. ``A different game,'' Feller said. One every baseball fan wishes they could have seen.

Mr. LaTOURETTE

Mr. LaTOURETTE. Mr. Speaker, I very much appreciate the leadership allowing this important discussion on the war in Iraq and the ongoing global war on terror. We can all regret the faulty intelligence that overestimated the presence of WMDs. We can focus on the need to press the new Iraqi government to meet speedy and attainable goals for the responsibility for their own security. But, we should never underestimate what's at stake in Iraq for their people or ours. Nor should we ever permit the use of propaganda or terrorist barbarism to signal to the brave men and women serving this Nation in uniform that the resolve of our country is wavering. There are many thoughts that I could lay upon the record of this body about the war on terrorism, but sometimes it's better to shut up and listen to the voices of those who know much more than you or I. One of the casualties of war in my district was a great Marine--Lance Cpl. Andy ``Ace'' Nowacki. Andy, 24, was a member of the Grand River Police Department and was killed by an lED in Iraq on February 26, 2005. His family, though filled with grief, determined that Andy's spirit would live on in many ways. One way will come through the establishment of a scholarship fund at Lakeland Community College. On March 31st of this year, friends, comrades and family gathered to honor Andy's memory and raise funds for the scholarship. One of the people to speak that evening was Lt. Col. Mark A. Smith, the former battalion commander of Andy's unit--the 2nd Battalion, 24th Marines. Lt. Col. Smith's remarks, which I ask through unanimous consent to appear in the Record immediately following my own, centered on the question of ``Why.'' He stated in part: ``. . . think the part that's most lost in public discourse in the ongoing global war on terror is really the ``Why.'' We all know how Andy died . . . I'd like to spend a few minutes talking about why Andy died.'' Mr. Speaker, Lt. Col. Mark A. Smith, with the eloquence of a soldier, said it better than I could ever hope to, and I commend his words to the House: I got a call last Saturday when I was on duty from Sheila Nowacki, Andy's mom. And she told me a part of the ceremony was going to be a pretty moving video, and she had a slight task for me. She asked me if I'd speak for a few minutes after the video, and to be positive. Now, as the commanding officer of 2/24th, I don't get the option of saying no to the families of my KIAs for whom I was responsible, but in Sheila's and Dennis's case, I was honored that they even asked me to, so I immediately rogered up to the mission. So, here we go. The only way I know to be positive in talking about Andy is to talk about--from my perspective and from the Marines' perspective in this room who shared time with him in combat--why Andy died. Because I think that the thing that's most lost in public discourse about the ongoing global war on terror is really the ``Why.'' We all know how Andy died. Unfortunately, he was struck by an improvised explosive device while on an ASR in our zone. I'd like to spend just a few minutes talking about why Andy died. Andy died because he was out engaging the enemy. The single most misunderstood aspect of this war is the enemy. And a professional war- fighter focuses on one thing and one thing only--the enemy. He doesn't focus on time-lines, he doesn't focus on how fast he can stand up Iraqi battalions. He focuses on the enemy, and there's a particular reason why we need to focus on this enemy. Because this enemy is real, this enemy is vile, this enemy is evil. And this enemy has a 100-year plan to destroy the United States of America--a one hundred year plan. We think in terms of the next football season and they're thinking in terms of 100 years from now and how they're going to destroy this Nation. Can this enemy win this war against us? Unfortunately, I'm here to tell you absolutely he can. He can if he continues to focus on two things which he focuses on every day. The first thing this enemy focuses on is breaking the will of the American people. He does that through videos, he does that through propaganda, and he does that through information. The second way he can win this war is to continue to recruit future generations of jihadists. It's for these reasons, and because of this enemy, that Andy was in Iraq. And while so many still fail to get it, the enemy doesn't. The enemy understands Iraq is the focus of effort, because he understands that as long as Marines and warriors like Andy are in Iraq that the will of the American people is foremost and in his face. He also understands that that is a will that can and does, at every opportunity of battle, destroy this enemy. And then the second thing is what us being there does to this enemy. Contrary to some popular opinion, is it does not create jihadists by us being there. Quite frankly, we deprive them of the next generation of jihadists because no one is more helped and/or more impressed with the Gentle Giants of America than the kids of the Arab world. If you'll just let me tell you two very quick stories, I'll explain why that is. One day we were going out to conduct a raid to arrest the Sgt. Major and the operations officer of the Iraqi Army battalion that we were training. Upon moving into our cordoned positions in the raid force-- hitting the objective and seizing the Sgt. Major of the Iraqi Army battalion--his very children, the children of the Sgt. Major that we had in flex cuffs and blindfolded, were running around their front yard acting as if they were holding weapons and shooting at the Marines. One of the Marines went up to them, and he took the interpreter with him, and he said, ``Ask these kids what they're doing.'' And the interpreter asked them, and the kids said, in English, ``Mistah, we play U.S. Marines, Mistah. We U.S. Marines.'' I don't think those kids are going to grow up to be jihadists. I think those kids are going to grow up to be the honorable people that they saw the U.S. Marines in their zone to be. Further proof of that was mentioned by your emcee tonight when she showed you that picture of Andy and those two Iraqi kids. They say a picture tells a thousand stories . . . that's not a staged picture. That is honest respect for an American Marine, who in this case was Andy Nowacki. And there are thousands of them out there affecting those Iraqi kids every day. The second story I want to tell you about is the election--the very first Iraqi election that occurred in our zone. In order to truly understand it, you have to back up to December of 2004. The election was scheduled for 31 January of 2005. Exactly two weeks before the election was to be held, the Iraqi government said there was no way an election would be held in our zone because in that point in time there were two triangles that were famous in Iraq. One was the Sunni Triangle and one was the Triangle of Death. The Triangle of Death was our zone and it was so named because for four months at that time, on a daily basis, we had gone forward, we had seized terrain, we had lived the misery of the Iraqi people. We had become their neighbors and, in so doing, we had slung steel and harsh language with this enemy on a daily basis, and they did not like that. They did not like the fact that these Marines were forward--living and earning the respect of the Iraqi people. But we were able to convince the Iraqi government that as a result of the efforts of Marines like Andy, the Iraqi people would come out and vote. We couldn't guarantee them that it wouldn't be violent, but we guaranteed them they would come out and vote. Now I ask you to picture, in two weeks, having to put together eight polling places. That meant that we had to tactically go out 48 hours prior and we had to seize the locations. We had to set up all the force protection that would allow the Marines to protect the Iraqis from what we knew would be constant and sure attacks on election day. And then most importantly, we had to transport 500 workers from the city of Baghdad to down to our Battalion FOB, house them for two days, and then move them safely to those eight polling sites. You can rest assured that was one big, juicy target that the terrorist wanted to hit. We were able to accomplish all that, but the most telling time in all of that is where we housed these 500 election workers was in our battalion chow hall. My battalion major . . . had a section of our chow hall that was dedicated to our fallen Marines. At that time, there were 12 of them. He had their pictures, and we had an American and a Marine Corps flag. Now for those of you who've never been to Iraq, who've never spent time with the Iraqi people, when you get two of them together, the noise level, the amount of smoking and the amount of drinking that goes on is pretty mind-numbing. When you put 500 of them in a facility, it borders on chaos. Now we accepted that that was going to have to be the cost--that our chow hall was probably going to get pretty torn up. And it did, except for one spot. Any time any of those Iraqi election workers got anywhere near the Sgt. Major's memorial, absolute, utter respectful, solemn silence. They respected the Marines and what they were doing for them, and that was a sight that I will take with me to my grave, and that makes me challenge those who say we're creating jihadists. I argue we are doing just the opposite. On that very election day, the mortars flew, the mortars flew intently. All eight of our sites started getting mortared and rocketed about 30 minutes before the polls were supposed to open. I was sitting in my COC thinking, ``Well, there's the end of my career. I just convinced the whole world that we could have an election and they're blowing us up before they've even started.'' But an amazing thing happened. In spite of all the mortars, in spite of all those rockets, in spite of the Marines providing security, telling the Iraqi people to seek cover, they refused, and in broken English constantly reminded the Marines, ``You will protect us. You have brought us democracy. And we will vote.'' To conclude, one story from south of our zone where one young man pushed his 70-year-old father four miles under enemy fire in a shopping cart. When asked by the Marines, ``What on God's green earth did he think he was doing?'' He said: ``My father has but one wish before he dies, to show you the respect of voting as a free man.'' One hundred years. That's the enemy's plan. He is prepared. Are we? As long as we have warriors, gentle warriors like Andy, the unbelievable support of parents like Dennis and Sheila who do things like this despite having sacrificed what they have sacrificed, and the support of Americans like you, we cannot lose. Sheila asked me to be positive. I don't know how I can be anything but. If it weren't for warriors like Andy and the other ones you see in this room here tonight, we would not be able to gather tonight to laugh, to cry and to celebrate. Sheila asked me to be positive, I don't know how to be anything else. I know now something I didn't know a few years ago: Being positive does not make the world the way you wish it would be, it's accepting the world the way it is and going out and doing what you can do to change it. I used to tell my young daughters when they'd see something on TV or read a fairy tale, I used to tell them there's no such thing as dragons. I don't tell them that anymore. There are dragons. There are fire-breathing, evil dragons that inhabit this world. But I tell them don't be afraid, because for every dragon that is out there, there are 10 knights in shining armor that will go forth and suffer great hardship to protect you. And I've seen them, and I've worked with them and they're called United States Marines. So be positive. I will be positive, Sheila, and I will be thankful and humbled that you asked me to speak tonight. And I will forever thank God Almighty for Andy and all the warriors like Andy, and your amazing family, and this blessed land.

Mr. LaTOURETTE

Mr. LaTOURETTE. Mr. Chairman, I rise today offering this amendment with my good friend, Mr. Oberstar from Minnesota, the ranking member of the full Transportation Committee. I will yield him half of my time when he arrives on the floor. Unlike aviation, highways and transit, there is no dedicated funding for investing in our Nation's passenger rail service. This is a pretty simple amendment. All it does is restore $214 million to the Amtrak account, taking it to $1.114 billion, which is still about $300 million less than we had during the course of last year's discussion. As the chairman of the Railroad Subcommittee, we have had exhaustive hearings, oversight hearings, dealing with the Amtrak situation, and we have done a number of things. The CEO has been fired by the board. We have looked at their food service. They have entered into a new food service contract. If you look at this bill, and I want to commend Mr. Knollenberg, because last year he had an impossible task. The President sent up a budget of zero for Amtrak. We had an amendment process that we went through this time. This time we are up to $900 million in the bill, which I give him great credit for. But if you look at that $900 million, there is only $500 million for capital expenditures, out of which has to come a debt service of $280 million, which only leaves $220 million for the capital needs of this country for Amtrak, for passenger rail. There is nothing for operation, and I know that the response to that is going to be that there are some incentive grants in the bill. But that really does not get the thing done. Mr. Chairman, we have tried to be judicious with this amendment and looked for pots of money located within the bill solely within the jurisdiction of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. I think we have achieved that. I believe it is a good amendment and I urge adoption by my colleagues. Mr. Chairman, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. LaTOURETTE. Mr. Chairman, can I ask how much time I used, please?

Mr. LaTOURETTE. Mr. Chairman, it is my understanding that we still have 7 minutes remaining on our side of the amendment.

Mr. LaTOURETTE. Mr. Chairman, I yield 5 minutes to Mr. Oberstar from Minnesota, the co-author of the amendment, and ask unanimous consent that he be permitted to yield time from that 5 minutes.