George Radanovich

Mr. RADANOVICH

Mr. RADANOVICH. Madam Speaker, I rise today on behalf of my colleagues, Representative Devin Nunes and Representative Jim Costa, to acknowledge, congratulate, and celebrate the 100th Birthday of Martha Poffenberger McKinley. Martha has always been an active member of the Fresno community. She worked for the State of California Department of Industrial Welfare for many years, where she was involved with a number of business and professional organizations. She also founded and became the first president of the women's section of the Fresno County Chamber of Commerce. Mrs. McKinley now lives with her daughter and son-in-law. She enjoys spending time with her three grandchildren, 8 great grandchildren, and is looking forward to the birth of her first great-great grandchild. Martha has been a remarkable mother not only to her own daughter but also to her other daughter Sally Lewis. In 2000, Martha was recognized by the Fresno County Women's Chamber of Commerce as Mother of the Year. She is well-deserving of this award. My colleagues and I want to take this opportunity to not only wish Martha a happy birthday, but to express our admiration and gratitude for her service to the people of Fresno County. It is truly an honor to celebrate such a remarkable lady. Below is a letter submitted by her long time friend, Sally M. Lewis. ``On July 17th, a remarkable lady will celebrate her 100th birthday. Martha Poffenberger McKinley was born in Portsmouth, Ohio, on July 17, 1909, the only child of Edward Daniel and Claire Kennedy Poffenberger. Her life is a long list of accomplishments, but most of all she was a loving wife to Pete before his death and she is a remarkable mom to her daughter Monna and a true blessing in my life for treating me as a daughter since I was a child. After graduation from Ohio State, Martha began her professional life in Ohio as the private secretary to Governor Bricker. Following her marriage to Peter B. McKinley they moved to northern California. Not much for staying at home, she went to work at Mare Island Ship Yard and quickly moved up from secretarial pool to department head. The family moved to Fresno after Monna was born and once she started school Martha went to work for the state of California Department of Industrial Welfare. While working there she was active in many business and professional organizations. Among them she founded and was the first president of the women's section of the Fresno County Chamber of Commerce (now The Fresno County Women in Chambers of Commerce). She lived in her own home and washed her own car until she lost her vision well into her 90's. She now enjoys living with her daughter and son-in-law surrounded by her three grandchildren, 8 great children and soon her first great- great grand child. Even though she is now blind, she still keeps up on current events, manages her own investments and has voted in every election. Martha has a wonderful mind and fantastic memory. She is never without a joke and a smile. Always the life of any gathering, Martha has always enjoyed her evening cocktail and visits with family and friends. An evening with Martha is one you're not likely to forget. It's an honor and a privilege to have her as my ``other mutter.'' From: Sally M. Lewis''

Mr. RADANOVICH

Mr. RADANOVICH. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong opposition to the global cap-and-tax bill that is on the floor today. You don't have to look any further than my own beloved State of California to see environmental alarmism at its worst. California has adopted its own renewable energy standard and carbon cap-and-trade scheme. It's killing business in California and driving people out of the State in record numbers. Rural and agricultural communities will be most affected by this bill, forcing local agriculture producers to pay more for seed, equipment, machinery, steel, and other supplies. If you like getting your oil from Hugo Chavez, with cap-and-tax you're going to love getting breakfast, lunch and dinner from him too. If we were truly interested in achieving dramatic reductions in CO2 emissions without destroying our economy, we should preserve our robust economy and allow the free market to continue to produce commercially viable energy efficiencies and clean-energy technologies. I urge my colleagues to do something good for the economy and the environment and put this bill where it belongs, in the recycle bin.

Mr. RADANOVICH

Mr. RADANOVICH. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the life of Kirk Lindsey for his dedication to his family and community. Mr. Lindsey passed away on Wednesday, June 10, 2009, at Doctors Medical Hospital in Modesto, California surrounded by friends and family. Mr. Lindsey was 62 years old. Kirk Lindsey was born on May 12, 1947 in San Jose, California, to Robert and Carol Lindsey. He attended Abilene Christian University where he earned a Bachelors of Science degree in Business Administration. He also participated in the Masters of Business Administration program at Pepperdine University. In 1969, Mr. Lindsey was commissioned into the United States Army after completing ROTC at Hardin Simmons University in Abilene, Texas. After serving in Korea Mr. Lindsey returned to California in 1971. Mr. Lindsey became President of Brite Transportation System, Incorporated, in Riverbank, California; a company he founded in 1972. Brite Transportation was created to transport agricultural products and products of preservation. In 1976, Mr. Lindsey became the Managing General Partner of B&P Bulk, also an agricultural trucking company. Between the two companies there are offices currently operating in Riverbank, El Centro, Hanford and Woodland, California. Mr. Lindsey was always very involved with his community. At the time of his passing, he served on the California Transportation Commission which is responsible for the programming and allocation of funds for the construction of highway, passenger rail and transit improvements throughout California. He was appointed to this position by former Governor Gray Davis on November 10, 2000, and Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger on April 7, 2004 (reappointed on February 14, 2008). He had previously served as commissioner of that organization. He was the current chairman of the Stanislaus County Private Industry Council, President of the Modesto Chamber of Commerce and a past President of the California Trucking Association. Mr. Lindsey was a founding member of the Riverbank Chamber of Commerce, served as Vice-President of the California Casualty Insurance Board and served on the Board of Directors of Parkridge Christian Estates. He worked closely with the Stanislaus Economic Development and Workforce Alliance and the California Workforce Investment Board. Mr. Lindsey placed a special emphasis on education. He was the founder and President of the Beyer High School Educational Foundation. He served on the school's accreditation committee, was past President of the Beyer Booster Club and was a committee member for the Beyer Crab Feed for eighteen years. This past school year Mr. Lindsey completed his twentieth year as Beyer High School's boys and girls swimming and water polo coach. Outside of the school, he served on board of the Stanislaus Partnership in Education. Through all of his community involvement, he made time for family, church and travel. His passion was traveling; he visited over seventy- five countries. He was a member of the Davis Park Church of Christ since 1972. Mr. Lindsey was preceded in death by his father. He is survived by his mother, Carol Lindsey of San Jose; his wife, Cyndi of Modesto; his sister Anne Lucier of Sacramento; his daughters, Shannon Suesens and her husband John of Sacramento, Whitney Lindsey and Tiffany Lindsey of Modesto and Ashleigh Lindsey of Portland, Oregon; and grandson Brendan Suesens of Sacramento. He is also survived by his nieces, Christine and Courtney Lucier of Sacramento, Stacy Gorton of Seattle, Washington and his grand-nephew Cameron Lucier of Sacramento. Madam Speaker, I rise today to posthumously honor Kirk Lindsey. I invite my colleagues to join me in honoring Mr. Lindsey's life and wishing the best for his family.

Mr. RADANOVICH

Mr. RADANOVICH. Madam Speaker, I rise today to congratulate Terry Bradley upon his retirement as the Superintendent of the Clovis Unified School District. Superintendent Bradley will be honored by the Clovis Unified School District at a reception to be held Thursday, June 18, 2009. Superintendant Bradley has been in education for forty-three years. Prior to moving to the Central Valley, he was a teacher and school business administrator for ten years. In 1986, while working for Clovis Unified School District as the chief business official, he received his doctorate degree in school management from the University of LeVerne. Dr. Bradley served as the chief business official for twenty-six years, and then was appointed to the Superintendent position on July 1, 2002. Dr. Bradley has been a visiting professor at the University of Southern California, the University of San Francisco and California State University, Fresno. He has held leadership positions in several professional organizations, including the Association of School Business Officials, the California Association of School Business Officials, and the Association of California School Administrators (past chairman). He is a past chairman, and currently serves, on the Board of Directors for both Californians for Schools and the Coalition of Adequate Student Housing. Dr. Bradley is also active in the California Association of School Business Officials' mentoring program, where he helps to develop leadership and professional skills in future school business officers. Madam Speaker, I rise today to commend and congratulate Terry Bradley upon his retirement from Clovis Unified School District. I invite my colleagues to join me in wishing Superintendent Bradley many years of continued success.

Mr. RADANOVICH

Mr. RADANOVICH. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the life of Nancy Olmstead for her dedication to her family and community. Mrs. Olmstead passed away on Saturday, May 30, 2009 at her home in Madera, California after a long battle with cancer. Nancy Olmstead was born in Des Moines, Iowa to Cecil and Ethel Olson. She worked for Sears for a number of years. In 1970 she went into the insurance business. During her twenty-five-year career in the insurance business, she was a member and past president of the Fresno Life Underwriters Association. Mrs. Olmstead was also an active member of the Madera Republican Party and the California Republican Party. Mrs. Olmstead is preceded in death by her parents and her brothers, Richard and Jerry Olson. She is survived by her husband, John Olmstead; her daughter, Diana Nole of Fresno; her son, Rodney Ede of Springfield, Oregon; and granddaughter, Jennifer Nole of Fresno. Madam Speaker, I rise today to posthumously honor Nancy Olmstead. I invite my colleagues to join me in honoring her life and wishing the best for her family.

Mr. RADANOVICH

Mr. RADANOVICH. Madam Speaker, I rise today to commend and congratulate Dr. Everett Johnson upon being honored with the 2009 John Darroch Memorial Award/Outstanding Physician Award, for his service to the Turlock community for over 50 years. Dr. Johnson will be honored at the Stanislaus Medical Society, Annual Membership meeting, on Thursday, May 28, 2009, at the Del Rio Country Club in Modesto, California. Everett Johnson was born and raised in Turlock. He graduated from Turlock High School, and began his medical career as a medical corpsman. He attended medical school from 1944 to 1949 while serving in the United States Naval Reserve. Dr. Johnson continued to serve our nation by completing an internship and two years of service in the United States Air Force. Dr. Johnson earned his Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of California, Berkley. He earned a second Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Wisconsin in Madison, where he also attended medical school and earned his M.D. In 1949, he interned at the University of Oregon's Hospitals and Clinics in and around the Portland, Oregon area. Dr. Johnson returned to Wisconsin to complete his residency program where he focused on Internal Medicine. In 1954, with military service and medical school under his belt, Dr. Johnson returned to Turlock and opened a private practice of internal medicine. After six years, Dr. Johnson entered into a partnership. The partnership lasted until 1970, when he decided to turn to education and become an Associate Professor at Stanford University. Dr. Johnson returned to private practice in 1973 and maintained his practice through 2006. While maintaining his own practice, he also worked for Stanislaus County Hospital, Emanuel Medical Center and Memorial Hospital of Stanislaus County. Throughout his career, Dr. Johnson has been involved with both the medical community and the greater community. He is an Honorary Member of the Medical Fraternity, Alpha Omega Alpha; he is a past president of the Stanislaus County Medical Society and he served as the Hospital Examiner for the California Medical Association and the Joint Commission for Hospital Accreditation in the United States from 1965 until 2000. Dr. Johnson also served as the Chairman of the Medical Advisory Committee for the Medic Alert Foundation, where he also served on the Board of Directors for twenty-five years and as a consultant for eleven years. He is involved with the American Medical Association, American College of Professors and is a past member of the California Society of Internal Medicine and the American Society of Internal Medicine. Outside of medicine, Dr. Johnson is a past president of the Rotary Club in Turlock, a member of the Church Council for Nazareth Lutheran Church. He has also served on the Board of Trustees of Turlock High School for thirteen years and was a Board Member for the Turlock High School Auditorium Restoration Committee, and the Commonwealth Club of San Francisco. Madam Speaker, I rise today to congratulate Dr. Everett Johnson upon being named the 2009 John Darroch Memorial Award/Outstanding Physician Award. I invite my colleagues to join me in wishing Dr. Johnson many years of continued success.

Mr. RADANOVICH

Mr. RADANOVICH. Madam Speaker, I rise today to congratulate NI Industries, Inc. for over fifty-five years of business in Stanislaus County. Although the company is relocating, I would like to recognize NI Industries for its success while in California. NI Industries, formally known as Norris Industries, Inc., was founded in 1930. The company manufactures over four hundred high quality munitions products including cartridge cases, mortars, projectile bodies, grenade bodies, rocket motors, warheads and rocket launchers. Headquartered in Vernon, California, NI is the United States Army's Industrial Mobilization Base Supplier with over one million square feet in manufacturing space. Their unique capabilities are unrivalled anywhere in the world, with over fifteen hundred pieces of equipment and many thousand tons of press capacity. NI has been the operating contractor at the Riverbank Army Ammunitions Plant in Riverbank, California since 1951. Since the reactivation of the cartridge case facility at the Riverbank plant ten years ago, the company has produced over half a million cases of the Navy's 5"/54 gun and the Army's 105mm gun on the Stryker. NI Industries has also been an innovative leader in the development of the steel cartridge case for the Navy's 155mm-Advanced Gun Systems (AGS) for the DD (1000) Program. The metal manufacturing technology that NI uses employs a deep draw process and a unique technology, to produce a single, unwelded piece of alloyed metal with high precision to fit a complex configuration. The company has management, technical and manufacturing teams with hundreds of years of experience in the defense industry. They take great pride in their engineers and researchers, as well as their production artisans and machinists. With the registration of the ISO 9001 and the ISO 14001, NI has taken appropriate steps to further ensure both products and processes meet the highest quality and environmental standards. Their attention to detail and technical capabilities has earned NI the reputation for being the only munitions manufacturer capable of deep drawing a combination of steel, brass and aluminum. Due to the outcome of the 2005 Defense Base Closure and Realignment Commission Law, the highly successful cartridge case facility at the Riverbank Army Ammunitions Plant will be beginning the relocation process in June 2009. The plant is being relocated to Rock Island Arsenal, Illinois, and the relocation project will be completed in 2012. NI will operate the new facility and continue its production of cartridge cases and other products with the same care of quality. Madam Speaker, I rise today to wish NI Industries the best of luck with the relocation. I encourage my colleagues to join me in wishing NI Industries, Inc. continued success.

Mr. RADANOVICH

Mr. RADANOVICH. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the life of Charles Rose for his dedication to his family and community. Mr. Rose passed away on Saturday, May 23, 2009 at his home in Fresno, California after a two and a half year battle with cancer. Charles Rose was born on August 12, 1938 in Kansas City, Missouri. His family moved to the San Joaquin Valley in 1943. As a teenager Mr. Rose worked in the fields, canneries and the Port of Stockton. He graduated from Stockton College High School in 1956. Upon graduation he was recruited to play major league baseball as a pitcher; he did not take this opportunity, but instead chose to serve his country in the United States Marine Corps. Mr. Rose served in the Corps from 1958 through 1966. Prior to his military service Mr. Rose met the love of his life, Bonnie Jean. He and Bonnie were married in August, 1964. After life in the military, they settled down in Fresno and Mr. Rose began working at Foster Farms Dairy. He worked there for many years as a distributor. He was well-known for his black 1927 Ford Model T that he drove to work every day and to the Fig Garden Golf Course on the weekends. Mr. Rose was a devoted husband, father and grandfather. Mr. Rose was preceded in death by his mother and father, Pearl and Harold Rose and his precious daughter, Felecia Ann. He is survived by his wife of forty-four years; his children, daughter Michelle and Wayne Ransier of Stockton, son Darren and Lisa Rose of Clovis, and daughter Linda Banks of Rocklin; his grandchildren, Brittany, Ashten, Sarah and Grace; and his sister Vermona Geigel of Stockton. Madam Speaker, I rise today to posthumously honor Charles Rose. I invite my colleagues to join me in honoring his life and wishing the best for his family.

Mr. RADANOVICH

Mr. RADANOVICH. Madam Speaker, I rise today to congratulate Richard Jones upon his retirement from Oakdale Joint Unified School District as the Principal of Oakdale High School. Mr. Jones will be honored on Friday, May 15, 2009. Richard Jones has been an educator for over thirty-five years. For the past ten years, he has served as an administrator within the Oakdale Joint Unified School District. Since 2001, he has served as the principal of Oakdale High School. Under Principal Jones' leadership, Oakdale High School has continued to develop and reach new heights of academic, athletic and extracurricular success. The school has consistently scored among the top schools in the region on annual state tests. The Academic Decathlon team at Oakdale High School has won the Stanislaus County championship for nine consecutive years. The school's Occupational Olympics, Science Olympiad and Model United Nations teams have also succeeded under Principal Jones. He has pushed the students to accelerate themselves by adding five advanced placement courses, and also included integrated mathematics courses for students struggling in that discipline. Along with a variety of academic achievements, Principal Jones has also reinvigorated the school's athletic program. Oakdale High School's various athletic teams consistently finish near the top of the Valley Oak League. In the last eight years, the football team, baseball team and softball team have won the section championships. Principal Jones has been instrumental in obtaining facility upgrades at the school; including a state-of-the-art football field, as well as new baseball, soccer and softball fields. Currently, there are plans for a new aquatic center and three additional upgraded academic buildings. Sixty- five classrooms now have the latest technology available to students. Above all, Principal Jones has created an atmosphere on the campus that is safe and positive for staff and students. Outside of his work at Oakdale High School, Principal Jones is active in the community. He has been a youth soccer, baseball and softball coach, the past secretary for the Oakdale Youth Soccer Association and past vice president of the Oakdale Youth Swim Team. He has served as a team leader for the accreditation of other high schools in Northern California under the Western Association of Schools and Colleges program. As a cancer survivor, Principal Jones has an active role in the annual Oakdale Relay for Life with the American Cancer Society. Finally, he is heavily involved with his church and has served in various roles over the years. Madam Speaker, I rise today to commend and congratulate Principal Richard Jones upon his retirement from Oakdale High School. I invite my colleagues to join me in wishing Principal Jones many years of continued success.

Mr. RADANOVICH

Mr. RADANOVICH. Madam Speaker, I rise today to congratulate Alan Carter upon his retirement from the City of Modesto Police Department. Mr. Carter will be honored at his retirement party on Friday, May 15, 2009, at the Elks Lodge in Modesto, California. Alan Carter's first assignment was as a patrol officer for the City of South San Francisco Police Department in 1978. He was there until 1983 when he was transferred to the City of Modesto Police Department. He has been with the Modesto Police Department ever since. Over the past twenty-five years Sergeant Carter has held many positions. He began in Modesto as a patrol officer, then he was became a K-9 handler, a Heroin Impact Team Member and a Field Training Officer. In 1987, he became a detective. As a detective he worked various investigations including; Vice-Narcotics, background, internal affairs, hate crimes, officer involved shootings, complex economic crime, dignitary protection details and drug asset forfeiture cases. During his dignitary protection service he assisted the Secret Service and the California Governor's Office. Sergeant Carter served as the Modesto Police Department's court qualified drug expert from 1987 through 1994, where he testified in a large number of possession and possession for sale and sale of drug cases. In 1995, Sergeant Carter reached the rank of Sergeant and was assigned as a Patrol Sergeant, Operations Division. For the past fourteen years he has worked on Adult Related Establishment Investigations and assisted in clearing out adult businesses in Modesto. He has testified before the California State Assembly regarding Municipalities controlling these sorts of businesses. For a number of years Sergeant Carter served as a Detective Sergeant; working with Investigative Services Division of Crimes Against Persons and Special Investigations Detail. During this time he supervised fifty- three homicide cases and fifteen officer involved shooting investigations. He served as the S.I.D. Supervisor where he oversaw investigations that involved hate crimes, vice investigations, drug asset forfeiture, arson, bomb threats, dignitary protection identity theft and other special fraud investigations. He served as the Assistant Public Information Officer and a Tactical Flight Officer. From 2005 through 2007, Sergeant Carter was assigned as the Academy Coordinator at the Ray Simon Regional Criminal Justice Training Center. His final position has been Unit Supervisor for the Sacramento Valley Hi-Tech Crimes Task Force; he has investigated computer crimes and forensics, including Hi-Tech, identity theft and Internet Crimes Against Children. In addition to all of the work that he has performed for the police department, Sergeant Carter has been working with the Honor and Color Guard since 1985. He has lead a team of twelve officers for police officer funerals, memorials and city functions. Madam Speaker, I rise today to commend and congratulate Sergeant Alan Carter upon his retirement from the City of Modesto Police Department. I invite my colleagues to join me in wishing Sergeant Carter many years of continued success.

Mr. RADANOVICH

Mr. RADANOVICH. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the lives of Hanabul ``Bud'' Jordan, Lowel Jordan and the generosity of Dee Jordan for their tremendous support of the College of Agricultural Sciences and Technology at California State University, Fresno and furthermore the support of agriculture in the Central Valley. The Jordan's will be honored at California State University, Fresno on Thursday, May 14, 2009 when the university will rename the agricultural college to the ``Jordan College of Agricultural Sciences and Technology.'' The Jordan family is from the East Bay area, where Bud owned and operated a construction business headquartered in Hayward, California. Lowell lived on the family ranch in the near-by city of Dublin, where he tended the family's cattle. Bud passed away at the age of eighty-two on April 29, 2002; his brother Lowell passed away at the age of eighty- one in July 2005 and Bud's wife Dee continues to live in Hayward. The Jordan family became involved with CSU Fresno's College of Agricultural Sciences and Technology (CAST) through the Ag One Foundation in November 1995. Bob Glim, professor emeritus of agricultural economics and an advisor to the Ag One board, worked at CSU Fresno from 1948 to 1978. He and his wife first met Mr. and Mrs. Jordan at a GMC motor home rally. Mr. Glim organized a rally get-together to speak about CSU Fresno's agricultural program, Ag One and to share CSU Fresno's farm grown products. The Jordan's immediately began supporting the program by providing scholarships for agricultural students; although they had never visited the campus. Their initial gift was $20,000 to Ag One. This gift along with subsequent gifts, fund the Ag One-Lowell A. Jordan and Jordan Family Endowment. Over the years, the Jordan family has contributed $130,000 to the endowment, supporting six to seven students each year with $1,000 scholarships. Since the 1995 gift, Ag One and CAST have maintained a great relationship with the Jordan's, including representatives traveling to Hayward to visit the family and bring them news from the school regarding the students, campus and products. Since Mr. Jordan passed away, Mrs. Jordan has visited the campus numerous times to meet with Jordan scholars, tour the campus agriculture facilities and to attend Ag One and athletic events. With the generosity of the family over the past fourteen years the most recent gift has exceeded all expectations. Earlier this year, the Jordan family sold their Dublin farm and gave $29 million to CAST; the largest single cash gift in the entire California State University system. This tremendous gift will be used for research and facilities for CAST. In great appreciation of this gift CSU Fresno will build upon the Jordan family legacy by renaming CAST to the Jordan College of Agricultural Sciences and Technology. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the Jordan family for the remarkable impact that they have had on agriculture for CSU Fresno, the Central Valley and the State of California through their multiple gifts. I invite my colleagues to join me in honoring the Jordan family.

Mr. RADANOVICH

Mr. RADANOVICH. I appreciate being joined here with my colleague from Illinois to talk about somewhat of a new issue, I think, in the Congress, but more of a broad overview of the situation here in the United States and the situation of the Congress where we might be headed as a country and some new ideas that might be in order. Mr. Speaker, I can't help but think during this special time of the references of our current situation to the Great Depression in the 1930s and the FDR administration, how Franklin Roosevelt dealt with those issues and a contract, a social contract that was written during those times that was felt to be necessary in order to deal with the trying times of the day. And I am not suggesting that the Depression is anything like what we are facing now. We are lucky to not be dealing with 30 percent unemployment, although there are some places in California that have that. Nationally we are not there. But there are some similarities. And I was reading a book the other day by Jonathan Alter, a very interesting book, called ``The Defining Moment.'' And it was that time during the first 150 days of the FDR administration that it dawned on FDR that he was writing a new social contract. Jonathan Alter said it well when he wrote: ``FDR knew he was on the verge of proposing nothing less than a rewriting of the American social contract. Instead of every man being the captain of his own fate, he envisioned the ship of state carrying a safety net. He favored what he called cradle-to-grave coverage, including national health insurance. But he knew that trying to insulate average Americans from the ravages of the market was a long-term process.'' So, in public, he borrowed a term from the private sector and spoke vaguely of social insurance. It dawned on me that having been here a number of years, having had a Republican majority for about 12 years, having thought of reading the signals back in 1994 that the American people wanted a change in their government, and less government, the fact that perhaps during that time a new social contract would have been something that could have succeeded in achieving those goals while we were in office. Now, the Republicans, when they came in charge, didn't do what they had promised to do in reducing government, and that has led to us being in the minority now. I think the Republicans get that, and I think we are in a position now where we are trying to assess, where do we go from here? And it dawned on me that it is probably no surprise that we are drawing up these similarities to the Depression and the time for a new deal. We have a President in the White House who has been characterized as the next FDR and very popular and spending money like FDR, but I think that leaves to Republicans the opportunity to define a new social contract, and that interests me. And I have to go back to times of the contract with America; and that was a contract, but it wasn't necessarily a social contract. It was a political contract. If the American people gave the majority in the House to the Republicans, they would bring 10 bills to the floor, and that was it. It didn't really speak of a social contract in that what government would do and then the rest of society would do as a response to that. It didn't really define a new social contract that we need today. So I would like to encourage some conversation about that or along those lines. I am so proud to be joined by my friend from Illinois, Mr. Roskam, and also my friend from South Carolina, Mr. Inglis, to discuss it.

Mr. RADANOVICH. It is very interesting. Yes, we do talk about opportunity. But I am reminded about the opening line to Common Sense, which was the book written, that sparked the American Revolution, by Thomas Paine. In the very opening sentence he says: Writers have so confused government with society as to leave no distinction between the two. It is a reminder today that there is more than one institution in this country. In fact, if you go back to the Bible, in Genesis there were institutions created there. God said, go forth and multiply; He created the family institution. He said, tend to the garden. He created the business institution. And He said, worship me, which meant love God above all things and love your neighbor as yourself. And then afterwards, Cain killed Abel, and we needed another institution to keep from killing each other, and that was the government, and so we had four. Even back in the Revolutionary time, there wasn't really a clear idea about what institution did what in society so that we could have the opportunity that we are looking for. Right now, I think, with this New Deal social contract that I believe that we have in place now, which started in the 1930's, Ronald Reagan, the great President that he was, the conservative that he was, still was not able to distinguish between all of those, and the growth of government still happened during that time. The Contract with America wasn't necessarily anything more than a promise to bring 10 bills to the floor. It had its purpose. It was good in many ways, but it didn't address what Thomas Paine thought was the confusion out there about what is government doing, what do we call this remaining society part, and what does it look like, and who does what in this country. Does government raise families or does family raise families? Does government provide jobs or does government protect people and business is the one and should be allowed to provide the jobs and the economy? And so when we look today at the new administration, the change in majority that we have right now, the growth in the budget, the intention of taking over 17 percent of the business sector and the health care sector, bringing it in under government control and creating a new bubble that will happen, and that is replacing fossil fuels with solar and energy production with massive subsidies that will rack up the national debt like we have never seen, it does make you wonder about whether or not at some point in time the old ATM is going to stop giving out cash. And then what are we going to do? Because we have based our society on a complete reliance of government while ignoring the value of the other institutions, and while relying more on government, we weaken the other institutions. That, I think, is what frightens me the most. Everybody wants the President to succeed, but we wonder whether he will under the policies that he has adopted. And our hope is there with him, but there is a realistic expectation that if a liberal left policy of dramatically increasing the size and influence of the government is going to collapse upon itself I think at some point in time.

Mr. RADANOVICH. I thank the gentleman. You raise an excellent point, and you speak of the virtue of work. And I'm reminded of virtue. I just have to think about where this virtue that you say comes from, and discussing previously the idea of what other institutions do and what they provide to us in our society. One of those is the issue of virtue. Where does that come from? And there is a chapter in the Bible in Second Peter where it addresses the issue of where freedom and independence come from. And it really starts with faith. And so the growing of that virtue doesn't start here. It starts in the faith institutions. Call it ``church,'' call it ``religion,'' whatever you want to call it; it starts with faith. And that, as outlined in Second Peter, produces virtue which produces freedom and independence. And it all goes into the ability that you describe and that is the desire and the ability to go and reap the rewards of your own labor. The point I would make in response to yours is that that faith institution has to be really strong in the country because the Founding Fathers relied on it to be the virtue builder in a free society. They restricted government and religion because that had been the forms of tyranny over the last thousand years. Benjamin Franklin was leaving Independence Hall after they signed the Declaration of Independence. Somebody said, What have you given us? He said, Liberty, if you can handle it. And he was really talking about this idea that self- government doesn't come without virtuous people, and virtue originates in a sector that has been beaten down quite a bit. I think that is one of those institutions that has been suffering from Big Government. I would love to take just a second to illustrate the most artful example and the best form of describing how we love one another as ourselves. It is charity. And if you look at a cross-section of charity in this country, I have identified about $1.2 trillion of charity that occurs in the United States every year. Americans give about 1.5 to 2 percent of their gross income to charity on average, and that accounts for about $300 billion a year that goes to churches and nonprofits and the like. Surprisingly, corporations and foundations only give about $100 billion a year. That makes $400 billion. The balance, $800 billion, comes from government charity, that is the forced levy of taxes on you and me. Twenty-five cents of our tax dollar goes to government charity in the form of Medicaid, food stamps--rack them up-- farm subsidies and everything else. It adds up to about 25 cents on every dollar. And if the Founding Fathers were relying on the faith institutions to be the originators of virtue through faith, freedom and independence, it is getting less than one-third of the charity that is operating in this country today, while the lion's share of it goes to government which, at best, can sustain people at where they are. The story you described about the person who is hungry and the main motivator of going to work and improving your life and doing things better, how can they be motivated when the charity is coming from a government institution that doesn't really encourage them beyond their own current situation and never really educates them on the need to work and why and the benefits of it? So I'm not surprised that there is more of a dependency on government, the growth of government, the overreliance on it, and this trend toward Big Government, because you have to follow the charity money. Frankly there are less of those virtues in this country because the faith institution has been weakened by the growth of government, and they are not able to--and they are the source that brings up this notion of freedom and independence, which is wanting in this country. Anyway, I was intrigue by your thoughts of how people are motivated to work and what are the original origins of that ethic. And it is severely underfunded and being run over today by government.

Mr. RADANOVICH. I am intrigued by the gentleman from Illinois's thoughts about this person who was so amazed that someone asked her what she wanted to do with her life. Speaking about the authors of the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence, how important it is to be able to decide your own fate and be able to choose. And I believe, I think the progress of civilization, it moves from tyranny to self-government. I think we are on that march. There are a lot of bumps along the way and a lot of misconceptions about how order and society ought to be, but I think the beauty of the Declaration of Independence was that government was reined in and religion was put in its place, and after that you had the freedom to be able to--by and large, there were still a lot of problems in the United States even in its beginning, but it was the beginning of that. In the 1830s, a gentleman by the name of Abraham Kuyper, he was a Calvinist Prime Minister in the Netherlands, he originated a concept. And again, this was while European countries were still figuring out their social contract and who was responsible for what, but he came up with this notion called coram deo, a Latin term, but it meant living life in the face of God. It reminded me of what you said about this young child having her choice. And it was quite a bold statement for the time, but the statement was that government had no authority to be able to limit your freedoms in life, and neither did the church or any other form of authority, that that connection between the individual and God was the supreme connection. And when Thomas Jefferson wrote in the Declaration of Independence that we have the inalienable right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, what a huge step in moving from tyranny to self-government. This idea of Kuyper and living life in the face of God came afterwards in the 1830s. This is when Darwin came out with ``The Origin of Species'' and Karl Marx and fascism and some of these others things were being mulled about. I think he set a new landmark about what are our freedoms. And to me, it further illuminates what a social contract might be, but that that individual had those freedoms. I can't help but think in addition to that what the mandates were in the Garden and the ability to create a family, to go to work and worship God and love each other as ourselves, and have a government that protects you, and the freedom to be able to live life in the face of God through those institutions that were built up. Not everybody has those freedoms. Not everybody has a loving father and mother. Not everybody has learned the ability to work or has the ability to go do that. Not everybody has the freedom to worship God and love their neighbor as they wish. I am kind of intrigued about what a new social contract would look like if we are back to the social contract of cradle to grave by government, government is getting too big, it is likely to come to an end of itself one way or the other. And if that is the case, what do Republicans present? And do you present it in a way that people logically say by golly, I want to go with that.

Mr. RADANOVICH. Thank you. I thank the gentleman from South Carolina. I know the gentleman holds in such high esteem the words of the Founding Fathers in the Declaration of Independence, and what a wonderful contribution to the world that was, but I can't help but think what Thomas Jefferson might have worded differently had he gone through the sixties--had he been a flower child in the sixties or had he lived through the Great Depression; the collapse of business the way it did. I think what I admire the most about what they did was the reining in of government and religion and putting them in their proper place. There was the assumption that, as Thomas Paine said, the rest of society would be families and business and they would operate according to the norms. I'm not one of those people that say we have got to get back to the principles of the Declaration of Independence, we have got to get back to our founding principles, because I think this is more about looking forward with new illumination built on that. But what I find interesting is that, had Thomas Jefferson gone through the Great Depression or was a hippie in the sixties, or at least was around when that was happening, would he have reworded life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness a little different. I wonder. Would he have made a statement about the need for every child to have a mom and a dad, or, you know, the need for business to not be taken up by wrong principles and end up in collapse, and what would have been his advice on how to deal with the Great Depression? The bottom line is: Would he have worded those opening lines of the Declaration of Independence any different? And I don't have the answer, but it would have been interesting to have a conversation with him today, where he has the knowledge of what occurred after that. Not that I would ever suggest that it needs to be rewritten, but it does speak to me of perhaps some new inalienable rights that have been illuminated since then because of the history of the United States and what has happened over time and what we have experienced and what our world has become and the results of new knowledge, new science. So, I wonder. I think it's kind of interesting because we have the opportunity, I think, in the form of a new social contract, to plow new ground and to be bold to develop a contract that really does speak to and contribute to this rise of out of tyranny to self-government. We're not there with self-government yet. I think the gentleman from Illinois references things that are at risk. I really do believe it's the leadership we provided in the world since the foundation of the country and the Declaration of Independence and the statement of rights that we are going to lose if we are overly reliant on a large Federal Government that has increased dramatically in these last few months at the expense of these other institutions, including business, that is more encumbered daily and provides less incentive to go out and do the things that we have talked about--going out and prospering and earning an income and taking care of yourself, and benefiting from it, as well as families and the virtue-building power of faith. I think that is what we stand to lose. I sure don't want that to happen.

Mr. RADANOVICH. I appreciate the time from the gentleman from South Carolina. I think I would just leave with the note that the social contract that we are operating with right now is cradle to grave. It started during the Depression. We're back at it with full force now. If we were to create a new social contract, what would it look like, in opposition to something like that? If we were to hold up to the American public a different social contract, try to imagine--and I'd even implore the public to do this, too--what would the alternative look like? I think it's something to think about. Because we are obviously unsustainable for the rest. I just want to send my prayers to a colleague here who is away on a family matter and couldn't join us tonight.

Mr. RADANOVICH

Mr. RADANOVICH. Madam Speaker, I rise today to congratulate Thomas Killian upon his retirement from the California Highway Patrol after twenty-seven years of service. Mr. Killian officially retired on February 13, 2009. As a young man Mr. Killian joined the United States Marine Corps and served with honor for three years. Upon leaving the Marines he decided to join the California Highway Patrol (CHP); he reported to the CHP Academy in Sacramento for training as a cadet in May 1982. Five months later he graduated from the academy and was immediately promoted to traffic officer in the San Jose Area Office. During his twenty seven years with the CHP Mr. Killian has held a variety of positions. While in San Jose he was a Field Training Officer; training many young officers who have gone on to have great careers. He was also assigned to the Golden Gate Dignitary Protection Team, where he provided security to former President Ronald Reagan, former Secretary of State George Shultz and many foreign dignitaries. In October 1985 he was transferred to the Modesto Area Office and remained there until his retirement. In the Modesto Area Office, Mr. Killian was involved in establishing the Modesto CHP Explorer Post in 1991. He continued to mentor the young members, many of which have become law enforcement officers, until the Post disbanded in 2006. He was also the first of two officers assigned to develop a new program in the Modesto area known as ``Community Policing.'' This program provided Mr. Killian the opportunity to serve the smaller communities in Stanislaus County and become personally involved with the people in those communities. In November 2000, Mr. Killian became the Public Information Officer for the Modesto area. He remained in this position until his retirement in February. Madam Speaker, I rise today to commend and congratulate Thomas Killian upon his retirement from the California Highway Patrol. I invite my colleagues to join me in wishing Mr. Killian many years of continued success.

Mr. RADANOVICH

Mr. RADANOVICH. Madam Speaker, I rise today to congratulate Vinci Ricchiuti upon being named one of the ``2009 Common Threads Honorees'' by California State University, Fresno. Mrs. Ricchiuti will be honored at the 13th Annual Common Threads Luncheon to be held on Friday, April 3, 2009. The Common Threads Award recognizes women who have made a remarkable and visible contribution to the enhancement of their communities. Vinci Ricchiuti was born and raised in Fresno, California, and spent her childhood on and around her family's farm. Her grandparents farmed tree fruit and almonds. She married Patrick Ricchiuti in 1981 and became a member of another farming family; she quickly became an ambassador for fresh fruit and nuts. Even with her role as a businesswoman and mother, she continues to make time for community involvement. Mrs. Ricchiuti has volunteered for 10 different committees with California State University; including Foundation Board of Governors, Budget Committee Chair, Ambassador for Higher Education Committee, Comprehensive Campaign Leadership Committee and Alumni Board Past Director. She is also a Foundation board member for Community Regional Medical Center, an advisory board member for the Nazareth House and a past president for Fort Washington Elementary School. Between Mrs. Ricchiuti's volunteerism and her philanthropic spirit, the time and produce that she has donated has benefited multiple organizations in the Fresno area including numerous schools within the Clovis Unified School District, the Fresno Art Museum, Fresno Metropolitan Museum, Junior League of Fresno and Assistance League of Fresno. She has made donations to various California State University organizations and the not-for-profit hospitals in the region. For Mrs. Ricchiuti's commitment and dedication to her community, she has been recognized as the ``California State University, Fresno Alumni of the Year'' from the School of Arts and Humanities, the ``Arthur Safstrom Award for Outstanding Service to Fresno State.'' She has also been named the California State University, Fresno Alumni Association ``Top Dog,'' the Association of Fundraising Professionals ``Volunteer Fundraiser of the Year,'' and the Foundation for Clovis Schools ``Guardian of the Year.'' Madam Speaker, I rise today to commend and congratulate Vinci Ricchiuti upon being named a ``2009 Common Threads Honoree'' by California State University, Fresno. I invite my colleagues to join me in wishing Mrs. Ricchiuti many years of continued success.

Mr. RADANOVICH

Mr. RADANOVICH. Madam Speaker, I rise to honor the thirtieth anniversary of the Assyrian Democratic Movement in Iraq. The Assyrian Democratic Movement (ADM) is an ethnic Assyrian political party that was established on April 12, 1979. The party was formed in response to the oppressive brutality of the Al-Baath regime and its attempt to forcibly remove ethnic Assyrians from their native lands. Under the leadership of Yonadam Kanna the struggle came to a head in 1982 when the group began an armed battle against the Iraqi regime. After two decades of building the ADM, former President George W. Bush officially designated the group as a recognized Iraqi opposition movement. In December 2002 this designation allowed for President Bush to invoke articles four and five of the Iraqi Liberation Act of 1998 as a means of allowing the United States government to provide financial resources to the ADM. Yonadam Kanna has served as an integral member of the movement and he has participated in meetings and conferences with world leaders to pursue the ideology of the ADM. Mr. Kanna served on the temporary Iraqi Governing Council that was established after the fall of Saddam Hussein and is currently serving as president of the party. Today, the party stands for the same political goals that it stood for thirty years ago; to defend their people and to create a free democratic Iraq. The movement calls for the recognition of the rights of all Assyrians and to unify the various individual identities, including Chaldean, Syriac and Assyrian. Madam Speaker, I rise today to commend the Assyrian Democratic Movement on thirty years of commitment to creating a free and democratic Iraq. I invite my colleagues to join me in wishing the Assyrian Democratic Movement many years of continued success.

Mr. RADANOVICH

Mr. RADANOVICH. Madam Speaker, I rise today to congratulate James Sabin upon being named as a ``Distinguished Life Member'' by the Veterans of Foreign Wars, Post 9896. Mr. Sabin was honored on Saturday, January 31, 2009. Mr. Sabin graduated from Huntington Beach High School in 1958 and soon after graduation he joined the U.S. Navy. He completed Navy boot camp and was on his way to Norman, Oklahoma for training at the Aviation Fundamental School. Upon completion of training he was designated as an Aviation Mechanic and was sent the Naval Air Station in Corpus Christi, Texas. He served at Corpus Christi for twenty-six months then was assigned to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. The Soviet Union and Cuba had entered into a close alliance and Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev had begun secretly installing Soviet missile sites in Cuba. Conflict was coming and Mr. Sabin found himself on the front line. The Navy sent battle groups into the area while the Army and Marines prepared to send airborne and amphibious units into Cuba. Mr. Sabin served in Guantanamo Bay for fourteen months, between 1961 and 1962. For his service he was awarded the National Defense Service Medal, the Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal and the Good Conduct Medal. Upon exiting the military he attended junior college and worked as a salesman for a soft drink company. He also became involved with the ministry and in 1981 he became Pastor of the Cathedral of Faith in Chowchilla. He has been involved in the ministry for thirty-seven years. He became a funeral director for the Worden Funeral Chapel in 1992, serving the needs of families at times of great sorrow with sincere compassion. Mr. Sabin and his wife, Sandra, have two children and four grandchildren. He is a life member of the Chowchilla Veterans of Foreign Wars, Post 9896, where he serves as Post Chaplain and a member of the First Assembly of God Church. Madam Speaker, I rise today to commend and congratulate James Sabin upon being named as a ``Distinguished Life Member'' by the Veterans of Foreign Wars, Post 9896. I invite my colleagues to join me in wishing Mr. Sabin many years of continued success.

Mr. RADANOVICH

Mr. RADANOVICH. Madam Speaker, I rise today to congratulate Hank Pittman upon being named as a ``Distinguished Life Member'' by the Veterans of Foreign Wars, Post 9896. Mr. Pittman was honored on Saturday, January 31, 2009. Mr. Pittman was born in Madera, California in September 1947. He was raised in Chowchilla, graduated from Chowchilla High School in 1965 and immediately enlisted in the U.S. Navy. He completed Navy boot camp in San Diego and was designated as a shipfitter. He was assigned to the USS Long Beach, a guided missile cruiser, and in 1966 was deployed to the Western Pacific. The cruiser served in the Gulf of Tonkin to detect enemy aircraft attempting to evade identification by hiding among U.S. aircraft returning from missions over North Vietnam. The USS Long Beach also provided support for Search and Rescue helicopter units that rescued downed fliers. During this tour, the ship was responsible for downing Soviet-made North Vietnamese An-2 planes attempting to fire on South Vietnamese Navy units. In July 1967 the USS Long Beach was re- deployed to the Gulf of Tonkin and shot down two MiG fighters with RIM- 8 Talos missiles. Crew members were awarded a Meritorious Unit Commendation for these actions. Upon returning to the U.S., Mr. Pittman was selected for a two month training course at the Navy Divers' School in San Diego. When he completed the course he was designated as a Hull Maintenance Technician (Diver). His next duty station was with the USS Simon Lake, a submarine tender in Holy Loch, Scotland. During the next eighteen years he completed more courses and steadily progressed in rank while serving on a number of ships, naval air stations and bases. In 1976, while serving aboard the USS Holland, Mr. Pittman received a letter of commendation for superior performance in critical operations repairing the hull of the USS Batfish, a nuclear-powered attack submarine. Two years later he successfully completed a seventeen week Deep Sea Diving and Salvage Course at the Washington Navy Yard. Mr. Pittman was promoted to Chief. Throughout his career he served on many ships and at many stations around the U.S., Southeast Pacific, Europe, the Indian Ocean, Australia, the North Atlantic, Africa, Panama and the Caribbean. Chief Pittman retired in February 1987. For his service he was awarded the Navy Achievement Medal, the National Defense Service Medal, Vietnam Service Medal, Vietnam Campaign Medal with Device, three Meritorious Unit Commendations, four awards for the Good Conduct Medal, the Navy Expeditionary Medal, the M-14 Rifle Ribbon, the .45 Pistol Ribbon and the Sea Service Deployment Ribbon. After retiring from the Navy, Mr. Pittman worked as a security officer, forklift operator and wood cutter. He is a life member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars, Post 9896, where he served six years as Post Commander and attends the Church of Latter Day Saints. He has three children and three grandchildren. Madam Speaker, I rise today to commend and congratulate Hank Pittman upon being named as a ``Distinguished Life Member'' by the Veterans of Foreign Wars, Post 9896. I invite my colleagues to join me in wishing Mr. Pittman many years of continued success.

Mr. RADANOVICH

Mr. RADANOVICH. Madam Speaker, I rise today to congratulate Allen Bushman upon being named as a ``Distinguished Life Member'' by the Veterans of Foreign Wars, Post 9896. Mr. Bushman was honored on Saturday, January 31, 2009. Allen Bushman was born in March 1930 in Fairview, Utah, and at age eighteen he enlisted in the newly formed United States Air Force. He completed his basic training at Lackland Air Force Base in Texas. He went on to serve in a variety of assignments, including an aircraft engineering mechanic for the B-29 and B-36 bombers and the KC-97 Stratotanker. These aircrafts were instrumental during the Korean War, completing missions from Japan and Okinawa to bomb targets in North Korea. After the war, Mr. Bushman completed Aircraft Maintenance Technician School and qualified as an Inflight Air Refueling Boom Operator. The Stratotanker was an aerial refueling tanker; it was vital to the Air Force as the B-47 became the primary bomber for world-wide strategic operations. During the 1960s, Mr. Bushman completed courses at the USAF Advanced Flying School and was selected for advanced training for the KC-135 and completed the Combat Crew Training Squadron Course. He also completed the Management Course for Air Force Supervisors and the Special Vehicle Repairman Course. Mr. Bushman was assigned as the boom operator on the KC-135 where he flew on missions from Okinawa and Guam, refueling the B-52 and other aircraft flying to and returning from missions over North Vietnam. During his twenty-two years of service he served with a number of wings and squadrons including 22nd Bomb Wing, 98th Bomb Wing, 111th Bomb Wing, 95th Bomb Wing, 90th Air Refueling Squadron, 99th Air Refueling Squadron and 924th Air Refueling Training Squadron. Master Sergeant Bushman retired from the Air Force at Castle Air Force Base on February 28, 1970. He was awarded with the Air Force Commendation Medal for Meritorious Service, the Air Medal with two Oak Leaf Clusters, the Korean Service Medal, Vietnam Service Medal, Air Force Good Conduct Medal, Air Force Outstanding Unit Award, National Defense Service Medal and the Air Force Longevity Service Award for his service during the Korean War, Vietnam War and the Cold War. Upon his retirement, he completed a two year business management course at Merced College and became a fence contractor. He is a life member of Chowchilla Veterans of Foreign Wars, Post 9896, and a member of the Church of Latter Day Saints. He and his wife, Carla Gene, continue to live in Chowchilla, California; they have nine children, twenty-seven grandchildren and six great-grandchildren. Madam Speaker, I rise today to commend and congratulate Allen Bushman upon being named as a ``Distinguished Life Member'' by the Veterans of Foreign Wars, Post 9896. I invite my colleagues to join me in wishing Mr. Bushman many years of continued success.

Mr. RADANOVICH

Mr. RADANOVICH. Madam Speaker, I rise today to congratulate Don Gwartney upon being named as a ``Distinguished Life Member'' by the Veterans of Foreign Wars, Post 9896. Mr. Gwartney was honored on Saturday, January 31, 2009. Don Gwartney was born in Clinton, Oklahoma during the Great Depression. As a young man his family moved to Chowchilla, California where he attended Chowchilla High School. He graduated from Chowchilla High School in 1956 at the age of seventeen. Upon graduation he wanted to join the United States Navy to ``see the world,'' but at seventeen he had to convince his mother to sign the enlistment form. She agreed, and Mr. Gwartney completed Navy Boot Camp at San Diego and was sent to fire fighting school. He was ordered to Washington and aboard the USS Princeton, an aircraft carrier with a crew of 3,448 officers and men. The ship had completed a conversion to conduct anti-submarine operations in the eastern Pacific and was sent to its home port in Long Beach, California. In July 1957 the USS Princeton completed a seven month mission, making port in Hawaii, Yokasuka, Sasebo, Okinawa, Tokyo, Hong Kong, and the Philippines. In January 1958, they stopped briefly in Singapore and were sent to Ceylon on a humanitarian mission to assist flood victims. The ship returned from a successful mission in February 1958. With increasing tension between Communist China and the Nationalist Chinese, the United States government began positioning more ships in the region and in July 1959 the USS Princeton sailed to join the fleet of four other battle groups off of the coast of Taiwan. The ship was responsible for launching planes to search for Chinese submarines in the area and crew members were working a stressful six hours on, six hours off schedule throughout the crisis. After several weeks, Communist China suddenly stopped all military operations and the USS Princeton traveled to Subic Bay in the Philippines. From there they sailed to the Bering Sea in pursuit of a Soviet nuclear submarine, which they obtained intelligence on. In March 1959, the Princeton underwent a new configuration and was designed to serve as an amphibious assault ship for Marines. In September 1959, Mr. Gwartney was released from active duty, but was called back just fifteen months later and was assigned to Naval Air Station Alameda. He was released in October of the same year. Mr. Gwartney has been awarded the Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal, the Good Conduct Medal, National Defense Service Medal, he received 823 Badge of Honor Medals, a commendation from the Republic of China and a letter of appreciation from the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office. Upon retiring from the Navy, Mr. Gwartney attended college classes; he worked at Yosemite National Park and at Valley Feed and Fuel in Chowchilla. He was employed in the maintenance department at Chowchilla Union High School in March 1970, and was soon after promoted to Supervisor of Custodians, a position he held until retiring in December 2000. He served as a volunteer fire fighter for five years. He is a member of the Cathedral of Faith, where he was a Royal Ranger Leader for five years and a Sunday school teacher for ten years. He is a life member of the Chowchilla Veterans of Foreign Wars, Post 9896. He is married to Betty Edwards and they have made their home in Chowchilla for forty-three years. Madam Speaker, I rise today to commend and congratulate Don Gwartney upon being named as a ``Distinguished Life Member'' by the Veterans of Foreign Wars, Post 9896. I invite my colleagues to join me in wishing Mr. Gwartney many years of continued success.

Mr. RADANOVICH

Mr. RADANOVICH. Madam Speaker, I rise today to congratulate Vern Moss upon his being named as a ``Distinguished Life Member'' by the Veterans of Foreign Wars, Post 9896. Mr. Moss was honored on Saturday, January 31, 2009. Vern Moss was born on September 2, 1939 in Yuba City, California. He spent much of his childhood on his uncle's dairy farm in Madera, California. After school, on the weekends and during the summers, Mr. Moss worked in the fields picking cotton, cutting grapes and bucking bales. He attended Pershing School, was a member of the first graduating class at Jefferson Junior High School and attended Madera High School. At age seventeen he left home to live with his aunt and uncle in San Jose; he graduated from San Jose High School in 1958. Upon graduation he moved to Visalia, attended College of the Sequoias, and worked at the Visalia Times-Delta. In 1963 Mr. Moss received word that he would be drafted, so he immediately joined the U.S. Air Force. He went to Lackland Air Force Base for basic training, followed by technical school at Greenville Air Force Base, Mississippi. His next assignment was Mountain Home Air Force Base, Idaho. While in Idaho, he attended college courses in the evening. After meeting the necessary requirements, Mr. Moss attended Park College and earned his Bachelor's of Arts degree. Upon returning to Mountain Home, he applied for Officer Training School and was accepted. He was commissioned a Second Lieutenant on February 6, 1967 and directed to report to the 666 Radar Squadron, Mid Valley, California. He served as Administrative Officer, with numerous duties including Chief and Battle Staff Security Control. He was soon sent to Lowry Air Force Base, Colorado for further training. In October 1968, Mr. Moss was sworn into the U.S. Army at Fort Ord, California; he and his family were quickly transferred to Germany. Upon arriving at HQ TASCOM in Germany, he was made Deputy Commander, 5th Replacement Detachment and Deputy Chief, Personnel Management Branch. Soon after arriving, he was promoted to Unit Commander and Chief PMB. In January 1970, he moved his family back to the states before leaving for Vietnam. He first arrived in Cam Ranh Bay then was told to report to Saigon where he was assigned as the MACV J-6, Executive Officer. During this tour, he was awarded the Bronze Star, Joint Service Commendation Medal, Vietnam Campaign Medal with three stars, Vietnam Service Medal and the Vietnam Signal Corp devise (a foreign award). Upon returning to the United States Mr. Moss attended six months of school at Fort Benjamin Harrison, Indiana. He served as the Division Postal Officer and then was promoted to Chief, Personnel Management Division in the Division's Adjunct Generals Office at the 4th Infantry Division at Fort Carson, Colorado. An opportunity arose for him to take command of a unit, and he took it; the 4th Infantry Division's Headquarters Company Administrative Command, a unit with over nine hundred service members assigned to it. It was a short lived assignment; he was then reassigned to Germany. Shortly after arriving, he took command of one of the worst units in Germany. With the Inspector General due to arrive within one week, he assisted the unit as much as he could, but they failed all but two areas during the inspection. After the inspection he was determined to clean up his unit. He sent soldiers to Leavenworth Military Disciplinary Barrack and gave sixty-three expeditious discharges. Six months after taking control of the unit, a Commanding General and the Command Sergeant Major visited the unit; they passed the inspection with all areas satisfactory and with four commendable areas. From there, Mr. Moss became a Major and was selected to Command and General Staff College. He was given the opportunity to start a new unit at Wiesbaden to support the deploying Brigade 75. In 1976, Mr. Moss attended the ten month program at Command and General Staff College; he graduated in June 1977. His next position was to advise the New York National Guard and United States Army Reserve throughout New York State. After three years, he was nominated and selected to serve in the Organization of the Joint Chiefs of Staff in the Pentagon. His final position in the Army was at Fort Irwin where he was assigned to the Army's National Training Center and served as the Deputy Chief of Staff for Personnel and Community Activities and finally as the Installation Adjunct General. Mr. Moss retired from the military on October 1, 1983. Afterward, he and his family moved to Idaho; he obtained a position as a Bank Manager in Los Gatos, California. He moved up through different banks and finally ended in Chowchilla, California in 1985. He has been part of the Chowchilla community since; including serving on the City Council, County Supervisor, President of the Chowchilla Chamber of Commerce, President of Chowchilla Rotary and President of the San Joaquin Valley Rail Commission. Mr. Moss is also a life member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars, Post 9896, member of the American Legion and Trinity Pregnancy Resource Center Board (President). Madam Speaker, I rise today to commend and congratulate Vern Moss upon being named as a ``Distinguished Life Member'' by the Veterans of Foreign Wars, Post 9896. I invite my colleagues to join me in wishing Mr. Moss many years of continued success.