Jim Walsh

Mr. WALSH

Mr. WALSH. Mr. Speaker, I rise in honor of the Syracuse All-Star Babe Ruth baseball team. On August 21, the team won the Babe Ruth baseball 16-year-old World Series in Loudoun County, Virginia, for the second consecutive season. As Middle Atlantic Regional Champions, the Syracuse All-Stars competed against the best Babe Ruth players from around the country in the World Series tournament. Their victory is a testament to their hard work, determination, and competitive spirit throughout the entire season. It is also a continuation of the Central New York tradition for producing some of the best young baseball talent in the country, and the teams own winning tradition. I congratulate the members of the Syracuse All-Star Team, their coaches, their parents, families and friends. They have earned the pride and admiration of all of Central New York not only through their victories but also through their demonstration of hard work, good sportsmanship, and fair play. The team's continuing success and their impressive back-to-back Babe Ruth World Series championships deserve the recognition of this House and the nation at large. I am proud that such a talented group of young athletes come from my Congressional District, and again I offer them my sincerest congratulations.

Mr. WALSH

Mr. WALSH. Mr. Chairman, I would like to thank the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Knollenberg) for the remarkable work product that he has provided to us. The subcommittee worked very hard to meet the needs of our military. This is our highest priority, and this bill comes in $450 million above the President's budget request. It supports our active duty forces. It supports our Guard and Reserve. It is building housing, hospitals, schools, public safety and, most importantly, our national security. It is improving our bases. Personally, in my home, the district in central New York, the Air National Guard base, not 5 years ago, the commandant came through and said, This is one of the sorriest looking bases I have ever seen. These are soldiers who fought in the Gulf War, who have flown air CAP in Iraq, both north and south, some of the most dangerous duty of any of our soldiers in the country. And what we have done through this bill, through the gentleman from Michigan's (Mr. Knollenberg) leadership, is made that one of the finest looking bases in America to make sure that our troops have the very best facilities and equipment and quality of life that this Nation can afford. I also rise in strong support of the gentleman from Michigan's (Mr. Knollenberg) manager's amendment regarding raising the cap on privatization of military housing. This provision has outlived its usefulness. The provision was put in place to make sure this program worked. Well, the jury is in. The program works. It works so well that we now need to continue it. And this cap is no longer needed to provide insurance that the program works. It does work. It works better than most. Our soldiers and their families are benefiting. They deserve good, quality housing and they need it. Let us raise the cap. Let us build more housing and let us support the bill.

Mr. WALSH

Mr. WALSH. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to a group of extraordinary individuals, the Wolniak brothers of Syracuse, New York. There are five brothers in all, Joseph, Michael, Nicholas, Andrew and Steven. The family migrated from the Ukraine in the early 20th century led by Matthew Wolniak, father of 10. What makes the brother's account so astonishing is the courage and dedication displayed during a time of great peril, World War II. Joseph Wolniak served in the Illinois National Guard as a Private First Class. Michael Wolniak served five years as Staff Sergeant in the Army Air Corps with the 65th Fgt. Sq. and 57th Fgt. Gp. Nicholas Wolniak served for over five years as a Private First Class in the 33rd Division, 130 Infantry, 1st Company. Andrew Wolniak served five years as a Private First Class in the 33rd Infantry Regimental Combat Team, E Company, 2nd Battalion. And Steven Wolniak served several years as Corporal in the 125 AACS Sq. The Wolniak brothers' were active in a variety of theaters ranging from India, New Guinea, the Philippines, the invasion of Japan, to the jungles of Burma. Needless to say, having five members of a family involved in wartime operations creates an atmosphere of stress and tension. Faced with these overwhelming set of circumstances, the Wolniak brothers knew freedom and democracy come at a cost and require sacrifice. Keeping this in mind, the brothers served their country with dignity and honor. The most enjoyable part of this anecdote was the safe return of all five brothers from the European and Asian theatres. This phenomenon was almost unparalleled as the United States casualties exceeded 400,000 with the majority of American's experiencing a loss of a loved one. I am proud to state that the Wolniak's are part of our Central New York community, as four of the brothers still reside in the Syracuse area. Nick, Mike, and Steve can still be seen at a local McDonald's for an early morning gathering while Andy remains in his DeWitt home. Mr. Speaker, I say to those listening today, America owes a great debt to the Wolniak brothers and all who served during World War II. Had it not been for the valor and devotion of the Allied Powers, both Europe and America would be a very different place today.

Mr. WALSH

Mr. WALSH. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in tribute to the Bristol-Myers Squibb Company's Syracuse, New York facility, which will receive the 2004 Presidential Green Chemistry Challenge Award in the alternative synthetic pathways category presented by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Bristol-Myers Squibb earned this great honor through the development of an environmentally friendly synthesis for the cancer drug Taxol'. The EPA's Presidential Green Chemistry Challenge Program has been promoting pollution prevention through voluntary partnership with the chemical community since 1996. The annual awards recognize outstanding accomplishments in the development of chemical technologies that incorporate the principles of green chemistry into chemical design, manufacture, and use. To date winning technologies have eliminated over 460 million pounds of chemical and solvent pollutants, saved over 440 million gallons of water, and eliminated over 170 million pounds of atmospheric carbon dioxide emissions. I express my congratulations to the men and women of the Bristol- Myers Squibb Company in Syracuse for receiving such an outstanding honor. Bristol-Myers Squibb has truly shown itself to be a leader in environmental technology innovation.

Mr. WALSH

Mr. WALSH. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in tribute to the Bristol-Myers Squibb Company's Syracuse, New York facility, which will receive the 2004 Presidential Green Chemistry Challenge Award in the alternative synthetic pathways category presented by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Bristol-Myers Squibb earned this great honor through the development of an environmentally friendly synthesis for the cancer drug Taxol '. The EPA's Presidential Green Chemistry Challenge Program has been promoting pollution prevention through voluntary partnership with the chemical community since 1996. The annual awards recognize outstanding accomplishments in the development of chemical technologies that incorporate the principles of green chemistry into chemical design, manufacture, and use. To date winning technologies have eliminated over 460 million pounds of chemical and solvent pollutants, saved over 440 million gallons of water, and eliminated over 170 million pounds of atmospheric carbon dioxide emissions. I express my congratulations to the men and women of the Bristol- Myers Squibb Company in Syracuse for receiving such an outstanding honor. Bristol-Myers Squibb has truly shown itself to be a leader in environmental technology innovation.

Mr. WALSH

Mr. WALSH. Mr. Chairman, we all know from our study of history that the Founding Fathers provided the executive, legislative and judicial branch with powers, separating powers. Within the Legislature, they gave the House the power of the purse. We all know in our dealings with the Senate that they have certain powers and abilities that we do not have, but we have the purse. Now, we already tried once to give part of that power to the Executive Branch. We passed a line-item veto, and the Supreme Court saved us from ourselves. I suspect that if any legislation that passed this Congress that allowed us to submit to mandatory or statutory caps on spending, the Supreme Court would do the same thing again. We have got to stop trying to hand off our responsibilities to someone else to save ourselves from ourselves. What we are seeing is Band-Aids laid over an elegant but simple process, statutory budget caps, line-item vetos, automatic continuing resolutions. My goodness, New York State, my State, passed automatic continuing resolutions. They have not passed a budget on time in 20 years. They even went so far as to say we will not pay ourselves until we pass a budget, and even that did not work. We have to have some discipline. We have the responsibility and have had it for 150 years to deal with these priorities. In 1974, when we passed a budget resolution, the Budget Reform Act, the deficits have gone through the roof since that occurred. I would submit, with all due respect to the Committee on the Budget, the simplest and most elegant solution is to eliminate the Committee on the Budget and take the discretionary spending and get control of it by making mandatory spending discretionary. We cannot continue on allowing mandatory spending to go through the roof. I appreciate the difficulty the job the Committee on the Budget has. I appreciate the effort that they have made, but we cannot continue to overlay Band-Aids on a system that does not work. So I would urge to reject the underlying bill and support the chairman's amendment if he retains it.

Mr. WALSH

Mr. WALSH. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from California (Chairman Thomas) for his leadership on this important legislation. I understand the Senate version of the FSC/ETI bill includes the ``Green Bonds'' proposal. As the gentleman knows, the Green Bonds proposal is intended to spur investment in building design and technologies which reduce energy consumption. They promote alternative energy use and improve environmental quality. The Green Bonds proposal also has tremendous job creation potential, as it includes specific minimum job creation requirements for projects. While the legislation we are about to approve does not include the language relating to Green Bonds, I hope that the House will be able to accept the Senate-passed Green Bonds proposal in conference. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Colorado (Mr. Beauprez).

Mr. WALSH

Mr. WALSH. Mr. Chairman, I move to strike the requisite number of words. Mr. Chairman, I thank the chairman of the subcommittee for the hard work and the challenges that he has. This is truly a difficult, difficult bill. The great problem that he has is his resources are finite. He has to choose wisely. But I think that is what this debate is about. Our subcommittee had a lot to do with shepherding the original $20 billion to New York City to rebuild Lower Manhattan after this attack, and I know that the people of New York are deeply grateful to the Congress and to the President for keeping the commitments that were made to them. That city is thriving again. It is doing well. I live in Syracuse, New York. The chairman of the full committee mentioned that there are a lot of New Yorkers here. My community will not benefit from this. I live 300 miles from New York City. In fact, I suspect that someone from my community could argue that by taking these funds away from Syracuse, I am not being fair to my home community. But as someone pointed out earlier, it is not really about fairness; it is about taking finite resources and applying them where they will have the most effect. I believe, based on the activities, and I am not an expert on terrorism by any stretch, but I believe that when they attacked the United States and they attacked New York and Washington, D.C., they thought they could defeat us. I really believe that. They thought we would crumble. We did not. In fact, we came back stronger and hit them harder than they ever imagined it would be. They will never defeat us. What they will try to do is get symbolic victories. Symbolism is important to them. They have little else. But they will strike, I believe, at centers of media, of financial, of American power, of American culture; and that is where we should place our bet. Certainly, we need to support the communities around the country, and we do. I remind my colleagues, we provide three-quarters of a billion dollars to fire agencies all across the country in a competitive grant process to help them to prepare not only for homeland security but for the event of disaster and emergency within those communities. These funds are antiterrorism funds. We need to put them where they will have the most effect. The chairman mentioned that the people who attacked New York City in 1993 trained just 30 miles from Three Mile Island. But when they were trained, when they thought they were ready, they attacked New York City, not the nuclear plant. That is not to say they would not; but they have limited resources, and we have to fight them on the grounds where they need to be fought. Lastly, New York City, as I understand the figures that I have from the mayor of New York, provided by my colleague, the gentleman from New York (Mr. Sweeney), who brought this amendment, and I thank him for doing that, he has provided great leadership on this, and he also is an upstate New Yorker. In the old days, New York was upstate versus downstate. That is not the case now. One thing this disaster brought to us was unity in our State. The numbers we have say that New York City received $375 million in 2004 in formula funds and $90 million in high- risk funds. That is not enough. I urge strong support for this amendment.

Mr. WALSH

Mr. WALSH. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in tribute to the Fayetteville- Manlius Girls' Lacrosse Team, which recently won the Class A State Championship title. This team reached the state tournament by defeating Liverpool High School in the Section III final. They then proceeded to win their regional game and their state semifinal game, landing them in the New York State Championship contest with Brighton High School. In the championship, Fayetteville-Manlius was victorious over Brighton by a score of 13-7, granting them the state title. Tri-captains Courtney Farrell, Kristina Twichell, and Elisabeth Christie led team members Kristen Greiner, Leah Giffin, Kelly Taylor, Julie Ondrako, Kaitlin Englert, Mari Stefano, Meggie McNamara, Katie Deblois, Julie Papaleo, Casey Costello, Meghan Klepper, Kayla Woods, Courtney Mahar, Brenna Houghton, Katie Devaney, Kelsi Cleary- Hammarstedt, and Alex Johnston to the championship. Among these players were nine first team all league players, four all-tournament team players, three high school all-Americans, three all-CNY players and the all-CNY player of the year. Head coach, Kathy Taylor, and assistant coach, Sarah Averson, guided this highly successful team in all of their accomplishments. I would like to express my congratulations to this championship team for their outstanding achievements and wish them the best of luck with their future endeavors.

Mr. WALSH

Mr. WALSH. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in tribute to the Temple Adath Yeshurun in Syracuse, New York, which is celebrating its 136th anniversary on July 16, 2004. Since it was founded in 1867, the ``congregation of the righteous'' has grown from the group of young men that established it, into a large congregation that now works to serve its community through the development of several religious, educational, cultural and social programs. It has succeeded throughout the years to reach out to all generations with its own schools, camps, family education programs, and senior member social activities. The temple continues to provide not only a place to worship, but also a place for the citizens of Central New York to gather together as a community. I would like to express my sincere congratulations to the leaders and members of the Temple Yeshurun. Their long heritage and continued service to their community deserves great recognition and celebration.

Mr. WALSH

Mr. WALSH. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in tribute to the West Genesee High School Boys' Lacrosse Team, which won the Class A state championship title. The team won the Section Three championship in order to move on and become one of only 8 teams from around New York State to play in the state playoffs. In the state playoffs, they won their quarterfinal and semifinal games, placing them in the state final. The West Genesee team then traveled to Long Island, where they captured their third straight Class A championship title and ended their season with a record of 23 wins and only one loss. Team captains Brian Stanton, Andrew Hanover, Tom Donahue, and Mike Malone led the state champion West Genesee Boys' Lacrosse Team made up of players Brian Griffin, Dave Osier, Joel Derrigo, Brian Cost, Jake Moulton, Mark Cometti, Josh Begley, Jeff Ryan, Alex Bily, Ben Mercado, Steve Prosonic, P.J. Motondo, Tim Spillett, Dan Balestra, Tim Griffin, Andrew Vecchio, Kevin Joy, Marc Cizenski, Tim Gearhart, Jaren Woeppel, Matt Pompo, Kevin Simon, Tom Collins, Chris Duffy, Sean Leahy, Shane McConnell, Jon Keuchler, Mark Keida, Jeff Cleland, Tom Geiss, and Dan McKeon. Head coach Mike Messere, and assistant coaches Bob Deegan and Dave Metz guided the team in their outstanding accomplishments. I would like to express my congratulations to the team for such an outstanding achievement and wish them luck in their future endeavors.

Mr. WALSH

Mr. WALSH. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in tribute to St. Elias Antiochian Orthodox Christian Church of Syracuse which celebrates its 75th anniversary this year. The Church's history begins a hundred years ago when St. Raphael, who is considered the father of the Archdiocese St. Elias belongs to, was the first Orthodox bishop consecrated in the New World. At this time, immigrants from Middle Eastern countries such as Syria, Lebanon and Palestine settled in Syracuse and formed the nucleus of the Antiochian Orthodox community there. Until the formal formation of St. Elias, visiting clergymen came to the community to administer the various sacraments to the faithful settlers. St. Elias Syrian Orthodox Church of Syracuse, the forerunner of St. Elias Antiochian Orthodox Christian Church, was born November 10, 1929. First incorrectly incorporated as an Episcopal Church in 1930, this was corrected and reincorporated in 1960 and again reincorporated in 1988 when the Archdiocese changed its official name. The first home of the church was at 241 West Lafayette Street and the first permanently assigned Pastor was the Reverend John Khoury. In 1939, a gathering which would become the social event of the year for the Arabic speaking community of Central New York and a tremendous fund-raiser was instituted. This event has turned into a successful Middle Eastern Festival bringing hundreds of people of Arabic and other backgrounds together to enjoy each other's company while becoming a large part of the St. Elias Parish Annual Budget when combined with the souvenir journal of the festival. Over time the Church has evolved to include a Church School Program (1945), an English Liturgical Choir (1945), a Youth organization (1953), and the St. Elias Antiochian Orthodox Christian Women group (1966). In 1963, land was purchased on Onondaga Hill and the new St. Elias Church was consecrated on August 17, 1969 by Metropolitan Philip Saliba. The founders of this parish established an ethnic church in the inception, in that most of the parishioners were of Arabic speaking background. However, St. Elias has become an American church made up of the melting pot that has made America. I congratulate the St. Elias parish on its 75th anniversary and wish the church continuing success.

Mr. WALSH

Mr. WALSH. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in tribute to the men and women of Lockheed Martin Plant in Syracuse, New York, which was recognized as one of the top ten plants in the United States by Industry Week magazine. IndustryWeek looks to reward plants that are leading the nation in their efforts to develop competitiveness, increased customer satisfaction and an outstanding work environment. The 2,039 men and women employed at this Lockheed Martin plant were recognized for their accomplishments of $650 million in sales and $1.0 billion in backlog. Among these employees are 1,250 scientists and engineers and 350 manufacturing and support staff. The payroll for this honored Lockheed Martin plant in Syracuse is greater than $108 million per year and has been in operation since 1948. I would like to express my congratulations to the employees of the Lockheed Martin plant in Syracuse for receiving such an outstanding honor. They work very hard and deserve such recognition. I offer them my sincere congratulations.

Mr. WALSH

Mr. WALSH. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in tribute to Armstrong Middle School's Science Olympiad Team which won first place in the New York State Science Olympiad Tournament and 18th place at the national tournament, a truly exceptional accomplishment. The Armstrong Middle School team is comprised of sixteen members and coached by Paulette Bodak. Team members are Allison Kritall, Emily Hoogesteger, Gage Howard, Jamie Wisner, Stephan Wagner, Ashley Stanley, Brianna Kelleher, Jessica Bellingham, Julie Weidner, Ryan Lattanzio, Ben Mears, Dan Frederes, Emma Fink, Eric Frauel, Randy Mason and Paul Whitmire. The team won the regional and the New York State competitions to qualify for the national level where they competed against other teams from the United States. At the national level, medal winners from the Armstrong Middle School were Ben Mears and Dan Frederes, first place in Meteorology; Ben Mears, Dan Frederes, and Julie Weidner, fourth place in Experimental Design; and Paul Whitmire, fourth place in Compute This. I would like to express my congratulations to the team for such an outstanding achievement and wish them luck in all their future endeavors.

Mr. WALSH

Mr. WALSH. Mr. Speaker, I rise in honor of two NCAA national championship athletic programs from Syracuse, NY. This past weekend, both the Syracuse University and Lemoyne College Men's Lacrosse teams won NCAA titles in Baltimore, MD. Though Central New York is known as a breeding ground for the nation's finest lacrosse players, never before has Syracuse been the home of two reigning NCAA National Champions in the sport. I am extremely proud of both teams and applaud the determination and skill they showed throughout the 2004 season. Syracuse University has been a dominant force in NCAA Division I lacrosse for decades under the leadership of Roy Simmons, Roy Simmons, Jr. and current skipper John Desko. The program has built a tradition of excellence and produced the finest individual players in the history of collegiate lacrosse. The current team is a proud extension of the SU lacrosse legacy and under the leadership of Coaches John Desko, Kevin Donahue, Roy Simmons III and Ryan Powell; they have proven their dominance once again. Mike Powell, the undisputed leader of the SU Lacrosse team, along with his teammates carried on throughout the 2004 season in the spirit of the Gait Brothers, Tom Marachek, Charlie Lockwood and the other great teammates and talents who gave rise to the formidability of SU Lacrosse. The Orangemen came into the NCAA tournament with a number 4 seed. Some considered that lower ranking to be an affront to the depth and talent the program had demonstrated during the course of the season. It became obvious as the tournament progressed, however, that any weaknesses perceived in the 2004 team were gone. With Mike Powell, the leading scorer in the history of SU lacrosse on the crease, a strong group of senior leaders including Dan DiPietro, Nick Donatelli, Kevin Dougherty, Sean Lindsay, Brian Nee, Michael Powell, Andy Shin, Steve Vallone and Alex Zink, underclassmen John Bone, Andrew Boyle, Evan Brady, Danny Brennan, Steven Brooks, Brett Bucktooth, Crian Crockett, Chris DiMarco, Scott Ditzell, Zack Fields, John Gallagher, Kevin Gowin, Ryan Hogan, James Hsiao, Jon Jerome, Geoff Keough, Steve Lykudis, Mike MacDonald, Kieran Murphy, Brooks Neal, Dustin Palmer, Steven Panarelli, Jarett Park, Jay Pfeifer, Jake Plunkett, Timmy Raschdorf, Greg Rommel, Andrew Sullivan, Thomas Theodorakis, Donn Vidosh, Hank Vohrer, Scott Wallace, Zack Wallace, John Wright and supporting staff Troy Gerlt, Katherine Hatch, Gary Audet and Judy Quattrone the Orangemen beat very strong Georgetown and Johns Hopkins squads to advance once again to the NCAA Division I title game. With their stunning 14-13 victory over the Midshipmen of the U.S. Naval Academy, the Syracuse University Men's Lacrosse Team won their 9th national championship and the third NCAA Division I title in the 5 year tenure of Coach Desko. The consistency and talent of the Syracuse University Men's lacrosse program deserves the recognition of this House and the nation at large. Very rarely has collegiate sport seen such a shining legacy and I am extremely proud to represent Syracuse University in the House of Representatives. Chancellor Kenneth ``Buzz'' Shaw, the students, faculty, alumni and fans of Syracuse University deserve praise for their continued dedication to the Orangemen lacrosse legacy. I would like to extend my thanks for the great work they do and the honor and dignity they bring to Central New York. Lemoyne College, the only Jesuit institution of higher learning in Syracuse has emerged on the national scene in recent years as a NCAA Division II powerhouse. The small, yet distinguished college has maintained a tradition of athletic success, though since being chartered in 1946 had never won a national championship in any sport. That all changed May 30th, 2004 when the Lemoyne Dolphins defeated Limestone College 11-10 in double overtime, before nearly 20,000 fans at M&T Bank Stadium. The stunning win, led by Junior Brandon Spillett's amazing performance on attack, gave Lemoyne and Head Coach Dan Sheehan the first NCAA National Championship in the history of the school. This achievement has brought a great measure of pride to the friends, faculty and alumni of Lemoyne College, all of whom had watched the men's lacrosse program develop from obscurity to national prominence in only a few years. The NCAA Division II National Championship title for the Dolphins Men's Lacrosse team means a great deal to Central New York, home to most members of the Dolphin Lacrosse team, but also to the Lemoyne College family as well. All of the students, faculty and staff of Lemoyne endured a difficult year that saw the College bond together in support of senior midfielder Adam Carne, who nearly died last summer after a brutal and senseless attack by a stranger. Adam's remarkable recovery and presence on the sidelines during the 2004 season inspired the Dolphin Lacrosse team to achieve a level of success unimaginable just a few years ago. I am immensely proud of Coach Dan Sheehan, his assistants Brian Datellas, Kevin Michaud and Bradley Carr, as well as the members of the Lemoyne Dolphins Men's Lacrosse team including seniors Travis Morgia, Corey Sullivan, Adam Carne, Rob Trowbridge, Pat Hooks, Chris Geng, Joel Dorchester and Justin Wnuk; underclassmen Brannan Karg, Travis Tarr, Ryan Fennell, Brandon Spillett, Travis Ames, Chris Doran, Collin Knowles, Nate Evans, Chris Moore, Matt Juriga, Kyle Reichel, Jared Corcoran, Ben Lanman, Ted Rund, Ed Street, Jordan Witt, Matt Emerson, Eric Roberts, Ryan Lewis, Kevin Kohl, Brendan Flynn, Joe Maslak, Joe Weaver, Matt Holdridge, Craig Rosecrans, Jeff Norton, Russ Oechsle, Mike Lindstrom and support staff Mike Wilson, Rachel Russell, Carissa Barallaro and Shannon Holliday. Lacrosse is a way of life in Central New York and has been since the Iroquois Federation created the game centuries ago. I feel privileged to represent such outstanding college athletic programs in my Congressional District and once again express my sincere congratulations to the Syracuse University and Lemoyne College Men's Lacrosse teams for their great efforts this season and NCAA National Championship titles.

Mr. WALSH

Mr. WALSH. Mr. Speaker, I rise today with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to extend praise and remembrance to those who have given their lives in the defense of this nation. We stand before this House, not in an effort to politicize the ultimate sacrifice so many have endured, but rather to express a collective gratitude for these brave soldier's willingness to embrace the virtues of America and band together under this nation's flag. For as long as this nation has known war, we have embraced the heroes it has produced. Americans have rightfully noted the honor and nobility of courage under hostile fire and thanked those who perished in their defense. I believe Congress has a duty to do so as well; not simply as a body of legislators, but more importantly as a community of friends, neighbors, parents and Americans. Since the United States was attacked on September 11, 2001, our nation and the world have changed a great deal. The way many Americans view the global climate are rooted, for many, in the context of our nation's defense against those who wish us ill. Never, since the fall of communism, has it been so abundantly clear that an ethos exists, which is loath to accept the freedoms and prosperity we hold sacred in this nation. With this realization, came a growing need for men and women willing to take up arms in an effort to protect our American way of life and the freedoms so many of our ancestors died to entrench. Many have embraced this call as members of our active duty armed forces and the Reserve/National Guard. For that, this nation is grateful. The selfless actions of these heroes have removed them from their families, businesses and homeland to fight, so that others may experience the liberty awaiting our troops upon safe return to America. For some, however, there will be no return. This inevitability of conflict motivates us today and echoes the reminder that freedom is not given away and our national security is not achieved without sacrifice. We cannot forget this, nor can we assert that honoring those who have fallen is political posturing. It is an obligation for members of this body to show Americans we have not ignored their sacrifices. I consider it a privilege to join my colleagues in offering this contrite praise and remembrance as Memorial Day approaches. We must never forget or diminish the sacrifices of those who gave everything for this nation. I urge my friends in this House to join in thanking those fallen heroes including, from the State of New York: Pfc. Tamario Burkett (USMC), Pvt. David Evans (USA), Cpl. Bernard Gooden (USMC), Pfc. Gregory Huxley (USA), Lance Cpl. Eric Orlowski (USMC), Cpl. Robert Rodriguez (USMC), Spc. Rasheed Sahib (USA), SSgt. Riayan Tejeda (USMC), Lance Cpl. William White (USMC) and Sgt. Eugene Williams (USA). Their courage over the past two years and throughout the centuries has enabled this republic to endure tragedy and face the future with optimism.

Mr. WALSH

Mr. WALSH. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in tribute to Fayetteville- Manlius High School's Science Olympiad Team which won first place in the national Science Olympiad Tournament. The team won the regional and the New York State competitions to qualify for the national level where they competed against 53 other teams from the United States. At the tournament, there were 23 events related to science with medals given to the top five winners in each event. The Fayetteville-Manlius team brought home four Gold medals, five Silvers, one Bronze, one 4th place and two 5th places from the national competition, a truly exceptional accomplishment. The Fayetteville-Manlius team is comprised of fifteen members and coached by Jamie Cucinotta. Team captain Jeff Izant led Brian Bayes, Christine Chin, Mary Collins, Grayson Fahrner, Leyla Isik, David Marsh, Jordan Mandel, Samiksha Nayak, Shriddha Nayak, Sarah Rahaman, Zaki Rahaman, Brian Stoeckel, Biance Verma, and Nora Ward in representing Fayetteville-Manlius so successfully at the tournament. I would like to express my congratulations to the team for such an outstanding achievement and wish them luck in all their future endeavors.

Mr. WALSH

Mr. WALSH. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in tribute to Fayetteville- Manlius High School's Science Olympiad Team which won first place in the national Science Olympiad Tournament. The team won the regional and the New York State competitions to qualify for the national level where they competed against 53 other teams from the United States. At the tournament, there were 23 events related to science with medals given to the top five winners in each event. The Fayetteville-Manlius team brought home four Gold medals, five Silvers, one Bronze, one 4th place and two 5th places from the national competition, a truly exceptional accomplishment. The Fayetteville-Manlius team is comprised of 15 members and coached by Jamie Cucinotta. Team captain Jeff Izant led Brian Bayes, Christine Chin, Mary Collins, Grayson Fahrner, Leyla Isik, David Marsh, Jordan Mandel, Samiksha Nayak, Shriddha Nayak, Sarah Rahaman, Zaki Rahaman, Brian Stoeckel, Biance Verma, and Nora Ward in representing Fayetteville-Manlius so successfully at the tournament. I would like to express my congratulations to the team for such an outstanding achievement and wish them luck in all their future endeavors.

Mr. WALSH

Mr. WALSH. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and insert extraneous material on a special order speech on the topic of fallen heroes and that all such remarks be printed in the Congressional Record of May 20, 2004.

Mr. WALSH

Mr. WALSH. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to the selection of the town of Webster as Sports Illustrated 50th Anniversary Sportstown for the state of New York. Jim Donahue, president of the National Recreation and Parks Association and David S. Morris, publisher of Sports Illustrated, presented the award to the Webster Parks and Recreation Department in conjunction with Webster Community Partnership on May 15, 2004. Criteria for the selection was based upon the implementation of philosophy, policy/procedures, education and training strategies, youth development strategies, community commitment to parks and recreation resources, innovations for community development, and scope of the programming. The Town of Webster shows a unique ability in combining resources with the Central School District and Youth Sports council to facilitate sports programs for the benefit of the entire community. Mr. Speaker, I commend the Town of Webster for its hard work, dedication to community development and thank all volunteers and officials who make the program a success.

Mr. WALSH

Mr. WALSH. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to an outstanding, young American, Ms. Lauren Lincoln. Ms. Lincoln created, from the ground up, a Rainbow Winter Guard team for Special Olympians in Rochester, New York. This is a great accomplishment for any individual, but what makes Lauren's situation unique is she is just 16 years of age. Lauren Lincoln, a resident of Irondequoit, New York, first developed the idea of creating a color guard after attending an exhibition by Special Olympians in Dayton, Ohio, last year. She quickly transformed this idea into reality after conversations with local Special Olympic officials. By September of 2003, the newly formed Rainbow Winter Guard was having weekly practices and on October 13, 2003, had their first official performance. In addition to the creation and training of the Special Olympians, Lauren has managed the administrative tasks that accompany such an endeavor. She developed a budget, created a practice and performance schedule and raised monies to fund the costs of maintaining the program. Mr. Speaker, Lauren Lincoln is one example of many exceptional youths who are displaying altruistic dedication to the public good. She is a model for all Americans and I commend her achievements.

Mr. WALSH

Mr. WALSH. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in tribute to Mr. Dennis Weller. Mr. Weller was awarded the Contractor of the Year Award by the Associated Builders and Contractors on February 26, 2004. This award is given annually to an individual who has demonstrated significant accomplishment for Associated Builders and Contractors, the merit shop, and the construction industry. Mr. Weller is president and chief executive officer of Structural Associates, Inc. in East Syracuse, New York. In addition, he has held numerous leadership positions with Associated Builders and Contractors, including vice chairman on the national executive committee and chairman of the chapter development committee. Kirk Pickerel, Associated Builders and Contractors president and CEO, said of Weller, ``He and his firm have pursued a free enterprise, merit shop approach to construction in a State and region that has long been dominated by those who oppose such concepts.'' Mr. Weller is a source of pride to our community and should be commended for his hard work and dedication.

Mr. WALSH

Mr. WALSH. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in tribute to the Jamesville- Dewitt boys' varsity basketball team. The team went undefeated this season with 29 wins and no losses or ties. The team rose to become class A State federation champions, defeating St. Joseph's of Buffalo in overtime by a score of 78 to 73. The team's 29 wins were the most recorded by any team in section three history. There were six outstanding players who made big plays to bring their team to victory in the final game of the season. Senior co-captain Jeremy Black led the squad with 20 points and was 6 of 8 from behind the three-point line. Junior Andy Rautins, the tournament MVP, finished with 18 points and six assists. Junior Ari Greenberg also scored 18 points; and senior Reggie Flynn scored 8 points, grabbed 10 rebounds and had five assists. Jamesville-Dewitt's coach, Bob McKenney said of the team, ``I've never had a group with a will to win like these guys.'' The team includes Brian Becker, Jeremy Black, Zach Bratek, Corey Chavers, Andrew Cottet, Zachary Drescher, Reggie Flynn, Aaron Greenberg, Manuel Karam, Tim Palma, Andy Rautins, John Romano, Justin Stern, Spencer Traino, Micke Triche, and Chris Vieau. They are coached by Bob McKenney along with assistant coaches Lisa McKenney and Charlie Falgiatano. These boys are a source of pride to our community and should be commended for their hard work and dedication.

Mr. WALSH

Mr. WALSH. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in tribute to the Tully boys varsity cross-country team. The team had an outstanding season, capturing the class D State title. Tully posted the meet's low score of 38 points, beating their closest opponent, Oakfield-Alabama by 42 points. Seniors Lopez Lomong and Dominic Luka led their team to victory with a 1-2 finish. Other runners who placed for the State champion team were senior Bennett Hillenbrand in 20th place, freshman Tommy Miexell in 28th place, and Matt Kinne in 42nd place. These young men led their team to the second State championship in school history by a Tully athletic team. The team includes Greg Hartnett, Tommy Miexell, Scott Vandermelon, Mike Heyman, Jeremiah Fraser, Casey Knapp, Brent Hartnett, Matt Kinne, Justin Rood, Travis Kushner, Kevin Easton, Dan Hatch, Rune Anderson, Lopez Lomong, Dominic Luka, Bennett Hillenbrand, Zac Long, and Pat Jordan. The team is coached by Jim Paccia. These young men are a source of pride to our community and should be commended for their hard work and dedication.

Mr. WALSH

Mr. WALSH. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in tribute to the Marcellus girls varsity soccer team. The team had an outstanding season with a record of 23 wins, one tie, and one loss. They rose to become the section III class B champions, defeating Skaneateles, South Jefferson, and Ilion. The team continued on to become the New York State class B regional champions defeating Chartham and Potsdam and became State champions defeating Alden by a score of 4 to 2 and Oneonta by a score of 1 to zero. The girls were all named Channel 9 Athletes of the Week on account of their many accomplishments. In addition to their dedication to athletics, the team has also demonstrated outstanding academic achievement. All the girls on the team were selected as New York State Public High School Athletic Association Scholar Athletes. The team includes Sami Boyle, Maureen Dooley, Jenna Farneti, Kelly Hanlon, Candy Hoffman, Jocie Jankowski, Alyssa MacLachlan, Meghan Mannion, Alyse O'Brien, Katie O'Laughlin, Sarah Potter, Jessie Reynolds, Amanda Stessen, Hannah Vaughn, Sarah Vulcano, Katie Walter, Amy Ware, Jennifer Young, Katie Young, and Katie Zimmerman. These girls are a source of pride to our community and should be commended for their hard work and dedication.