Curt Weldon

Mr. WELDON of Pennsylvania

Mr. WELDON of Pennsylvania. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself 30 seconds. First of all, Mr. Chairman, we are not talking about a new nuclear weapon. That is not the discussion here. We are talking about an attempt to repackage an existing nuclear weapon for a new threat that we have to deal with. We know the Russians have 13,000 tactical nuclear weapons. If you really want to stop proliferation, I would like to see my colleague from Massachusetts offer an amendment to negotiate for a serious reduction of tactical nuclear weapons. These tactical nuclear weapons are a real threat to us. The Russians have 13,000 of them. Mr. Chairman, I yield 15 seconds to the gentleman from California (Mr. Hunter).

Mr. WELDON of Pennsylvania. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself 5 seconds. I felt that same way just a few short years ago. I understand the gentleman from Massachusetts' frustration.

Mr. WELDON of Pennsylvania. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself 15 seconds. Mr. Chairman, this is not a mini nuclear weapon. I do not know where that term came from, but it is totally incorrect. A deep earth penetrating weapon is a large weapon designed to do damage. In fact, in our committee we called for a report, again with the bipartisan spirit of our members on the other side, for a study of the effects of this. This amendment should be rejected. Mr. Chairman, I yield 2 minutes to the distinguished gentleman from Texas (Mr. Thornberry).

Mr. WELDON of Pennsylvania. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself the balance of the time. Mr. Chairman, we have just completed almost an hour's worth of work of starting a new era in our relationship with Russia on nuclear weapons. It has been bold. It has been bipartisan. It has been bilateral. We have shown, without any doubt, that we are willing to move into a new era. But, Mr. Chairman, as we saw on September 11, there are those people who do not play by the rules. Anyone who would take out almost 3,000 lives in the most unbelievable way thinkable would not hesitate to do work in one of 10,000 underground bunkers and caves around the world, most of which are in our adversaries' territory, to develop and potentially use weapons of mass destruction. This amendment would go to the extreme. It would prevent the President from even doing a feasibility study. This is not about peace. I am a teacher by profession. Nobody wants peace more than I do. We do not have a handle on peace with a certain few in this body. This is about giving the President legitimate ability to protect us against those threats that we see emerging in the 21st century. I ask my colleagues to vote no on the Markey amendment.

Mr. WELDON of Pennsylvania

Mr. WELDON of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, I would like to enclose in the Congressional Record the remarks of Bill Webb, Executive Director of the Congressional Fire Services Institute, during a ceremony honoring one of our colleagues, Nick Smith of Michigan, for his support of our Nation's fire and emergency service personnel. Good afternoon. My name is Bill Webb, Executive Director of the Congressional Fire Services Institute. Established as a nonprofit, nonpartisan policy institute, CFSI serves a unique role in Washington, DC educating Congress about the needs and challenges of our Nation's fire and emergency services . . . not the needs of one particular facet such as the career or volunteer fire service or the chiefs, but all fire and emergency services providers. Each day, we work with a select group of members--allied members so to speak--who understand the cooperative roles of our Nation's fire service and the Federal Government in protecting our communities. They represent both sides of the political aisle. Our efforts are geared towards developing legislation and influencing Federal policies for the betterment of public safety. Today, we are honoring a true champion of our Nation's fire and emergency services, Congressman Nick Smith. While Congressman Smith represents the 7th district of Michigan, his contributions to public safety go way beyond his Congressional district, impacting the readiness of over 26,000 fire departments, nationwide. The fire service is greatly indebted to this individual for championing many of our causes. For instance, two years ago, Congress authorized for the first time a major grant program specifically for local fire and emergency services departments. This year, the Assistance to Firefighters Grant program was funded at $360 million. It was through the efforts of Congressman Smith and a select group of colleagues that this program became a reality, enabling thousands of departments to receive funding to help reduce the threat of fire and other dangers within their local jurisdictions. Operating a fire department is not an easy task. Nor is getting Federal programs established. The grant program was no exception. I'll never forget a meeting I attended two years ago in a Congressional office regarding this program. A number of Congressmen and women were meeting with the OMB Director to express their frustration with the budget proposal which failed to include funding for this program. One of the most vocal members at the meeting was Congressman Smith, who was not shy about expressing his frustration over the lack of funding. Two days later, the OMB Director had a change of heart and placed $100 million in the budget for this grant program. Everyone at the meeting would agree who made the difference for the fire service that day. And before this program, Congressman Smith was working to revitalize the mission of the United States Fire Administration. In 1999, a blue ribbon panel charged with reviewing the mission of the Fire Administration issued a report questioning, among other things, an apparent lack of leadership within the Administration. The report included 34 recommendations for improvement. Much of the problem had to do with a lack of funding--badly needed funding for research, education and training. As Chair of the Basic Research Subcommittee, which has oversight of USFA, Congressman Smith was able to significantly increase the funding authorization, enabling Congress to infuse a financial dose of medicine into the staggering agency. That same year, I had the honor of attending the National Fallen Firefighters Memorial Service in Emittsburg, Maryland, an annual event honoring the sacrifices of those firefighters who fell in the line of duty that year. Congressman Smith delivered the special address. I don't remember any particular thing he said; but what I do recall is that he didn't read from a prepared script, but rather spoke from the heart. You could easily sense Nick Smith's admiration and respect for all first responders. Congressman Smith is an individual of great character, a man who is truly dedicated to supporting our Nation's fire and emergency services. The events of September 11th have made all of us work a little harder to ensure we are ready for the next attack. In the case of Nick Smith, it has become a passion, an unrelenting mission for which we should all be grateful. I have just shared with you my observation of Nick Smith in Washington. Now it is my pleasure to turn the microphone over to Chief Victor Hilbert, of the Delta Township Fire Department who will offer some insights into how the Congressman's work has benefited public safety in his own Congressional district.

Mr. WELDON of Pennsylvania

Mr. WELDON of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, I want to pay tribute and honor the accomplishments of Elwyn, Inc. on its 150th Anniversary Year of exemplary service to people with special needs in Pennsylvania. Elwyn, Inc. is among the oldest and largest human services organizations in the nation. Founded in 1852 in the Germantown section of Philadelphia by James B. Richards, a teacher, and Dr. Alfred L. Elwyn, a physician, Elwyn is now a community-based network of programs headquartered in Middletown Township, Delaware County, Pennsylvania and serving 12,000 children and adults with disabilities and disadvantages each year in Delaware, New Jersey, California and Pennsylvania. I salute Elwyn, Inc. on the outstanding role it has played in teaching people with disabilities and disadvantages how to be as productive and independent as possible. The longevity of the organization is a testament to its deeply committed staff, board members, families and financial supporters who all play an essential role in the ongoing evolution of the collective energy focused on helping people with special needs. I join with the residents of the 7th Congressional District of Pennsylvania in celebrating Elwyn, Inc.'s 150 years of making a difference. I would like to include a brief history of Elwyn to be printed at this point. The History of Elwyn In 1852, James B. Richards, a teacher, came to Philadelphia and opened a private school for ``mental defectives'' on School Lane in Germantown. He enlisted the sympathies of Dr. Alfred L. Elwyn, a physician, and together they were able to arouse interest in the endeavor in Philadelphia. Their efforts led, in 1854, to the incorporation of The Pennsylvania Training School for Idiotic and Feeble-minded Children, later renamed the Elwyn School. An appropriation from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania of $10,000 and provisions for ten students were obtained. The school and its 17 students were moved to Woodland Avenue in 1855. Edouard Seguin, then a political refugee from France, was appointed educational director the following year. Before the end of the decade, dissension and financial difficulties threatened to close the new school. Richards retired from the field of special education. Dr. Joseph Parrish was appointed Superintendent and was able to bring about financial stability. An additional appropriation of $20,000 by the legislature for buildings provided an opportunity for expansion and the search for a permanent location began. Dorothea Dix, who had paved the way for humanitarian treatment of both the mentally ill and mentally retarded in Massachusetts, assisted in choosing a new site, fifteen miles south of Philadelphia at Media. Miss Dix was instrumental in securing state appropriations for the new campus. In 1857, the cornerstone of the main building was laid, and the new school was dedicated to the shelter, instruction, and improvement of mentally retarded children. On September 1, the entire school and its 25 children, attendants, and teachers were loaded into two Conestoga wagons and brought to their new quarters. The formal opening took place on November 2, 1859. In the early days, Elwyn was a simple, insular, self- contained, and self-sustaining community. The emphasis at Elwyn, and at institutions across the nation, was on segregating people with mental retardation and providing them with care away from the community, for life. In the 1960s, Elwyn began to turn away from the closed institution model, moving toward helping people with disabilities to live and achieve their fullest potential within the larger community. In 1969, Elwyn established a rehabilitation center in West Philadelphia. Delaware Elwyn in Wilmington and California Elwyn in Fountain Valley opened their doors to the community in 1974. In 1981, the Training School at Vineland in New Jersey came under Elwyn's management, and in 1984, Elwyn initiated programs for both Palestinians and Israelis in Jerusalem, Israel. Today, under the leadership of Sandra S. Cornelius, Ph.D., the eighth president of Elwyn, the agency continues to lead the way by developing innovative, dynamic programs for adults and children with physical and mental disabilities, mental illness and socioeconomic disadvantages. The new century finds Elwyn with an expanded continuum of care, offering new services in the areas of juvenile justice, child welfare, mental health and case management, and a strong resolve to help people build better lives long into the future.

Mr. WELDON of Pennsylvania

Mr. WELDON of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to have my name removed as a cosponsor of H.R. 3598.

Mr. WELDON of Pennsylvania

Mr. WELDON of Pennsylvania. Mr. Chairman, this is the toughest vote that I have made in my 16 years in Congress, because I campaigned for this President and made 200 speeches on his behalf in 25 States and raised a significant amount of money. I do not like to stand up here and announce that I am going to vote against the budget resolution. I have the highest respect for the budget chairman. But, Mr. Chairman, my job in this Congress has been to work on defense issues for our country. I take it seriously like all of my colleagues do. I took the President at his word when he announced in his State of the Union that he would increase defense spending by $48 billion to make up for the shortfalls of the past decade. But when you analyze that $48 billion, you end up with a potential increase of $38 billion because $10 billion is being set aside for some future uncertain time and need. Of that $38 billion, you end up with about $10 billion to be used for the shortfalls that we have. The other money is going for health care costs; it is going to make up for the unfair budgeting or the unfair accounting process that was used during the Clinton administration where they did not properly account for the cost of the ships and the airplanes that we ordered but did not pay for. The Rumsfeld leadership is trying to correct that and make it right, but the bottom line is $10 billion does not come anywhere near the $25.4 billion shortfall that the service chiefs have testified this year they need beyond the President's budget request. My colleagues on the Committee on Armed Services know that. Mr. Chairman, the shipbuilding accounts, which I heavily criticized the Clinton administration for over the past 6 years, decrease under this budget by $1.3 billion. We built 19 ships a year under Ronald Reagan. We go down to five ships next year. We just heard in a hearing I chaired, 15,000 more shipbuilders and workers are being laid off. Tactical aviation, our aircraft, the need is 180 aircraft a year. We bought 90 last year. This budget has us buying 87 aircraft. I realize there are other pressures. I realize you have to fund all the priorities. I am an educator. I want to fund education. I want to fund the environment and other issues. But we have $10 billion that the President said was for defense in that $48 billion that all Americans agree should be spent on the military, and you know as well as I do we will give the President whatever amount of money he needs for a supplemental to pay for the war. This Congress voted 420 to one. The Senate voted 99 to zero. We are not going to deny him whatever he needs to pay for the war. But this $10 billion needs to go for the shortfall we have. I cannot intellectually and honestly stand up here in spite of the aggressive and successful effort of the gentleman from Arizona (Mr. Stump) and the gentleman from California (Mr. Hunter) and my colleagues who fought this good fight and did get some movement. The President has now said he will come to us and that $10 billion may have a partial request for modernization. We do not know how much, and we do not know when. Mr. Chairman, because of these reasons, I cannot in good conscience vote for this budget. President Bush is my President. I support him. It pains me unbelievably to stand up here and have to say what I am saying. But my job and the job that you have given me as my colleagues is to tell you honestly what we need to provide for our military and this year more than any other our military is being tested. Our soldiers, sailors and Marines are flying aircraft and working on ships that we are not properly replacing. Unfortunately, I tell my colleagues, and I have not lobbied anyone on my position, that I just cannot in good conscience vote for this bill and I will vote ``no'' on the budget resolution. I thank the gentleman from Iowa (Mr. Nussle) and the gentleman from South Carolina (Mr. Spratt) for yielding time to me.

Mr. WELDON of Pennsylvania

Mr. WELDON of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, today, a valued asset of the Navy and a dear friend of mine will retire after a long and distinguished career in public service. Richard `Dick' Healing selflessly served as the Navy's first Director of Safety and Survivability. His objective was the operational safety of our servicemen and women in combat and training. Whenever the well-being of the individuals who would operate the various aircraft, weapons and machinery was ignored or overlooked, Dick Healing made it a priority so that no design created unreasonable risks. Dick's contribution affected the lives of all Navy personnel. He took pride in closely overseeing the assessment and procurement of countless technology improvements. He is most well-known for aviation safety including, but not limited to, the addition of the life-saving Helicopter Emergency Egress Device (HEED) and the use of flight recorders on combat aircraft. Thanks to his tireless efforts, countless Navy personnel and their families would never have to experience the loss of a loved one due to hasty or imprudent engineering. Dick's services to America did not begin with his life-saving Navy survivability work. After dedicating 29 years of his life to the Coast Guard, Captain Healing held four Navy commands, including the Command of a patrol gunboat during the Vietnam War and Command of the Secretary of Defense Crisis Coordination Center Reserve Unit. He served as Team Chief in this unit during Desert Shield and Desert Storm and is the recipient of 26 medals and awards including the Defense Superior Service Medal and the Combat Action Ribbon. As a licensed Professional Engineer and a graduate from the Naval War College, he was selected to be a Presidential Exchange Executive in 1990 and was a Senior Executive Fellow at Harvard University in 1991. After acting as President and CEO of a Connecticut contracting and engineering firm and as Executive Vice President of a military parts manufacturer, Dick Healing has been with the Secretary of Navy since 1983. A family man and a man of great character, Richard Healing takes great pride in his wife Darlene and their three grown children. My friend's tireless dedication to improving the safety of our Navy will be missed. It has been an honor to work with him in pursuit of this noble goal. America's armed forces and I applaud his service. A grateful nation wishes him and his family the very best.

Mr. WELDON of Pennsylvania

Mr. WELDON of Pennsylvania. Madam Speaker, I reluctantly rise to discuss an issue that troubles me greatly. For the past 16 years that I have served in this body I have tried to focus attention on the plight of the Nation's fire and emergency service providers. Across this country, we have fought for their interests. We have fought for the career and volunteer firefighters in 32,000 departments. We organized the largest caucus in the Congress. We have an annual dinner each April which brings all the focus together. We have had President Clinton, former President Bush and all of our major party leaders come together to support them. As we saw in the Washington Post 2 days ago, the good will we have developed is currently being undone by a resolution passed by the International Association of Fire Fighters, good friends of mine, supporters of mine, that tells their membership they can no longer volunteer in the course of serving the communities where they live. So a firefighter in the District of Columbia who lives in suburban Maryland or Virginia is no longer allowed on his own free time to serve the communities where he lives. If he wants to do that, he must give up his union card. Madam Speaker, this is like saying that teachers, and I was a teacher for 7 years, should withdraw from the teacher's association if they want to tutor poor kids on weekends or after school, or even teach Sunday school. It is like telling doctors that they should no longer serve in clinics on their own time or be dismissed from the AMA. It is like telling professional athletes they should no longer play in charity games, raising money for good causes, or coach our youth teams. It is like telling lawyers that they should not belong to the American Bar Association if they do pro bono work. Madam Speaker, one of the leaders, a paid IAFF leader and a member of the Rockville City Volunteer Fire Department, has estimated that 70 percent of all career firefighters volunteer in the communities where they live. The IAFF has now come out and said they can no longer do that. I respectfully request our friends in the IAFF to reconsider this decision. We will continue to support firefighters, career and volunteer. We will continue to fight for more funding to provide even for paid personnel where there are shortages. But this kind of a policy drives a wedge between career and volunteer fire and EMS people that is just, I think, unthinkable. In fact, one of the leaders of the IAFF said it well: ``Many of the smaller communities rely solely on volunteer stations and they stand to lose a lot. This is all about men and women who really just love being a firefighter. Volunteering on their days off, whether in their own county or nearby, keeps their skills fresh. This just unnecessarily drives a wedge between the careers and the volunteers, and that eventually hurts the public.'' Madam Speaker, I was up at the World Trade Center 2 days after the disaster, and I saw thousands of firefighters from around the country working together with the New York City career firefighters. Does this mean that those career firefighters from other departments that went to New York City would lose their union cards if this were enforced because they were volunteering to help their brother firefighters in time of need? I plead with my friends in the IAFF, for the sake of your own members, change this policy, so that we all can work together for the good of America's domestic defenders.

Mr. WELDON of Pennsylvania

Mr. WELDON of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, I want to pay tribute today to legendary baseball batting champ Mickey Vernon who will be honored during Strath Haven High School's presentation of ``Damn Yankees'' at its spring musical production in Wallingford, Pennsylvania on Saturday, March 2, 2002. Music Director, John Shankweiler, selected this work as a tribute to Wallingford-Swarthmore School District residents Mr. and Mrs. James ``Mickey'' Vernon. For the past fifty years, Mickey and Libby, his wife of over 60 years, have called Wallingford their home. However, it must be pointed out that Mickey Vernon is one of the favorite native sons of my hometown of Marcus Hook, Pennsylvania. Mickey Vernon is a hero in my hometown. Marcus Hook is a close-knit, working-class town on the Delaware River. The people of Marcus Hook have community spirit and have much cause for civic pride. One of the unifying bonds in our hometown is our great pride in the career and achievements of Mickey Vernon. In the ballparks of Marcus Hook the name of Mickey Vernon is revered. Even today, more than thirty years after his retirement, kids in Marcus Hook still play ball in the Mickey Vernon Little League. Mickey Vernon, one of baseball's greatest first basemen of all time has earned a special place in the annals of baseball history. Mickey played twenty-one years in the big leagues, thirteen of those in our Nation's Capital where he played for the Washington Senators. He was known as a slick-fielding lefthanded first baseman with a short, compact lefty swing. In 1946, Mickey won the first of his two American League batting titles, hitting 0.353 while banging out a league-leading 51 doubles and knocking in 85 runs. He won a second Silver Bat in 1953, when be again lead the league with a 0.337 average and 43 doubles. That year, he also smashed 15 home runs and drove in a career-best 115 runs. For his career, Mickey batted 0.286, drove in 1,311 runs, and hit 490 doubles. He played in seven All-Star games, and held career records for first basemen in assists, put-outs, chances, and games played, 2,237. He was durable and consistent, playing 115 or more games for 14 straight years. Typical of many ballplayers of his era, Mickey lost two years in the prime of his career, 1944-45, because he answered his country's call to service during World War II. When we honor individuals like Mickey Vernon we promote the essence of what is good and wholesome in our Nation. Individuals like Mickey Vernon represent the essence of courage and endurance--the qualities that helped make our Nation great. He is a true American hero in every sense of the word. I ask my colleagues to join me in congratulating Mickey Vernon for his outstanding career and his major league contributions to baseball, to his community, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, and to the Nation with best wishes as well to his wife, Libby.

Mr. WELDON of Pennsylvania

Mr. WELDON of Pennsylvania. Mr. Chairman, I can tell you what I am going to do, I will vote in favor of it and I encourage other people who have been supportive of Shays-Meehan to do the same thing because this is not what we were led to believe. I am voting ``yes.''

Mr. WELDON of Pennsylvania. But it was not in the Senate bill?

Mr. WELDON of Pennsylvania. The gentleman from Connecticut (Mr. Shays) told me last night.

Mr. WELDON of Pennsylvania. Mr. Chairman, I thank my colleague for yielding me time. I am confused and I am troubled. I have supported Shays-Meehan, and I have opposed almost all of the amendments because I have been told this is a very carefully crafted compromise. Now I find out late last night we have put this provision in at somebody's request that was not in the Senate bill. Unless somebody can tell me that is wrong, I would ask my colleagues to say. My side says it was added in and it was not in the Senate bill.

Mr. WELDON of Pennsylvania. I yield to the gentleman from Maryland.

Mr. WELDON of Pennsylvania. Mr. Chairman, my colleague and friend mentioned me but mischaracterized what I said. I did not say that this was added in last night. I said this was not in the Senate bill. That is what I said. And that has, in fact, been said by both sides. I was told that this bill was identical to what the Senate passed and that is in fact not the case. So I have been misled. But I do not like the fact that the gentleman misrepresented what I said. I urge my colleagues who voted for Shays-Meehan to support this amendment because this was stuck in because obviously someone sees a financial advantage that the Senate did not see. It is wrong and it is not in the spirit of what campaign finance reform is all about.

Mr. WELDON of Pennsylvania

Mr. WELDON of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, it is my pleasure to honor the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania's Professor Clancy D. McKenzie, M.D., Protege of Temple University's late Dr. O. Spurgeon English, and Recipient of Temple University's Nelson and Winnie Mandella Humanitarian Award. Dr. McKenzie has worked daily to improve the treatment of mental health patients and his trailblazing techniques, particularly in the area of schizophrenia, have awed the medical community over the years. His findings represent one of the greatest breakthroughs in that field of medicine and allows for the prevention of this disease. Dr. McKenzie is an Alumnus of the University of Michigan, University of Vienna, University of Michigan Medical School, Menninger School of Psychiatry, Philadelphia Psychiatric Center, Philadelphia Psychoanalytic Institute, and Capital University of Integrative Medicine, Washington, D.C. Under the careful tutelage of Dr. O. Spurgeon English for thirty years, Dr. McKenzie worked creatively and identified a new cause and mechanism for mental illness, the origin of which has been confirmed with data on 9,000 persons with schizophrenia, and many more with depression. Dr. O. Spurgeon English credited Dr. McKenzie with the discovery of a traumatic origin for mental illness and wrote that his findings represented a new unification theory of mental illness. Professor Lance S. Wright, a noted scholar, colleague and friend for thirty-five years, hailed the findings as the most significant in the field of psychiatry in the second half of the 20th Century. Dr. Clancy McKenzie, under the careful tutelage of Dr. O. Spurgeon English has made significant advances in the understanding of mental illness, and most importantly its prevention. His efforts should benefit future generations worldwide, through the understanding and prevention of mental disease. Mr. Speaker, Dr. Clancy D. McKenzie is truly a contemporary pioneer in the field of mental health who has gone beyond the current thinking concerning the subject of schizophrenia. I congratulate him on his life of service to humanity which have made it possible to provide those suffering from such ailments to the promise of a whole life.

Mr. WELDON of Pennsylvania

Mr. WELDON of Pennsylvania. Madam Speaker, I thank my good friend and colleague and leader, the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Smith), for his outstanding work on this bill, and my good friend and colleague, the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Evans), who is also a colleague on the Committee on Armed Services, for his great work on behalf of our veterans and on behalf of our military. This is an important piece of legislation; and this Congress has really stood up, under the chairman and ranking member's leadership, to help out our veterans and our military. I am proud that this year, even though we had some terrible tragedies here in our country, that we are finally recognizing the true heroes in America. Because they are not in Hollywood, they are not on our ball fields, they are not in our State capitals, or even here in Washington. Our real heroes are the men and women who serve this country every day, either in the military or in our domestic support operations, our fire and EMS community. When the defense bill passed this past week, we in fact authorized $900 million a year of new money to help our domestic heroes, our fire and EMS personnel. This bill completes the story by allowing us to finally provide the appropriate recognition for our Congressional Medal of Honor winners. I was approached by the Society of the Congressional Medal of Honor recipients earlier this year with some frustrations they had had. One was that medals had in fact been stolen in the past, and there was not an appropriate level of jurisprudence for us to hold those people accountable who in fact had stolen medals. In fact, 5 years ago, we actually had a company produce false medals. This bill corrects that. Second, there was a statement of a need to provide for a second medal so that Medal of Honor recipients can go out and tell their story. They can go to schools and speak on college campuses, to civic groups, and still have that medal back home. So they have two of the appropriate medals. This bill takes care of that. Finally, it increases the stipend for the Medal of Honor recipients, because these are people that we should be encouraging to go out and speak to our young people. These are the real American heroes in this country. This bill provides an increase in their stipend and encourages them to go out and tell their story. I am disappointed we could not get the approval from one of our committees to add a provision that would have allowed spouses to travel on space available on our military planes. But we will come back and fight that battle in another session. This bill does in fact show that our Congressional Medal of Honor recipients are the true heroes and that this Congress is responding to the work they have done on behalf of our country. It is essential for me to acknowledge that without the persistent encouragement of two people, two patriotic Marines, Wally Nunn, my good friend, living in my sixth district, who is in fact the chairman of the board of the society, and Mike Linquist, the staff director, if they had not been involved, this bill would not be here today. And to all those who have received the Medal of Honor, and their families, we say, Job well done. We're proud of your work. Madam Speaker, I will place into the Record the story of two great heroes, Secretary Barney Barnum and retired Major General Jim Livingston, and the actions that caused them to receive this highest award that America offers. At a place called Ky Phu in the Quang Tin Province of Vietnam, the now Secretary Barney Barnum along with his company were engulfed in severe enemy fire and cut off from the remainder of the battalion. With his friends dying around him, then Lieutenant removed the radio from the dead operator and assumed command of the rifle company. Moving into the midst of heavy fire, he reorganized the replacement of lost personnel and led the successful counterattack on enemy positions. After clearing an area and ordering the landing of transport helicopters for the evacuation of the dead and wounded, he joined those remaining in securing the area and seizing the battalion's objective. Three years later, Retired Major General Jim Livingston, the then commanding officer of E Company, led an assault on the heavily fortified village of Dai Do. The Captain maneuvered and encouraged his men to assault enemy positions across 500 meters of open rice paddy while under intense fire. Despite being wounded twice by grenade fragments, he led an attack that destroyed over 100 mutually supporting bunkers and emplacements around the village, but all was not done. After another company was suffering a damaging counterattack by the enemy, Jim Livingston and his men came to their support. Although wounded a third time and unable to walk, he remained in the not yet secure area to organize the safe evacuation of his men.

Mr. WELDON of Pennsylvania

Mr. WELDON of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, today I would like to recognize the recent winner of the National Defense Industrial Association's John J. Jones Award for Outstanding Contributions to our National Defense, Mr. Harold L. ``Spike'' Yoh. Under the leadership of Spike Yoh, Day & Zimmermann, Inc. has made and continues to make significant and exceptional contributions to our national security. Among these, Day & Zimmermann established new safety and production standards for the munitions industry, and provided vital support for our efforts during the Gulf War. Spike Yoh's contribution to the United States extends to our economy and community, as well. Under his guidance, Day & Zimmermann grew 1000 percent and now employs over 24,000 personnel, performing $1.5 billion in professional services for clients in 45 states and 15 countries. Though most prominent for its engineering and plant operation services, Day & Zimmermann also oversees 25 subsidiaries providing construction management, technical personnel, security, clerical, marine transportation, maintenance, defense systems, and information services. Through all this, Spike has maintained a standard of excellence that places Day & Zimmermann once again in a position to support our troops as we wage war on terrorism. In addition, his legacy of generosity and community service is an example to all of what our citizenship demands. During this dangerous and uncertain time, when our future depends on our continued vigilance and ability to serve, Spike Yoh stands as a leader, giving us confidence that we can skillfully weather the challenges ahead.

Mr. WELDON of Pennsylvania

Mr. WELDON of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, sixty-eight years ago a horrific crime was inflicted, killing an estimated 3-5 million people and yet this genocide is seldom heard of. I am referring to the Great Famine of 1932-1933 in Ukraine conducted by Stalin's Soviet Union. We should not, we can not allow the elimination of a people go unnoticed or become forgotten. While some events in history are documented and memorialized to ensure that future generations will never have to be victim to them again, we have a duty to learn of and reveal those that have not yet been exposed. The Ukrainian Government has designated the last Saturday in the month of November as Ukrainian Famine Remembrance Day. Today I join those in mourning and assist their cause in expanding the world's acknowledgment of what had happened. The 1930's marked a time of ``Collectivization'' for the new Soviet Empire. Any symbolism or feelings of Ukrainian national consciousness or identity was hoped to be erased but to do so required an ethnic cleansing of the most brutal nature. The task took the form of a man- made famine whereas the quota for grain procurement from Ukraine was increased by 44 percent. The extraordinarily high quota resulted in a severe grain shortage, effectively starving the Ukrainian people. After collection, grain elevators were guarded by military troops and secret police denying access to even those who had harvested the grain in the immediate area. Those hiding grain were killed and an internal passport system was implemented to restrict people from moving to where there was food. The result was a demoralized and depleted Ukrainian ethnic population. Stalin covered up this genocide so effectively that little is known to outsiders even today. Perhaps that will end now. Today, there is a Ukrainian state, proud but mindful of its past. They will forever suffer the memory of being intentionally starved to death to end their struggle for freedom. Let us, a nation that symbolizes the very definition of freedom, learn of and remember the struggle the Ukrainians endured to obtain it. Mr. Speaker, in the spirit of standing up to all who threaten democracy and freedom, last Saturday, November 24, 2001, was the Ukrainian Famine Remembrance Day.

Mr. WELDON of Pennsylvania

Mr. WELDON of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, there is a great deal of concern all across the country and across the world about how we can detect the evidence of chemical or biological agents in our midst. Today for 3 hours at this very moment in the Rayburn foyer, I have assembled 19 corporations who largely with defense dollars in the past have developed real systems. These are portable systems that can be used and are being used to detect the presence of chemical or biological agents or even small nuclear agents. These devices have been paid for with taxpayer dollars. It shows that Congress has been on the cutting edge of making sure that we have the proper means of protecting our people as these kinds of threats emerge. I would encourage my colleagues to travel to the Rayburn foyer today, and I invite the press and public to see what the American people have done with their dollars to allow us to be able to respond to the kinds of threats that America is currently experiencing. Mr. Speaker, I thank the NBC Industry Group, the Nuclear, Biological and Chemical Industry Group, who has put together this assemblage of these 19 major corporations.

Mr. WELDON of Pennsylvania

Mr. WELDON of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, it is a privilege to take this opportunity to pay tribute to Rear Admiral James W. Eastwood, on his retirement from the United States Naval Reserve after more than three decades of distinguished and dedicated service to our nation. Rear Admiral Eastwood is a native of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Pennsylvania has a rich heritage of individuals who have made significant contributions to their communities, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, and our country. Rear Admiral Eastwood is part of this proud tradition which places him among those who exemplify the founding principles of this great nation. In the way of background, Rear Admiral Westwood graduated from Villanova University's NROTC Program in 1968, and reported to the USS Gyatt (DD-712) as Main Propulsion Assistant. In late 1968, he became the First Lieutenant on USS John W. Weeks (DD-701) and while on operations in the western Pacific, he took over additional responsibility as Antisubmarine Warfare Officer. He completed his active duty tour as the Executive Officer of New London Test and Evaluation Detachment and immediately affiliated with the Naval Reserves in Philadelphia. From 1971 through 1982, he served on USS Lowry (DD-770) and USS Corry (DD-770) and USS Corry (DD-817) as a Department Head, DESRON Thirty Staff and then Officer in Charge of a unit assigned to supplement DESRON Thirty. These 11 years with the NRF Program became the foundation of his entire Naval Reserve Career. In 1982, upon promotion to Commander, he was selected to Command SIMA Phila DET 504 serving in that capacity for three years. After one year on COMNAVBASE Phila Staff, he was selected as Selected Reserve Coordinator for USS Oliver Hazard Perry (FFG-7) where his unit became the first primary SELRES crew ever to take part in an entire Great Lake Cruise. Subsequent to a very successful tour on Perry COMNAVSURFGRU Four selected Rear Adm. Eastwood to oversee all Reserve Activities on five Naval Reserve Force ships in Philadelphia. After selection to Captain in 1989, he assumed Command of Naval Readiness Unit ``A'', followed by Command of SIMA Philadelphia HQ Unit 104 overseeing the activities of four local Detachments and eight outlying Augment units. He has also served on the CNAVRES Policy Board for two years, the FY92 and FY94 O-6 Selection Board and the FY93 O-5 Selection Board; attended the CINCLANTFLT senior Officer Orientation Course, the Leesburg Management Course and Strategy Forum 92. In January 1996 he was notified of his selection for his second star in the Naval Reserve and served as the Readiness Commander, Region Four Headquarters at Fort Dix, New Jersey. In addition, Rear Adm. Eastwood served as Commander, Region Four Headquarters at Fort Dix, New Jersey. In addition, Rear Adm. Eastwood served as the Deputy N86 on OPNAV staff. In May 1999, he was assigned as Deputy Commander, U.S. Atlantic Fleet. Rear Adm. Eastwood has received numerous military medals and commendations. In addition to achieving the rank of Two Star Admiral, he has been awarded the Legion of Merit, two Meritorious Service Medals, two Navy Commendation Medals, the Vietnam Service Medal and various other unit and theater commendations. In civilian life, RADM Eastwood is President of Granary Associates, a full service facility development firm located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and New York, New York. The Company provides architecture, interior design, planning, project management, relocation management and various real estate services to the healthcare, corporate and public sectors. He lives in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania with his wife, Linda and has three children; Erica Lamontagne, who along with her husband David, graduated Villanova University in 1994, Jim a recent 2000 Villanova University graduate and Brooke a senior also attending Villanova University. Rear Admiral James W. Eastwood has served his country with great ability, valor, loyalty and integrity. On the occasion of his retirement from the United States Navy and the United States Naval Reserves, I commend him for his outstanding service. He is Pennsylvania's finest, and I wish him well in the years ahead.

Mr. WELDON of Pennsylvania

Mr. WELDON of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the efforts of America's public safety and military personnel whose heroic actions at the Pentagon, the World Trade Center and the Pennsylvania site saved countless lives. As the Chairman of the House Armed Services Procurement Subcommittee and the founder of the Congressional Fire Services Caucus, I know well the overwhelming situations our civilian and military responders faced. That they persevered in the face of this tragedy is a testament to the dedication of these public servants. All of these personnel, whether local, state or federal, civilian or military, paid or volunteer, deserve the applause of this body. To highlight their combined efforts I wish to recognize three individuals. Their efforts represent the heroic actions of the thousands who responded to the calls for help on September 11 and throughout the days following the attack. Volunteer firefighter/paramedic Eric Jones, Army Staff Sgt. Christopher Braman, and Marine Corps Major Dan Pantaleo were featured rescuing a Marine Corps flag from the burning Pentagon on the front pages of newspapers and magazines around the world. It is this image that will remain in our memories as a symbol of American patriotism, unity and strength. In the days following the publication of their picture, they received many requests for press interviews. They declined each of these requests, because as true public servants, they neither expect nor desire any recognition for their efforts. What few know is that these individuals, through their countless acts of bravery, not only saved the flag, but also many Americans. At 9:40 A.M. on September 11 all three were called by destiny to perform heroic feats. As fire raged through the Pentagon, Mr. Jones, Staff Sgt. Braman, and Major Pantaleo rushed inside. These three men along with all the public safety and military personnel at the scene were responsible for rescuing hundreds of men and women injured by the explosion, the building collapse and burning jet fuel during the first minutes following the attack. After the injured had been saved, they remained on the site for many days to recover the bodies of those who perished. I salute all Americans who answered the call for help on September 11. I am especially proud to highlight Eric, Christopher and Dan as examples of our public safety and military personnel whose contributions saved thousands from succumbing to the consequences of these terrorist attacks.

Mr. WELDON of Pennsylvania

Mr. WELDON of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, I wish to explain my absence today, which resulted in my being unable to vote my strong support for the Emergency Appropriations Supplemental bill. I have been in lower Manhattan, where I have observed what can only be described as wreckage from a war zone. More moving, and more powerful, than the images of shattered skyscrapers and exploding airplanes, though, is what else I have seen. In New York, I have seen bravery and heroism that has transformed by deep sadness into a far more profound sense of pride. This may be America's darkest hour, but in many ways it is also her finest. Much has been said regarding the cowardly nature of these attacks, which were perpetrated largely against unarmed civilians. And yet September 11 was a day of heroes too, because of the heroism of everyday Americans. The terrorists struck the innocent because they thought they would be helpless, but the opposite proved to be true. Admiral Chester W. Nimitz, speaking of the Battle of Iwo Jima during another great American crusade, said famously, ``Uncommon valor was a common virtue.'' Such was the case on September 11. On that day, a fourth plane, perhaps intended for the White House or the Capitol itself, was brought down in the fields of Pennsylvania through the courageous deeds of determined Americans, ordinary Americans, who knew they were near the end, and that their story would never be told. Uncommon valor was a virtue demonstrated in abundance by the passengers on United Airlines Flight 93. In New York I also saw the rubble which entombs the bodies of perhaps three hundred firemen. Many of these souls perished attempting to rescue others from the doomed World Trade Center, charging up stairways filled with people fleeing downward. Their sacrifice is astounding when one considers the fact that we lose an average of 100 firefighters each year nationwide. 300 were lost in one day, in one city block. We also lost a staggering number of police officers on Tuesday, individuals who gave their lives while serving and protecting the people of their city. We will not forget them. In New York, I brought word that the House of Representatives, the people's house, mourns with the rest of the nation. I brought word that help is on the way. Let is be heard by all of those who were touched by this tragedy that the United States Congress will give whatever aid is necessary to respond to this disaster. The Congress will also stand behind the President, united with one voice, as he pursues those responsible for this barbarity. The terrorists underestimated the spirit of America on September 11. While they must have known of the devastating military retaliation that would follow inevitably from their actions, they clearly did not anticipate how the average American would react that day. Terrorism did not inspire terror but instead courage, selflessness, and sacrifice. Many thousands were unable to defend themselves. However, those who were able to act did so with magnificent valor. America drew strength from these people as we stared together into the abyss. During our darkest day, these Americans gave us hope.