Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, today I rise to honor the men and women from my district in Nebraska who have served and continue to serve our country. Often their service keeps them from their families for extended periods of time and too often leaves them with unnecessary obstacles to overcome when they return home.

For that reason, I am proud to announce that my office is launching our Military Voices Campaign. Over the next 6 weeks, my team and I will be meeting with folks in the military community on ways that we can help men and women who serve. Our goal is to build a network of support throughout the Second Congressional District.

Nebraska is home to some of the finest men and women to serve this country, and our entire congressional delegation is committed to giving them the benefits and opportunities that they have earned.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize Colonel Byron L. Diamond for his nearly 29 years of military service in the Nebraska Army National Guard and United States Army Reserve. Colonel Diamond was born March 30, 1967 in Belleville, Kansas. He graduated from Columbus High School in Columbus, Nebraska in 1985. Colonel Diamond enlisted as a Private on July 17, 1986 into the Nebraska Army National Guard as a member of Company C, 1/195 Armor Battalion in Fairbury, Nebraska. In order to become a commissioned officer, Colonel Diamond attended Southeast Community College in Lincoln where he received an Associate Degree of Applied Science--Finance in 1989. Colonel Diamond was then commissioned a Second Lieutenant on July 22, 1989 at the Nebraska National Guard Military Academy.

From there, he continued his education to obtain a Bachelor of Professional Studies--Business Administration/Technical Services from Bellevue University at Bellevue, Nebraska in 1992. Later on Colonel Diamond would earn a Master of Strategic Studies from the United States Army War College in 2011. Colonel Diamond and his wife, Denise, have two daughters, Emma and Olivia and son, Alexander.

His career included traditional and full-time positions of ever increasing responsibility. Colonel Diamond's career culminated as the G4--Deputy Chief of Staff for Logistics in the Nebraska Army National Guard. Colonel Diamond's significant service contributions include key assignments within the 267th (Direct Support) Maintenance Company (command), the 67th Infantry Brigade Forward Support Battalion, the 19th Theater Support Command, the 67th Area Support Group, commander 402nd Military Police Battalion, and Joint Force Headquarters-- Nebraska. His key achievements include: serving as the Directorate of Installation Management for the 67th Area Support Group while deployed to Al Asad Air Base; developing plans with the 19th TSC for the defense of South Korea; and the establishment of communications infrastructure to relocate the Nebraska National Guard Headquarters to a new facility.

Colonel Diamond was promoted to his current rank December 13, 2011. Colonel Diamond distinguished himself through his extensive knowledge of logistics and mobilization operations where his mentoring and championing of logistics personnel and processes resulted in Nebraska's numerous regional and national Chief of Staff of the Army, Combined Logistics Excellence Awards. His accomplishments are in keeping with the highest traditions of military service and patriotism and have brought great credit upon himself and the country. Mr. Speaker, it is with great pleasure that I recognize Colonel Byron Diamond for his years of service and sacrifice to our country.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize Mrs. Melissa Dunlow for her 25 years of service in the United States Air Force Reserves, seventeen of which were served on active duty. Mrs. Dunlow grew up in Wisconsin Rapids, Wisconsin. She had an interest in traveling and although she had the desire to attend college, it was not financially feasible. In her senior year of high school, Mrs. Dunlow entered the delayed enlistment program, and subsequently active duty with the United States Air Force. Mrs. Dunlow was first assigned to Tinker AFB in Oklahoma as an Air Transportation Specialist; which primarily meant manual labor of loading cargo and passengers onto military aircraft. Mrs. Dunlow applied for and was approved to cross- train into the paralegal career field where she could perform administrative work. During the four and a half years Mrs. Dunlow served as a paralegal, she took college classes at night and on Saturdays to complete her bachelor's degree. She then applied for a commission and attended Officer Training School about three weeks after her college graduation. Mrs. Dunlow's first assignment as a Second Lieutenant was to Offutt AFB in Bellevue, Nebraska, in 2003. While stationed there, she met her future husband, Neil who was also stationed at Offutt. Mrs. Dunlow applied for a ROTC teaching position at University of North Carolina--Chapel Hill. The couple married in June 2006 and Mrs. Dunlow was assigned to Chapel Hill the next month. However, her husband Neil remained at Offutt to fulfill his duty requirement. During their separation, Mr. Dunlow came to realize that the Bellevue/Papillion area was where he wanted to start an orthodontic practice as well as a family. Together, they decided to separate from active duty and make a life in Nebraska. Mrs. Dunlow returned to the area in a civil service position in Human Resources at STRATCOM while Mr. Dunlow opened a small orthodontic practice in Bellevue. Mrs. Dunlow joined the Air Force Reserves as a Liaison Officer to the Civil Air Patrol. After ``buying in'' her active duty time and completing the minimum required time in civil service, Mrs. Dunlow left her position with STRATCOM in September 2012 in order to spend time at home with their two children who are now 6 and 4. Currently, Mrs. Dunlow spends days at home with their youngest daughter and works part-time at the orthodontic office as an office manager. Only time will tell what Mrs. Dunlow will do once their youngest daughter is in school full-time, maybe she will utilize her Master's degree, or perhaps she will strike out a new career after using the remaining two years of her GI bill to complete another degree. Mr. Speaker it is with great pleasure that I recognize Mrs. Melissa Dunlow for her 25 years of military service. What a truly inspiring career she has had and will continue to have. Her hard work and tenacity are commendable. Mrs. Dunlow represents a real American hero through her commitment and solidarity to her brothers and sisters in arms.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize Mr. Frank P. Matthews, Jr. for his dedication and commitment to improving the Omaha community he has called home for so many years. On Friday, Mr. Matthews was named by St. Cecilia Elementary School as the first recipient of its Bernadette ``Bonnie'' Pryor Distinguished Alumnus Award for his continued service to the school. Mr. Matthews is the son of the late Frank P Matthews, the 49th United States Secretary of the Navy from 1949-1951 and United States Ambassador to Ireland from 1951-1952. The late Mr. Matthews installed many admirable values in his son, including service to one's country as well as the importance of giving back. Mr. Matthews took this advice, and following graduation from Creighton Preparatory High School and completion of a correspondence course, served in an Army gunnery unit from 1942-1946. During this time, Mr. Matthews studied Chinese in anticipation of his deployment there; however Japan surrendered, ending the war. After the war, Mr. Matthews earned a Juris Doctorate from Creighton University Law School. He and his partner Martin Cannon, practiced for many years, in the Matthews and Cannon Law Building. In the 1960's Mr. Matthews pooled together resources so as to buy shares in a new company led by the young Warren Buffett. Having the advantage of early participation, Mr. Matthews has echoed his father's credence of good will by giving back at least half of what he has earned from this investment. Since his retirement at 65, Mr. Matthews has spent the past 30 years with his late wife, Helen, traveling the world and experiencing new things. Throughout this time he has enriched the lives of so many Omahans through his service and commitment to the community. Mr. Speaker it is with great pleasure that I recognize Mr. Frank Matthews for his and his family's achievements and service to our great state and this great country.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to speak about Federal spending.

In my home State of Nebraska, we are mandated by the State constitution to balance the budget. This is something that we are sorely in need of here in Washington.

The Congressional Budget Office just released a report that indicated that deficits are projected to balloon over the next several years, topping $1 trillion by 2025. The national debt will grow to over $21 trillion by the same year.

Mr. Speaker, we all know these are unsustainable trends. That is why I am very proud to be a cosponsor of the Savings Accountability Value and Efficiency Act, or SAVE Act. This bill, introduced by my good friend and colleague Congressman Patrick Murphy,

would save the Federal Government nearly $480 billion over the next 10 years.

I applaud my colleague for his efforts in working to put our country on a more sustainable fiscal path. I hope that we can come together in a bipartisanship manner towards that end.

Mr. Speaker, pursuant to clause 1, rule I, I demand a vote on agreeing to the Speaker's approval of the Journal.

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to speak about Nebraska's independent tradition of governing. In Nebraska, we do things a little differently. We have the only nonpartisan unicameral legislature in the Nation, a body that I proudly served in for 16 years, as did my good friends Senator Deb Fischer and Congressman Adrian Smith.

In Lincoln, legislators are not bound by political parties but by the needs of their constituents; rather than provide partisan sound bites, members of the unicameral provide solutions forged through compromise and collaboration.

We need more of this tradition in Washington, and I hope to bring Nebraska common sense to this body. We need to find more ways to come together and solve our Nation's problems. The American people do not want dogged partisanship. They want us to work together to get real results that help make their everyday lives better.

I have pledged to be an independent, pragmatic voice for my constituents to responsibly tackle the difficult issues facing our country and to do so in a bipartisan manner. I hope that my colleagues will follow Nebraska's example.