Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize and celebrate the 25th anniversary of Suba's Restaurant, located in Mountain City, Tennessee. For a quarter of a century, this exemplary establishment has been a cornerstone of the local culinary scene, delighting patrons with its delicious food, exceptional service, and warm atmosphere.

Suba's Restaurant, owned and operated by LuAnne and Richard Suba, along with their partner Debby Reece, first opened its doors in 1998, quickly becoming a beloved gathering place for friends, families, and visitors alike. Over the past 25 years, Suba's has been particularly renowned for its amazing desserts, which have become a highlight of the dining experience. The creative and mouthwatering desserts crafted by their talented team have left patrons returning time and time again.

Their commitment to the local economy extends beyond their menu. Suba's Restaurant has created numerous job opportunities for the residents of Mountain City and the surrounding areas. Their dedicated staff are a testament to the restaurant's inclusive and nurturing work environment.

In recognition of their outstanding contributions to the community, Suba's Restaurant was nominated as Johnson County's Best in the 2023 Readers' Choice Awards. This accolade is a testament to the unwavering dedication of the owners, staff, and everyone involved in making Suba's a cherished part of our community.

In these 25 years, Suba's Restaurant has truly become an indispensable part of Mountain City, Tennessee. It is with great pride that we recognize and celebrate this milestone, and extend our heartfelt congratulations to LuAnne and Richard Suba, Debby Reece, and the entire team at Suba's.

As we honor their unwavering dedication to our community, we also wish them continued success and growth over the next 25 years.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize and congratulate Greg's Pizza on its 60th anniversary in business. This family-owned pizzeria, nestled in the heart of Johnson City, Tennessee, has been a culinary landmark in our community for the past 60 years.

Since its establishment in 1963, Greg's Pizza has been a bastion of quality, service, and culinary excellence. Through dedication and passion, they have built a legacy that spans generations, with their mouthwatering pizzas and warm, inviting atmosphere that brings the community together. Over the years, they have provided thousands of jobs in the community with many of them being first-time jobs for young people.

Their commitment to using only the finest ingredients and their traditional, time-tested recipes have earned them the well-deserved title of the best pizza in the Tri-Cities. Greg's Pizza has been more than just a place to enjoy delicious pizza; it has also been a Washington County gathering spot where families, friends, and neighbors come together to celebrate milestones, share stories, and create lasting memories.

The success of Greg's Pizza is a testament to the hard work and perseverance of its owners, Eddy and Cindy Zayas-Bazan, their dedicated staff, and the local community that has supported them for six decades. Their achievements stand as a shining example of the American dream in action, showcasing how a small, family-owned business can thrive and have a lasting impact on the community it serves.

I invite my colleagues to join me in congratulating Greg's Pizza and its owners Eddy and Cindy on their 60th anniversary. May their continued success be an inspiration to small businesses across our great Nation, and may they serve as a reminder of the power of community, hard work, and dedication to quality.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor my constituent Captain Kathryn Esther Bonner of Sevierville, Tennessee for her heroic service. Last year, I came to know Captain Bonner when I had the pleasure of honoring her personally at our First Congressional District's Veteran Pin Ceremony of Honor in Sevier County.

In 1967, Captain Bonner reported to Officer Training in Newport, Rhode Island as an Ensign Nurse Corps officer for the United States Navy. Upon completion of her training, she reported to Camp LeJeune Marine Corps base in North Carolina. There, she first cared for the many wounded Marines returning from the Vietnam War and began her lifelong love and respect for the Marine Corps.

In November 1969, Captain Bonner was assigned to her next duty station, aboard the USS Sanctuary AH-17, a vessel responsible for patrolling the waters off the coast of Hue, Vietnam. While aboard, she administered round-the-clock care to badly wounded service personnel, many arriving straight from the battlefield and rice paddies, as well civilian Vietnamese patients. Every day, she lived and worked in constant vigilance as she was always within feet of the wards where the wounded lay. A welcome break in the testing routine, she recollects fondly the visit from Bob Hope, Connie Stevens, and Neil Armstrong, who just a few months earlier had walked on the moon, on Christmas Eve 1969.

Captain Bonner served at many stations of duty over her extensive military career to include the Fleet Naval Hospital Comm Z14 Jacksonville and the U.S. Navy Bureau of Medicine and Surgery in Washington, D.C., among others. Her retirement from active-duty service in 1971 did not end her call to service as she continued her career as a Nurse in the United States Air Force Reserves. In that role, she completed flight nurse training and helped bring wounded Marines back home from the 1983 Beirut Barracks Bombing. In 1988, she returned to the Navy as a Reservist and served with distinction until her formal retirement in June of 2003, after 26 years of military service. Captain Bonner received several awards and commendations during her career, including the Meritorious Service Medal, 3 Navy Commendation Medals, 2 Air Force Commendation Medals, and the Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal. She was also selected as the Outstanding Nurse of the Year 3 times in her Air Force Reserve units time of service and once as her numbered Air Force Nurse of the year. Please join me to recognize American hero, Captain Bonner and thank her for her selfless, courageous military service to our Nation.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor my constituent Command Sergeant Major Marcus B. Whitt, II of Morristown, Tennessee who has dedicated his entire life in service to or in support of our Armed Forces.

As a Special Forces Green Beret radio operator, CSM. (Ret.) Whitt and his unit gathered intelligence for highly classified operations during the Vietnam War in Cambodia, Loas and North Vietnam. In 2001, all prior members of MACV SOG were awarded the Presidential Unit Citation for extraordinary heroism, great combat achievement regularly conducting guerrilla warfare, and unwavering fidelity while executing missions deep behind enemy lines.

After Vietnam, he furthered his academia earning multiple degrees in Education and Masters in Criminal Justice. He also continued his calling by joining the Reserves in service to many Army Special Forces units. Later, he

was promoted to Command Sergeant Major and stationed at Camp Butmir, Bosnia until a retirement that didn't last long as he continued his career in Iraq supporting our military as a civilian contractor. Presently he is a volunteer for the Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve in the State of Tennessee and serves as the Ombudsman Director. TN ESGR develops supportive work environments for Service Members in Reserve Components through outreach and education to increase awareness of applicable laws. He also serves with Chapter 18-12 of the Combat Veterans Motorcycle Association which promotes Vets Helping Vets and the Special Operations Association (former MACVSOG members) as a member of its Board of Directors.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor my constituent E-4 Richard Dean White of Mountain City, Tennessee.

E-4 Richard White served in the U.S. Air Force from 1971 until 1975 and was one of 70 chosen to serve in the USAF Security Command. He was stationed at many air force bases such as Lackland, TX Goodfellow, Iraklion in Crete, Greece, and Andrews Air Force Base. He was present on August 9, 1974, when President Nixon resigned and departed from Andrews Air Force Base.

Following his discharge, E-4 White attended college and pursued a career in Law Enforcement, continuing his calling to serve.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor my constituent SGT. Kenneth Suter for his distinguished service to the U.S. Air Force.

Hailing from Kodak, Tennessee, SGT. Kenneth Suter served on the 37th Aerospace Rescue and Recovery Squad as an engine mechanic, primarily working on helicopter aircraft.

Stationed in Da Nang, Vietnam, SGT. Kenneth Suter proudly served from 1971 to 1972. May his sacrifice and service and that of his comrades never be forgotten.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor my constituent Master Sergeant (MSgt.) Larry A. Ledford of Kingsport, Tennessee for his military service during the Vietnam era.

MSgt. Ledford joined our U.S. Air Force almost immediately after he graduated from high school in 1968. He was first stationed at Andersen Air Force Base (AFB) in Guam. Later, he was sent to HQ Intelligence where he was tasked with providing administrative support to his fellow service members who were responsible for interpretating bomb assessment targets in Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos while they were also identifying additional targets. Notably, he took part in both Bullet Shot and Linebacker II Operations. Some of his additional station assignments were Bergstrom Air Force Base (AFB) in Texas, Air Force HQ Southern Europe, and Ramstein Air Base in Germany.

His final assignment was the Air Force Flight Test Center at Edwards Air Force Base in California. Upon active-duty retirement, he served another 18 years with our Department of Defense (DoD).

A family man through and through, he wishes to personally thank and recognize his devoted wife, Mrs. Jane Ledford, as they celebrate their 55th wedding anniversary later this year. Like MSgt. Ledford, Mrs. Ledford faithfully served DoD. with a career spanning nearly 40 years of civil service. He also proudly mentions his two very accomplished sons Steven and Bryan, who followed in their footsteps in service to DoD as government contractors.

Please join me in honoring MSgt. Ledford for his long career of service to our Nation in both military and civilian sectors.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor my constituent Staff Sergeant Michael Dwayne Kilgore of Johnson City, Tennessee who served during the Vietnam War era from March 1968 to February 1970.

During Vietnam, he served in a Recon Platoon which was attached to Echo Company 2nd Battalion, 8th Air Cavalry, 1st Air Cavalry Division. As part of the Recon Platoon, he surveyed the area of operation ahead of the main force, however, he was usually the first person to receive contact from the enemy.

During his service, SSGT. Kilgore was awarded two Bronze Stars, 2 Purple Hearts, 3 Air Medals, and the Army Commendation Medal. He also was stationed in numerous locations around the East Coast and graduated from the War College at Fort Bennington, Georgia.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor my constituent Sergeant Harold Wayne Leonard of Bluff City, Tennessee for his heroic service. Sgt. Leonard saw multiple deployments, including serving in Germany during the Berlin Crisis, in South Korea, at Ft. Bragg during the Cuban Missile Crisis, and Vietnam.

Assigned to the 8th Artillery 25th Infantry Division, Sgt. Leonard and his comrades fought 60 continuous days and nights in Cu Chi where North Vietnamese rigged explosives, booby traps, and punji sticks. In grueling conditions, he served bravely in what his fellow soldiers coined as, ``Hell's Half Acre''. Along with his division, his service in the Battle of Cu Chi proved invaluable to the discovery of the Viet Cong's district headquarters with over half a million military and intelligence documents.

He and his division were awarded the second highest unit decoration bestowed upon a U.S. Army unit, the Valorous Unit Award for extraordinary heroism in action against an armed enemy. A family man, he insists all recognition and commendations for his service are given to Mrs. Leonard, his devoted wife of 62 years, for her many sacrifices in providing him great love and care.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor my constituent and Vietnam era veteran John Stewart of Telford, Tennessee who served in the United States Army from 1967 through 1970. He was stationed in Korea, as well as Vietnam, where he served as a heavy equipment operator.

Stewart was first stationed in South Korea working on clearing roads in the winter for convoys near the Joint Security Area. While working there he witnessed the famous POW exchange of the Navy soldiers who were captured by North Korea on the USS Pueblo. In October of 1969, he was deployed to South Vietnam where he transported construction machinery.

After finishing his tour in Vietnam, he safely returned to his home in the United States in late 1970.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor my constituent SSGT. James ``Rex'' Shoun. It was my honor to pin Staff Sergeant James ``Rex'' Shoun for his service to the U.S. Air Force.

SSGT. Shoun of Elizabethton, Tennessee enlisted in basic training which took him from Lackland, TX to Lowery, CO, and onward to Thailand as a member of the 635th Munition Maintenance Squadron.

He returned to the U.S. to receive additional training as security police and deployed to Texas, Okinawa, and Guam where he was responsible for guarding B52 strategic bomber aircraft and their munitions.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor my constituent Hospital Corpsman 3rd Class (HM3) Raymond Austin Shockley from Morristown, Tennessee for his honorable service in the United States Navy as partner of the 50th Anniversary Vietnam War Commemoration.

After basic training in 1964, HM3 Shockley's first duty station was at Bethesda Naval Hospital in Maryland, now known as Walter Reed Military Medical Center, where he provided front line medical services like that of a nurse. In doing so, he met and equally cared for all his fellow service members, even President Lyndon B. Johnson. In 1965 he was transferred to Camp Pendleton in California to further his training as a Marine. Still following a commitment to serve, he went on to Okinawa, then Vietnam where he aided the wounded and experienced the horrors of war. He returned to San Diego, CA and finished his service on the USS Sperry AS 12 named for Elmer Sperry, a Fulton-class submarine tender repair ship. Presently, he continues his lifetime of service as Commander of our local Disabled American Veterans (DAV) Chapter 59 in Morristown.

Further, HM3 Shockley wishes to personally share, ``To all the men and women that were a part of my military life, you all will remain my brothers and sister forever. ''

Join me in thanking HM3 Shockley and letting him know he truly made a difference.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor my constituent Army Specialist, 5th Class James L. Schreiner of Seymour, Tennessee for his valiant service during the Vietnam War from February 1966 through January 1969.

Specialist Schreiner served 2 tours of duty with the 572nd Transportation Company in Long Bihn and Bien Hoa, Vietnam, where he delivered ammunition and supplies directly to the front lines of battle. Following his military service, Specialist Schreiner returned to Chicago to raise his two sons with his wife, Diane, where he joined the Chicago Police Department as a patrolman and later homicide detective.

After 31 years of public service, Specialist Schreiner retired from law enforcement in 2002. He is deeply proud of his 2 sons, who are both colonels serving in the U.S. Army and Space Force, as well as his 6 grandchildren, one of whom is also an Army officer.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor my constituent E-4 Corporal Kyle E. Price of Elizabethton, Tennessee, who I had the privilege to meet at our Carter County Pin Ceremony.

Cpl. Price says he became both ``a man and a lifelong Marine'' in March of 1970, after he graduated from Boot Camp at Paris Island. Cpl. Price specialized as a machine gunner where he wielded an M60 squad automatic weapon, nicknamed ``The Pig'' due to its sheer size, and carried 200 linked rounds of ammunition every single day in defense of our Nation and freedoms. His duty stations included Camp Geiger (NC), Sea School Norfolk Naval Shipyard (VA), Hue and Da Nang (Vietnam), Marine Barracks Alameda Naval Air Station (CA), and the Marine Barrack Subic Bay Naval Base, Olangapo (Philippines).

He was also assigned security duties aboard the USS Enterprise CVAN- 65, the first nuclear-powered ship to engage in combat, when she launched aircraft against the Viet Cong. His lifelong status as a Marine has continued far beyond active duty as a member of The Tri- Cities Detachment of the Marine Corps League (Gray), where he served as Commandant.

He is also a life member of VFW Post 2166 (Elizabethton), American Legion Post 24 (Johnson City) and an officer of the Military Order of the Devil Dogs Pound 300 TN Pack, the Honor Society of the Marine Corps League.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor my constituent Army Specialist Bobby L. McClure of Sevierville, Tennessee

for his distinguished service from May 1966 through May 1968.

In December 1966, Specialist McClure arrived in Vietnam where he served the 231st Signal Detachment attached to the 220th Aviation Company, which provided close air support missions in support of the Marines in Phu Bai near Hue. Specifically, Specialist McClure maintained and fixed aircraft navigation and radio equipment for the 220th Aviation Company.

After completing his military enlistment, Specialist McClure worked for Hewlett-Packard in Colorado and Maryland, before he returned to his hometown of Sevierville in 1976.