Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I rise to pay tribute to the brave men and women who, during the past 75 years, have dedicated their lives to the service of others as members of the Ventura County Fire Department.

The Ventura County Fire Department has changed dramatically since May 11, 1928, when 277 voters went to the polls and 230 voted to form the department. Ventura County then was mostly rural and populated by ranchers and farmers. Wildfires were the primary concern. In 1928 the county experienced six house fires, but 2,820 acres of wildlands burned. The Fire Department's budget was $20,000. Its first equipment was a Ford truck equipped with a portable pump and 1,000 feet of hose.

The county has been blessed through the years by attracting visionary Fire Chiefs, from Walter Emerick in 1928 to Bob Roper today. Together they built a fire department worthy of envy.

During its first decade, the Fire Department built 10 new fire stations situated throughout the county. In the years following World War II the department instituted a building program to modernize some stations, adopted the County Civil Service Retirement Plan and appointed the first battalion chiefs.

In the 1950s and 1960s, firefighting methods were updated, and the latest protective equipment, tools and fire engines were obtained. In the 1970s, a central Dispatch Communications Center was established and the Ventura County Public Safety Aviation Unit was formed. A hazmat trailer and suburban command modules for battalion chiefs were added in the 1980s.

The 1990s were a buzz of activity: The Department's computerized Incident Reporting System was developed and implemented, the communication center was designed and centralized, and a state-of-the- art Training Center and new fire stations were built.

But the best equipment is useless without highly trained and qualified fire fighters who put their lives on the line time and again to protect the residents of Ventura County. The Ventura County Fire Department currently employs 549 professional and dedicated men and women, 417 of whom are in uniform. Together, they protect 865 square miles and more than 450,000 people in Ventura County.

But their dedication does not stop at Ventura County's borders. In the aftermath of September 11, 2001, a number of Ventura County firefighters volunteered to go to New York City to help with recovery efforts. They have joined their colleagues from other jurisdictions to battle wildfires across the United States again and again.

Mr. Speaker, I know many of Ventura County's firefighters and I can personally attest to their bravery, their professionalism, and their dedication to protecting the lives and property of their neighbors. I know my colleagues will join me in congratulating the Ventura County Fire Department on its 75th anniversary and in thanking its brave men and women for a job well done.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to recognize the Moorpark High School Academic Decathlon Team as the United States Academic Decathlon Champions.

This is the second time in five years that Moorpark High School's team has won this premiere scholastic contest. Prior to its win in 1999, no team from Ventura County, California, had even competed in the nationals.

Team members Lindsay Hebert, Nathaniel Jones, Adam Abed, Paul Ideal, Kevin Randolf, Ashlee Scott, Grant Volk, Tracy Yagi and Max Geiger are now recognized as the best and the brightest in the country. They are the pride of their school, their community and their country.

These youngsters won by literally dedicating their lives to the challenge. For nine months they put in up to 40 hours a week beyond their school days to study and hone their skills. They gave up weekends, vacations, part-time jobs and time with their families.

Their hard work paid off. Last weekend, Moorpark scored 51,423 points out of a possible 60,000 points to win the national title against 37 other teams from throughout the country. They brought home 15 gold, nine silver and seven bronze medals.

Their coach, Larry Jones, worked as hard, if not harder, than his students and is as deserving of high praise. Coach Jones has said he will retire from the team after 12 years of leading dozens of students to victory at the county, state and national level. He said the same thing after winning the 1999 championship, but this time he says he means it. At a minimum, he has earned some relaxation in the glow of a job well done--again. I know my colleagues will join me in wishing him the best in whatever his future brings.

Mr. Speaker, I also know my colleagues will join me in applauding nine outstanding students who achieved a very prestigious goal--Lindsay Hebert, Nathaniel Jones, Adam Abed, Paul Ideal, Kevin Randolf, Ashlee Scott, Grant Volk, Tracy Yagi and Max Geiger--the U.S. champion Moorpark High School Academic Decathlon Team.

Mr. Speaker, on April 7, 2003, I was unable to vote on H.R. 1055, the ``Dr. Roswell N. Beck Post Office Building'' Designation Act (rollcall vote 109), H. Res. 127, Expressing the sense of the House that a month should be designated as ``Financial Literacy for Youth Month'' (rollcall 110), and H.R. 1368, ``Norman Shumway Post Office Building'' Designation Act (rollcall vote 111). Had I been present, I would have voted ``yes'' on all three measures.

Mr. Speaker, on March 31, 2003, I was unable to vote on H.R. 1463 (rollcall vote 92), H. Con. Res. 58 (rollcall 93), and H.R. 1166 (rollcall vote 94). Had I been present, I would have voted ``yea'' on all three measures.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to pay tribute to the memory of Cecilia Eleanor Hadley, a warmhearted and generous woman who dedicated her life to others.

I have known Cecilia Hadley since I was a boy and her husband, Al ``Skipper'' Hadley, served as my Sea Scout, BSA, Scoutmaster. Cecilia died last month at age 96. Skipper died in 2000, also at age 96.

Cecilia Hadley was born in Milwaukee and moved to California as a child. She graduated from the Los Angeles Conservatory of Music and Arts and, after 6 years of courtship, married Al Hadley in 1935.

Cecilia Hadley remained active long after retirement. She volunteered as a third-grade teacher's aide for nearly a decade, tutored students in reading and math after school, and taught countless children to play the piano.

She belonged to many women's clubs and was a member of St. Peter's Catholic Community for more than 20 years. She volunteered for the Fallbrook Hospital Auxiliary, working in the gift shop and hand- crocheting baby blankets for newborns. She also made baby blankets for Birth Choice, a crisis pregnancy center she actively supported.

Mr. Speaker, Cecilia Hadley is survived her sons, Pete and David; five grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren. I know my colleagues will join me in sending condolences to Cecilia's family, and in thanking her for making her community and our country a better place through her passion and compassion.

Mr. Speaker, on March 11, 2003, I was unable to vote on H.R. 441 (rollcall vote 50), H. Con. Res. 77 (rollcall 51), and H. Res. 19 (rollcall vote 52). Had I been present, I would have voted ``yes'' on all three measures.

Mr. Speaker, on February 27, 2003, I was unable to vote on the Greenwood Substitute to H.R. 534, the Human Cloning Act of 2003 (rollcall 37). Had I been present I would have voted ``no.'' Similarly, I was not present to vote on the motion to recommit H.R. 534 (rollcall 38) but I would have voted ``no.'' On final passage of H.R. 534, I was not present, but would have voted ``yea'' (rollcall vote 39).

Mr. Speaker, on February 25, 2003, I was unavoidably detained and unable to vote on H. Res. 46, honoring the life of Al Hirschfeld and his legacy, and H. Con. Res. 40, permitting the use of the Rotunda of the Capitol for a ceremony as part of the commemoration of the days of remembrance of victims of the Holocaust. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yes'' on both measures.

Mr. Speaker, on February 11, 2003, 1 was unavoidably detained and unable to vote on H. Res. 61. However, I would have voted yes.

As you know, I have always been a strong supporter of Israel. As the only democracy in the Middle East, Israel is a beacon of liberty and a model for her neighbors. As a country under siege and in an almost constant state of war against terrorists, Israel also serves as an inspiration for the United States as we continue our war against terrorists.

Mr. Speaker, my thoughts and prayers go out to the families and friends of the seven men and women of space shuttle Columbia. All seven astronauts were talented and dedicated.

Columbia was commanded by Commander Rick Husband, 45, an Air Force colonel from Amarillo, Texas. Pilot William McCool, 41, was a Navy commander from Lubbock, Texas. Payload commander Michael Anderson, 43, was an Air Force lieutenant colonel. Mission specialist David M. Brown, 46, was a Navy captain, pilot and doctor. Mission specialist Laurel Blair Salton Clark, 41, was a Navy diving medical officer aboard submarines, then a flight surgeon who became an astronaut in 1996.

Payload specialist Ilan Ramon, 48, a colonel in Israel's air force whose mother and grandmother survived the Auschwitz death camp, market the first Israeli citizen in space. Kalpana Chawla, 41, emigrated to the United States from India in the 1980s and became an astronaut in 1994. It was her second flight.

Many of the lost astronauts have children. All were loved. They are heroes and they will be missed.

May God care for our fallen heroes and their families and friends.

Mr. Speaker, on February 5, 2003, I was unavoidably detained and unable to vote on H. Res. 51. However, had I been here I would have voted ``yea.''

Mr. Speaker, I was pushing the button when time went off. I understand it, but had I been present, I would like to have been recorded as voting ``yea.''