Floor Statements

Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to remove the name of Ms. Millender-McDonald as a cosponsor from H.R. 47. Her name was placed on this bill in error.

Madam Speaker, it is with great sadness that I rise today to pay tribute to Deacon John Henry Wooten, Sr. of Goldsboro, North Carolina. Deacon Wooten, an icon in education and service for Eastern North Carolina and a man whom I greatly admired, passed away this week.

Madam Speaker, Deacon Wooten's lifelong commitment to education left an indelible mark on the people he served. He received both his Bachelor of Science and Master of Science degrees from North Carolina A&T State University, and went on to serve on their Board of Trustees from 1993-2001. His work as a science teacher and principal of Dillard High School in Goldsboro, and also as an administrator of Goldsboro City Schools, enriched the lives of countless young people from the County of Wayne. His commitment to service began much earlier, as he served bravely in the United States Army during World War II and as a reservist until 1949.

Deacon Wooten's dedication to community service extended well beyond education and the military. He served for 12 years on the Wayne County Board of Commissioners and was the first African-American chairman of that Board. He also served on the Goldsboro Redevelopment Commission, the Board of Directors for Wayne Memorial Hospital, the Wayne Health Corporation and on the Salvation Army Advisory Board. All of that aside, one of his greatest contributions was to the First African Missionary Baptist Church of Goldsboro, where he served as a Deacon, Sunday School teacher, President of the Laymen's League and as a member of the chorus. Deacon Wooten's faithfulness to the church and his tireless work for our community spoke volumes of his unselfish character.

Madam Speaker, Deacon Wooten has often been recognized for the many accomplishments he achieved over his lifetime. The North Carolina A&T State University National Alumni Association recognized him for Outstanding Leadership as President in 1988. The Neuse River Council of Governments named him Outstanding Commissioner of the Year in 1993. A member of the Omega Psi Phi fraternity, he was twice named their Man of the Year and won many other honors throughout his life.

Madam Speaker, in honor and recognition of Deacon John Henry Wooten's diligent service as an educator, legislator and leader, I ask my Colleagues to join me in paying a final tribute to this great man.

I want to thank the gentleman from Georgia, my friend, John Lewis, for introducing this resolution. I thank the gentleman

from Michigan (Mr. Conyers) for allowing time for me to speak today.

Madam Speaker, Dr. King was a visionary leader. He understood that America could never be a moral leader in the world when citizens within its own borders were treated legally as second-class citizens. I recall so vividly attending a standing-room only speech that Dr. King gave at the Booker T. Washington High School gymnasium in Rocky Mountain, North Carolina, on November 27, 1962.

Dr. King's speech included the ``I Have a Dream'' passage that he used in the historic march-on-Washington speech the following year. After the passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, we were having difficulty in the south persuading black voters that it was really uncomplicated to register the vote. The act had removed the literacy test, and the process was easier. But black citizens were reluctant to step forward to register to vote for fear of intimidation and reprisal. At the urging of local leaders in my community, Dr. King accepted our invitation to lead a voter registration march on April 4, 1968.

But as fate would have it, he canceled his promised trip to our community so that he could go to Memphis to assist the garbage workers of that city, and we know the rest. Despite the absence of Dr. King from the registration march, we launched a massive voter registration drive and later filed and won a voting rights lawsuit in my district resulting in electoral opportunities.

Now, Madam Speaker, we have 301 elected black officials in my congressional district. In addition to having an African American Member of this body in the first district, African Americans hold the following office: 48 county commissioners, 7 sheriffs, 20 mayors, 129 municipal officials, 5 at our General Assembly, 6 superior court judges, 9 district court judges, 69 on boards of education, 4 registrars of deeds and 3 clerks of court.

Madam Speaker, much of this electoral progress that we have made in the South can be directly attributable to the life and work of Martin Luther King, Jr.

Mr. Speaker, first let me thank the delegate from the District of Columbia for giving me this time this evening to speak on this most important subject. I have watched Eleanor Holmes Norton since I have been in the Congress, and she has worked so tirelessly on behalf of the people of the District of Columbia to get full voting rights, and I want to thank her for her passion and thank her for her work in this body.

Mr. Speaker, many people who now call the District of Columbia home have established themselves here by way of my home State of North Carolina and by way of our neighboring State of South Carolina. As the delegate said a few minutes ago, even her family originated in Halifax County, North Carolina, which is in my Congressional District.

Many DC residents are my schoolmates from eastern North Carolina. In coming to Washington, DC, they left parents, and they left grandparents behind who had endured blatant discrimination in public accommodations and discrimination at the ballot box. Many of them could not vote because of the literacy test, and others refused to register to vote because of voter intimidation.

Now, Mr. Speaker, the descendants of these individuals living in Washington, DC, are again denied the right to vote and the right to have voting representation in Congress.

What a disgrace. Voting is one of our most fundamental rights, but it is one that has been systematically denied for as long as it has been assured. Until 1919, women did not have the right to vote. African Americans gained the right to vote for the first time in 1868, and then lost that right in 1900. It was the Voting Rights Act that restored the effective right to vote in 1965.

Mr. Speaker, each time the right to vote has been oppressed, good people, good people, have stood up and stood strong to ensure that right, because it forms the foundation of our ideals of governance.

Today, we again have the opportunity to expand the right to vote and to ensure that the people being governed in the District of Columbia, who pay taxes and who fight in our wars, have a voice in their government.

Rarely does an issue come before this body which goes right to the heart of our values as Americans. The right to vote is a simple and straightforward idea that embodies some of our most beloved founding principles, the idea that all men, all people, are created equal, and that we establish our government by the consent of the governed. When we fail to address inequalities such as these, we fail ourselves as a people and as a nation and we fail to honor the sacrifices of the many people before us who wanted to ensure basic rights to all Americans.

As the Delegate so ably said a few moments ago, this is not a Democratic issue nor a Republican issue. This is an American problem that must be resolved and resolved in this session of the Congress.

The strength of our great Nation lies within its citizens, and the power of its citizens relies upon the equal access to the franchise. These opportunities include our many freedoms, especially the right to have a strong and clear voice in choosing elected leaders. As the Constitution commands, we must extend the rights of citizenship to every, every, citizen of this land, including the citizens of Washington, DC.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support the legislation that has been introduced by the Delegate, and I urge its passage.

Mr. Speaker, the Democratic Pacific Union (DPU) will be hosting an International Symposium on Democracy and Congress this December 8 through 10, 2006 in Taipei, Taiwan.

The DPU is a non-government organization established in 2005 for the purpose of enhancing stronger ties among members of parliaments around the Pacific Rim. DPU's goals are to train young leaders to install democracy in their own countries, to consolidate democracy and to compromise on regional differences.

This year's symposium will attract participants from Canada, Mexico, Australia, New Zealand, the United States, the Republic of China and other countries. Participants will discuss such topics as the workings of congresses, presidential systems, and prospects for democracy.

Mr. Speaker, I hope my colleagues will find the time to go to Taiwan to participate in the symposium and to visit with the leaders in Taiwan regarding bilateral relations, the war on terror, and the crisis in the Korean peninsula.

Also, I offer my best wishes and congratulations to Taiwan's Vice President Annette Lu for putting this symposium together. I applaud her leadership.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to a great man, Bishop L.N. Forbes whom I greatly respect for his dedication, commitment and loyalty to serving the Lord and his people. Bishop Forbes was born on October 24, 1936 in Wayne County, North Carolina, the fourth of ten children to the late Will Scott and Sally Melvin Forbes. At an early age, he began practicing actively and later received his biblical and spiritual guidance at the Leventon Chapel Free Will Baptist Church, where he remains a member in good standing.

After receiving the call to the ministry, Pastor Forbes preached his initial sermon in May 1959, using as a subject, ``You Need It and You Must Have It.'' In 1959, Pastor Forbes established Faith Temple No. 1 in East Orange, New Jersey, and in 1962, Faith Temple No. 2, now in Capitol Heights, Maryland. In 1978, Bishop Forbes established Faith Temple No. 3 in St. Paul, North Carolina.

As the Presiding Bishop of the Original Free Will Baptist Conference, he spearheaded the construction of the L.N. Forbes Tabernacle in Wilson, North Carolina, which was dedicated in 1975. He now serves as the General Bishop of the Original Free Will Baptist Conference of America, the Vice President of the National Convention of Free Will Baptist of USA, President of the East Orange Clergy Movement and Past President of the Hampton University Ministers Conference.

Mr. Speaker, Bishop Forbes is my personal friend and I know so well the difference his Ministry is making in our community. He works tirelessly and often without compensation. My colleagues, I ask that you join with me in honoring this great American, Bishop Lemmie Nathaniel Forbes.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to an outstanding citizen and a person whom I admire greatly, attorney

Romallus O. Murphy of Greensboro, North Carolina. The meaningful accomplishments of Romallus Murphy have affected the lives of many people across the State of North Carolina and across this Nation. On October 14, 2006, this great American will be justly honored by the North Carolina State Conference of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, NAACP, for his many meaningful years of remarkable service. At the Conference they will also announce a fitting tribute, the establishment of an Annual Continuing Legal Education Program bearing the name of Romallus Murphy. The yearly award will assist lawyers in refining their skills and renewing their dedication to honorable, steadfast service which has been the hallmark of his career.

Mr. Speaker, Romallus Murphy served as Chair of the Legal Redress Committee of the North Carolina Conference of the NAACP since the 1960s. Over the last half-century, he and those he has inspired have given invaluable counsel to clients and young lawyers alike who were and still are engaged in dismantling the old walls that have divided people of North Carolina along artificial lines of color and creed.

Romallus Murphy is a native of Houston, Texas. He attended college at Howard University in Washington, DC, and graduated in 1951. He briefly attended the School of Law at Howard University but finished his legal education at the University of North Carolina School of Law in 1956 where he was the only student of color.

Mr. Speaker, Romallus Murphy began his legal career in my home community of Wilson, North Carolina. He was the only African-American attorney in this eastern North Carolina community. As such, he was a role model to countless individuals. I attribute my desire to become a lawyer to the tremendous impression he made upon my young life.

Mr. Speaker, in 1957 the Wilson City Council changed its election procedure to require at-large elections and a provision requiring voters to vote for a full slate. Anything less than a full slate was considered a spoiled ballot. The purpose of these discriminatory changes in election procedure resulted in the Black candidate, Dr. G.K. Butterfield, being defeated.

In 1959, another Black candidate ran for a seat on the City Council but was required to run in the new at-large election system and be subjected to the full slate requirement. The candidate, Reverend Talmage A. Watkins, was soundly defeated and his defeat was directly attributable to the new elections procedure. In response, the community retained Romallus Murphy to bring a voting lawsuit against the City of Wilson. Mr. Murphy litigated the case through the state courts and eventually argued the case before the United States Supreme Court. Though unsuccessful, the case was part of the record that convinced the Congress to enact the Voting Rights Act of 1965.

Mr. Speaker, Romallus Murphy served in the United States Air Force and was honorably discharged with the rank of Captain. He was assigned to Shaw Air Force Base, Sumter, South Carolina, Clovis Air Force Base, Clovis, New Mexico, and Japan.

Romallus Murphy served as President of Shaw College in Detroit, Michigan, for several years. He also practiced law in the capital city of Raleigh, North Carolina, with renowned civil rights lawyer, Samuel Mitchell. He currently practices law in Greensboro, North Carolina, where he serves a community that is appreciative of his work.

In 1987, Romallus Murphy was legal counsel to the North Carolina State Conference of Branches for the NAACP. He was part of the legal team that forced the State of North Carolina to create electoral opportunities for Black lawyers to become Superior Court Judges. His lawsuit was the catalyst that forced the General Assembly to create majority black judicial districts. As a result of this effort, at least eight African-American judges were elected to the Superior Court bench.

Currently, Romallus Murphy is a practicing attorney in Greensboro, North Carolina. He is a member of Genesis Baptist Church. He is married to Gale Bostic Murphy and he has six children: Natalie, Kim, Romallus Jr., Wynette, Verna, and Christian.

Mr. Speaker, placing this tribute into the Congressional Record is a great personal honor for me. I ask my colleagues to join me and the delegates to the North Carolina Conference in paying tribute to this courageous attorney who has worked to foster and continue our Nation's founding principle--that all men and women are created equal.

Mr. Speaker, the Republican leaders of this Congress talk about what they have accomplished during this session. But the fact is, that we have met fewer days than any Congress in history. I am ashamed to say that they have made us the most do nothing Congress ever to serve.

Instead of actually tackling the issues that concern average American families, the Republicans have passed legislation to help their wealthy friends and the huge corporations that support their campaigns.

One example of this is the flawed Medicare prescription drug benefit. This program could have provided significant help to those who need it the most. Instead, it now helps those who need it the least, the drug companies. Democrats believe that the Secretary of Health and Human Services should have the authority to negotiate for lower drug prices under Medicare, just as the VA does.

And so I call on the Republican majority, again, to allow HHS to negotiate drug prices. It will help our seniors and it will help balance the Federal budget.

Mr. Speaker, in the coming days, millions of American seniors are going to see why the Republican prescription drug plan was written to help the pharmaceutical companies and the private insurance companies rather than to help our seniors.

Republicans on Capitol Hill sided with the pharmaceutical companies when they wrote the law to forbid the Federal Government from negotiating lower prices. Then they sided with the private insurance companies when they allowed them to create private plans that include what is known as the doughnut hole, a giant gap in coverage, when seniors must continue to pay their premiums but receive absolutely no help with their prescription drug bills.

That is right. Under the private plans that the Republicans created, seniors will lose their drug coverage after they spend $2,250 of their own money on prescription drugs.

This Friday, Mr. Speaker, is the day that the average senior is expected to fall into the doughnut hole. If congressional Republicans were really interested in helping our seniors, they would join us in filling the doughnut hole so seniors do not have to continue to face this giant gap in coverage.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to remember a great American warrior, Col. Herschel H. ``Herky'' Green. Herky Green was a pilot in the Army Air Corps during World War II and is recognized as one of the sharpest shooters of the war. He passed away August 16, 2006 from cancer at the age of 86.

In his time as a fighter pilot, Herky Green amassed 402 combat flying hours over the course of 100 combat missions. He is credited with destroying 10 enemy aircraft on the ground and 18 aerial victories, earning him the designation of Ace. As the leading Ace of the 15th Air Force, Herky Green dominated the skies over Europe and Africa from 1943 to 1944. During one mission against a group of German bombers, Green single-handedly destroyed six aircraft.

Green continued to serve in the newly established U.S. Air Force until 1964. Among his numerous decorations, he earned the Distinguished Service Cross, a Silver Star, and two Distinguished Flying Crosses.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to my constituent, Mrs.

Celester Alston Clark who is being honored on Saturday, September 16, 2006 by the North Carolina Federation of Garden Clubs. Mrs. Clark is being honored for her dedicated and loyal service as well as her enthusiasm and creativity. All of these qualities have indeed served to provide a tremendous benefit to the Garden Club. Over the years Mrs. Clark has exhibited an impressive level of leadership to the Garden Club; in that regard, she sponsors a workshop each year when the North Carolina Federation of Garden Clubs hosts its Annual Convention. Further, she serves as the State Youth Director.

Mr. Speaker, Mrs. Clark is indeed leading the charge for her Garden Club where one of its objectives is to put more strength behind local clubs so that the work of beautifying homes, churches, schools and communities can be achieved more effectively. Mrs. Clark is very instrumental in helping her Garden Club promote a full conservation program within local clubs, placing special interest on wildflowers, native trees, soil, and water. There are about 40 adult and youth clubs that belong to the North Carolina Federation of Garden Clubs which was organized as far back as 1935.

Mr. Speaker, Mrs. Clark has been a member of the Daisy Garden Club since 1979 and in 1995 she organized the Calla Lily Adult Garden Club. Under her guidance, the Calla Lily Adult Garden Club has projects at the Pinkerton's Street School, Satterwhite Point Lake Camp Site in Henderson, North Carolina and Haywood Missionary Baptist Church in Louisburg, North Carolina. In addition, Mrs. Clark oversees the Calla Lilly Youth Gardners referred to as Calla Lilettes.

She was born in Franklin County, North Carolina to Benjamin and Mable Alston, and has one brother and five sisters. She attended the Rockford Grade School and graduated from Franklin County Training School. She received her Bachelor of Art degree from A&T College in Greensboro, North Carolina. She married the love of her life, Mr. James Clark of Greensboro, North Carolina. After relocating to Washington, D.C., Mrs. Clark secured employment as a budget analyst with the U.S. Department of Health, Education and Welfare; with the U.S. Department of Defense in the area of Financial Management; and finally with the U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Prisons. Upon her retirement, she became a teacher in the Vance County Public School system.

While residing in Washington, D.C., Mr. and Mrs. Clark were members of the Upper Room Baptist Church. Mrs. Clark served as the Youth Director, Member of the Hospitality Committee, and was a member of the choir. She also served as President of the Fort Dupont Civic Association.

Upon returning to Henderson, North Carolina, Mr. and Mrs. Clark reunited with their family home church, Haywood Missionary Baptist Church in Louisburg where she serves as President of the Deaconess; Chairperson of the Hospitality Committee; member of the Mass Choir and member of the Missionary Department.

Mr. Speaker, I ask my Colleagues in the United States House of Representatives to join me in paying tribute to one of my most deserving constituents, Mrs. Celester Alston Clark on this great occasion.

Mr. Speaker, I was pleased to learn of the recovery of one of our Nation's fighting women who had been missing in Kyrgyzstan for more than 3 days. After being kidnapped, Maj. Metzger spent 80 hours in captivity before escaping her abductors. Her resilience is remarkable and her resolve serves as another example of the superior character of the men and women of our Air Force and our other Armed Services.

I am most pleased to hear of her safe return. I wish the very best for the Metzger family, and continue to pray for the safe return of Sergeant Keith ``Matt'' Maupin, United States Army Reserves, who has been missing since April of 2004.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

I rise in support of H. Con. Res. 444 and thank my friend Mr. Simmons from Connecticut for bringing this resolution forward this evening.

Mr. Speaker, this resolution is an expression of appreciation of the Congress and the Nation to the personnel of the Department of Defense organizations and military departments who are engaged in the mission to achieve the fullest possible accounting for all unaccounted servicemembers in past and current conflicts.

It also recognizes the POW/MIA families and the veterans for their support and foreign Nations that have assisted in these endeavors, and so I am pleased to join my friend from Connecticut in support of this measure, and I thank him for bringing it forward.

Mr. Speaker, on the third Friday of each September our Nation pays tribute to our prisoners of war and those still missing in action during National POW/MIA Recognition Day. On September 15, we will honor America's POWs and all those who have worked and continue the effort to leave no servicemember behind.

There are thousands of people that support these efforts, from teams on the ground who conduct investigations, analysis and recovery, to those within the Department of Defense Mission Personnel Office, who are responsible for developing the policies and the controls and oversight. Each and every day these dedicated individuals are working to bring home our missing sons and daughters who have served their Nation in uniform.

The joint POW/MIA Accounting Command in Hawaii oversees these missions. The Central Identification Laboratory is the largest forensic anthropology laboratory in the world. The Armed Forces DNA Identification Laboratory in Maryland is one of the leading laboratories in the world that handles degraded skeletal remains to determine DNA results, and the Air Force Life Sciences Equipment Laboratory in Texas is home to the most comprehensive technical library and collection of life sciences equipment used by the Armed Forces.

But all of our efforts would be for naught, Mr. Speaker, if we did not have the support and cooperation of other nations, such as the Laos People's Democratic Republic, the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, and the Kingdom of Cambodia, in helping us achieve the fullest possible accounting of all Americans who remain unaccounted from past and current conflicts.

However, even with the state-of-the-art laboratories and highly trained personnel and the support of foreign nations, we could not be successful as we have been without the support of the families. Yes, the families and the loved ones of those missing in action and those who were captured and returned home. The support of these families and that of our POWs has been immeasurable. We would not be here today in support of National POW/MIA Recognition Day without their encouragement and without their advocacy.

On Friday, National POW/MIA Recognition Day will be one of the six days specified by law that the National League of Families POW/MIA flag is required to be flown over certain Federal buildings, over certain national cemeteries, military installations, and post offices. The flag will fly as a reminder for all Americans to remember those who remain missing in action and those who were captured and have returned home.

And so, Mr. Speaker, let us also take this special moment to recognize those of the current conflict, the current conflict who remain missing: SGT Keith ``Matt'' Maupin, United States Army Reserves, and MAJ Jill Metzger, United States Air Force. Our thoughts and our prayers are with them and with their families and the families of those whose loved ones remain missing from previous conflicts.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Likewise, Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, on Wednesday, July 12, 2006, the swift, determined and heroic actions of Northampton County Sheriff's Deputy Joe Magee and Northampton County Sheriff's Deputy Corey Jackson preserved the peace and protected the citizens of our community in eastern North Carolina.

During the incident, Deputy Joe Magee, a 28-year law enforcement veteran, and Deputy Corey Jackson, a 3\1/2\-year veteran of the sheriff's department, bravely took control of an enraged, armed suspect in the courtroom of the Northampton County Courthouse.

Facing a charge of murder, the suspect flew into a rage when Superior Court Judge Alma L. Hinton rejected a request to dismiss his lawyer. Despite being shackled, the suspect managed to wrestle a gun from a nearby state correction officer and fired shots.

Deputy Corey Jackson forced the suspect's arms toward the ceiling after a corrections officer was struck by a bullet in the shoulder and Deputy Joe Magee shot the inmate in the abdomen, ending the threat.

These decisive, heroic and selfless actions preserved the lives of those present and met the highest call of duty. It is my privilege today to commend the officers for their outstanding efforts and for acts of courage and quick thinking that saved the lives of the people they are sworn to protect.

Mr. Speaker, on behalf of the citizens of Northampton County, North Carolina, whom it is my privilege to represent, and on behalf of the United States Congress, it is my honor to recognize and thank Deputy Joe Magee and Deputy Corey Jackson. Their tireless dedication and exceptional bravery serve our community and our Nation well.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to remember a great American warrior and patriot. Master Chief Carl Brashear passed away on July 25, 2006 at the Naval Medical Center in Portsmouth. His legendary accomplishments, however, live on in Navy lore today and for generations to come.

As a 17 year old, Brashear joined the Navy in 1948, shortly after the service had been officially desegregated. At age 23, he applied for, was accepted to and graduated from the Navy Salvage Diving School. Twelve years later, an accident aboard the salvage ship Hoist nearly cost Brashear his career and his life. Brashear's left leg was amputated below the knee, a crippling debilitation for anyone but worse for a man whose dream was to be a master diver in the finest Navy in the world. He refused to give up.

In 1967, Brashear became the first Navy diver to be restored to full active duty as an amputee, and his focus returned to the sea. By March 1968, he was back to work at the NAS Norfolk where he served as the lead diver.

In June 1970, less than 4 years after the accident, Carl Brashear made history again. He became the first African-American to be certified as a master diver in the United States Navy and the only amputee deep-sea diver to ever achieve that status. Brashear would also go on to become the first black man to ever become Master Diver of the U.S. Navy, a position he held from 1975 to 1977. Brashear retired from the Navy in 1979 after 31 years of devoted service.

``Carl, a man with such humble beginnings, has touched so many people,'' said retired Master Diver J. Lamont King--the fifth black American in history to earn the title. ``He represented African- Americans. He represented people with disabilities. He represented the United States Navy. He represented veterans. He was the best of the best of what was truly American.'' For many, Carl's courage broke barriers and helped changed attitudes, but his legacy is not that of an amputee or of an African-American but rather of a seaman who overcame disability and racial prejudices to join a long blue line of American heroes.

As the Command Master Chief of NAB Little Creek Hakim Diaz remarked, ``We pay tribute to a seaman, a Sailor in whose chest beat the most valiant heart of all.'' MCBM Brashear's son, Phillip Brashear, an Army chief warrant officer 4, said it best, ``He taught people world-wide that your race, your gender, your religion, none of that makes any difference. You can achieve your goals, you can be held accountable to your characteristics as a person, not by the color of your skin.''

Countless stories of MCBM Brashear's bravery, determination, courage and friendship show that he was more than a man with a dream; he was a sailor whose skill and dedication make him a hero. Brashear was the recipient of multiple awards and commendations including the Navy Commendation Medal, Navy Achievement Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Navy and Marine Corps Medal, Navy Occupation Service Medal and the Presidential Unit Citation.

Nearly 800 people gathered last week to honor MCBM Brashear as he was memorialized. To their words I can add only that through the actions of Master Chief Carl Brashear, we are a better nation today. Without the resolve of sailors like Carl Brashear, a man whose boundless determination inspired every walk of life, our country and its people could never truly understand dedication and sacrifice.