Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize Sister Sheila Lyne, RSM, who is retiring after decades of service to Mercy Hospital. She is a recognized leader in the effort to improve the health and wellness of the residents of the city of Chicago.

Sister Sheila was born and raised on the South side of Chicago. She got her MBA from the University of Chicago, and joined the community of Sisters of Mercy in 1953. After earning her Psychiatric Nursing degree, she began her tenure at Mercy Hospital & Medical Center in 1970. In 1976, Sister Sheila assumed the role of President and CEO at Mercy.

In 1991, Sister Sheila was appointed by Mayor Richard M. Daley as Commissioner of Public Health for the City of Chicago. Under her leadership as Commissioner of Public Health, the city saw the infant mortality rate decrease by 6% and immunization rates rise to 73% from 27%.

In 2000, she returned to Mercy to resume her former role of President and CEO and face a challenging turnaround effort. Each year over the past 12 years, Mercy has made significant strides forward in serving our community, and now boasts a nationally-recognized Heart & Vascular Center, one of the city's few Certified Stroke Centers, eleven medical satellite centers, and a completely state-of-the-art digital Breast Care Center, all under Sister Sheila's distinguished and direct leadership.

Sister Sheila has been a leading voice for quality health for all people and an inspiration

to those of us working to shape policy in a humane and comprehensive way.

Yes, I would just like to ask a question:

Are there any Republican women on the House Judiciary Committee, which reported this legislation? And do you think it's fair or proper for a body of men to solely determine one of the most important and private decisions a woman can make in regard to her own health and body?

Mr. Speaker, I rise to tell my colleagues about one of my constituents, Heriberto Leon, who wrote recently to explain the real-life consequences of the sequester, for him and for our country.

Mr. Leon is not asking Congress for much--he simply wants to be able to do his job as an EPA community involvement coordinator, helping to improve access to clean air and clean water for communities in the Chicagoland area.

My constituent spends his day providing information to communities that are dealing with well water contamination from benzene. He is working to address the environmental and health consequences of pollution, effects that are particularly harmful to children and older Americans. He obviously enjoys his work and he is making a real contribution.

Mr. Leon is not trying to enrich himself--in fact, he took a $20,000 pay cut when he took his EPA job in 2010 and has been living with a three-year pay freeze. It is clear to me that, like so many Federal workers, he is committed to serving the public. And, like so many Federal workers, he cannot understand why he is unable to do his job and is being asked to take an additional personal, financial hit because of the sequester.

Mr. Leon is being asked to take 13 furlough days, because of the arbitrary and harsh impacts of the across-the-board sequester cuts. That's about a $4,000--11% pay cut. We need people like Heriberto Leon at EPA, and I worry how we will be able to attract and retain dedicated Federal workers when they are faced with furloughs and budget cuts that prevent them from fulfilling their mission and impose serious financial hardships on them.

I hope that my colleagues will take the time to read Mr. Leon's full letter and that, after doing so, you will join me in supporting H.R. 900, the Cancel the Sequester Act. Our constituents are counting on us to act now.

Letter From Heriberto Leon

Re Furlough Imposed on U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

Employees.

Dear Representative Schakowsky: It is with much frustration

and heartbreak that I write to you this letter to urge you to

continue efforts to end the sequester and its impact on

working class public employees such as myself.

Today is my second furlough day since the sequester began

earlier this year. Because I'm not at work today, I am unable

to attend to Americans struggling with the impact of soil,

water and air pollution in their communities. As a community

involvement coordinator in EPA's Region 5 office, I translate

to Spanish EPA information for Chicago neighborhoods like

Pilsen and Little Village and help explain to residents in

Wedron, IL how the Superfund Law and the Clean Drinking Water

Act each will help the EPA address the benzene contamination

in their well water. I have similar assignments with

communities facing contaminated sites throughout the Great

Lakes states of Ohio, Michigan, Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin,

and Minnesota. My workload is sufficient to keep me busy many

hours beyond my regular work hours, which many times I am

happy to offer because I love to contribute to citizens who

are victims of industrial pollution. Instead I'm asked to not

show up to work so that my salary can be used to save money

for a made-up fiscal crisis.

According to EPA's announcement earlier this year I have a

total of 13 furlough days between April and September, the

end of the fiscal year. That means a pay-cut of nearly $4000,

or 11% of my salary between now and September. That amount is

almost what I will need in August to pay the second

installment of my Cook County real estate tax bill! Shall I

sell my house and move out of Cook County or Illinois

altogether?

Congresswoman Schakowsky, I gladly took a pay cut of 20K to

come to work for the federal government in 2010 as I

understood that I would be able to progress through the

federal employment step and grade system. However, that same

year a now three-year-old pay freeze was imposed on

government workers.

I have had many employers in my work-life from institutions

of higher learning such as Loyola University Chicago to

private contractors for the Chicago Housing Authority. Never

have I experienced the utter disregard and insulting

treatment I feel from my employer, the Government of the

United States

of America, and the politicians responsible for its policies.

The most demeaning day for me was just a few days ago when my

supervisor ordered me to fill out EPA's ``Request for Leave''

form to ``request'' my own furlough days. This sequestration

was never supposed to happen. It is unfair and unreasonable.

But it has happened anyway.

I am happy that Air Traffic workers and other co-workers

throughout the federal government have by now been exempted

from furloughs. It pains me terribly that no similar

consideration is expressed for those of us who are charged

with caring for the environmental, economic, health, housing

and other equally important concerns of the American people.

Finally, I would like to thank your staff for listening to

me and submit this letter for your consideration.

Sincerely,

Heriberto Leon.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of efforts to fight sexual assault in the military. Sexual assault and rape are violent and horrific crimes, and they must be treated as serious offense, not--as Senator Saxby Chambliss of Georgia has suggested--as a byproduct of ``hormones.''

According to Pentagon estimates, last year, over 70 service women and men were sexually assaulted every single day. The Department of Defense estimates that 26,000 sexual assaults occurred last year, an increase from the estimated 19,300 assaults in 2010. Yet only a fraction of those crimes are referred to courts martial.

We face an epidemic of sexual assault in the military. Because of a culture of intimidation and retaliation against victims, coupled with the low rate of prosecution and punishment, the vast majority of these crimes go unreported. In some instances, the victim seeks help but opts not to file a formal complaint.

The men and women of the armed services risk their lives to defend our country. Our military is built on the values of trust, discipline, and respect.

Despite growing discussion and awareness of the fact that sexual assault has become entrenched in our military culture, we've seen limited progress toward a solution. That's why I am proud to support provisions in the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) that make progress toward combating military sexual assault. As currently written, the NDAA strips commanders of their ability to dismiss court martial convictions for serious offenders, and it prohibits commanders from reducing guilty findings for serious offenses. The NDAA requires that servicemembers found guilty of rape or sexual assault be punitively discharged from the military.

Among other provisions, the Defense Authorization bill we're considering today also lays out the rights of victims. It allows them to apply for a permanent change of station or unit transfer, ensuring they are not forced to continue to serve next to their assaulter.

However, I believe we need to go further. I am a cosponsor of Congresswoman Jackie Speier's legislation H.R. 1593, the Sexual Assault Training Oversight and Prevention (STOP) Act. The STOP Act would take the reporting, oversight, investigation and victim care of sexual assaults out of the hands of the military's normal chain of command and place jurisdiction in the newly-created, autonomous Sexual Assault Oversight and Response Office comprised of civilian and military experts.

In addition to the STOP Act, Congresswoman Speier has introduced an amendment--which I am proud to cosponsor--to the Defense Authorization bill taking the decision-making of whether to prosecute out of the chain of command and give discretion to trained prosecutors.

Mr. Speaker, service women and men who survive sexual violence should not have to choose between their careers and justice. They should not be afraid to report crimes perpetrated against them, and they should not face intimidation when seeking treatment and other services. I strongly believe we need to take action now to fundamentally change the way sexual assault is handled in the military by passing legislation to prevent and punish sexual assault and rape.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to express my congratulations to Representative John Dingell for his remarkable career and service to our country.

Last week, he celebrated an accomplishment that--like Joe DiMaggio's hitting streak--is likely never to be broken. Last week, John Dingell served his 21,000 day in the House of Representatives--and he is now the longest-serving member in the history of Congress. Not one of us in the House today has served a single day without having John Dingell as a colleague.

His influence goes far beyond his longevity. When I came to Congress in 1999, my goal was to join the Energy and Commerce Committee, a committee that John Dingell chaired, shaped and made into a powerful force. He has helped to enact some of the most important laws of our time--from the Civil Rights Act to the Clean Air and Clean Water Acts to Medicare and the Affordable Care Act. He is a champion of working people and a believer in the American Dream--creating opportunity for all.

Countless members of Congress have learned valuable lessons from John Dingell. One of the most valuable lessons I learned from Congressman Dingell was how to question witnesses appearing before the Committee. He fights tirelessly to represent his district and his constituents. He has mentored generations of high-quality and devoted staffers. He has taught us that our job is not just about legislating, but about oversight--and he is known for his skills in both areas. His efforts have helped millions and have resulted in a more effective and accountable government for the American people.

I am grateful to have John Dingell as a friend and a colleague. I congratulate him on all that he has accomplished, and I wish him and his extraordinary wife Deborah all the best as he continues to serve the 12th Congressional District of Michigan and the nation.

Madam Chair, I rise in support of the Schakowsky/ Miller amendment, included in this en bloc. I want to thank the Chairman and the Ranking Member of the Armed Services Committee for including this amendment.

Last November, the world was shocked by a horrific fire at Bangladesh's Tazreen Fashions garment factory. 112 workers were killed in the blaze; survivors recounted terrifying conditions, including locked exits and workers forced to jump from 4th story windows.

The Tazreen fire is far from an isolated incident. Many of Bangladesh's 4 million garment workers--most of whom are women--risk their lives every day they go to work in extremely unsafe factories. While governments and corporations alike have spoken of their dedication to improving conditions and protecting workers rights, the fact remains that many Bangladeshi garment factories are literally death traps.

In the rubble of the Tazreen fire, activists found evidence suggesting that, among other apparel, the factory produced products with Marine insignias. Photographs taken in the ashes of Tazreen show patterns and orders for sweatshirts and pants with the Marine Corps logo, the motto ``Semper Fi,'' and even the tagline ``The Few. The Proud.''

According to public data, the Army-Air Force Exchange imported some 124,000 pounds of garments last year from factories in Bangladesh.

Mr. Speaker, apparel made for our brave men and women in uniform should not be made in needlessly dangerous factories. Workers making clothing for our military exchanges shouldn't face daily threats of deadly fire, building collapse, and other preventable tragedies. They shouldn't be fired for refusing to work in unsafe conditions, nor should they be denied basic, internationally-recognized worker rights.

The Schakowsky/Miller would require that garments made in Bangladesh and sold at DoD base retail stores and exchanges comply with an enforceable fire and building safety accord. Specifically, the amendment would help the United States government save lives in Bangladesh by requiring that military exchanges which sell their own branded garments made in Bangladesh must join or abide by the conditions of the Accord on Fire and Building Safety in Bangladesh. It also states that military exchanges that license production of their own brands or sell at retail other branded garments shall provide a preference to vendors which are signatories to the Accord on Fire and Building Safety in Bangladesh.

The accord is a major improvement on non-binding and voluntary social compliance programs that have failed to protect workers from

mortal workplace dangers. The Accord has widespread support, and signatories include fifty major global apparel companies and retailers (including U.S. companies Abercrombie & Fitch, Sean John Apparel, and PVH Corporation). It has also received the support of civil society and international organizations, including the European Parliament, the United Nations, and the International Labour Organization.

The military exchanges should represent the best of American values-- including those of fairness, justice, and commitment to human rights. This amendment is an important step toward ensuring that the United States military commissaries and exchanges are not unintentionally supporting abuses against garment workers in Bangladesh.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to congratulate Michael Rosen as he receives the inaugural Patient Impact Legacy Award from the Cures Within Reach Foundation for his work in the BioSciences over the last 30 years.

Michael Rosen has been chosen to receive this inaugural Legacy Award based on his leadership and involvement in the BioScience industry and his interest in the betterment of the regional community. Currently the Senior Vice President of the Forest City Science + Technology Group, Rosen is responsible for developing marketing strategies for Forest City's biotech projects across the United States and serves as their liaison to the life science industry developing relationships with clients and major research universities. Forest City Science + Technology Group is one of the country's leading developers & owners of science parks associated with leading research-based universities. He is also a founding member, current board member and former vice- chairman of IBIO, the Illinois Biotechnology Industry Organization, and chairman of its predecessor organization. Prior to Forest City, Mr. Rosen spent 32 years as an executive in the pharmaceutical, biotech and medical device industries in the U.S. and abroad working in Europe, Asia and Latin America.

The Cures Within Reach Midwest BioScience Industry Campaign event will occur annually to celebrate both the industry in our region, and its commitment to life-changing solutions for patients. Cures Within Reach was founded in 2005 as a Chicago-based not-for-profit organization helping patients by repurposing FDA-approved drugs and devices to deliver fast, safe and affordable treatments for diseases and rare disorders that have insufficient or nonexistent therapies. Cures Within Reach has emerged as a leader in the repurposing revolution, working to transform patient lives through research that looks backward to move forward.

Past research has delivered seven treatments in use today in major disease areas and rare disorders including Multiple Sclerosis, Autoimmune Lymphoproliferative Syndrome, Lung Cancer, Prostate Cancer, and Familial Dysautonomia. Current research projects are in process at many select institutional partners, including The Mayo Clinic, the Seattle Children's Hospital, Rush University, The University of Chicago, Weill Cornell, and the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia.

I join others in the Chicago area in offering my deep gratitude for Michael's decades of work and lifelong commitment to patients and the bioscience that heals them, and to Cures Within Reach. I wish them well and ask this body to do the same on this momentous occasion.

Mr. Speaker, on June 10, 1963, President John F. Kennedy signed the bipartisan Equal Pay Act, which requires equal pay for equal work. A great idea, but 50 years later women earn 77 cents for every dollar men make--a yearly gap of over $11,000 between working men and women. Women of color earn even less.

Does anyone think that if this Congress were a majority of women, that this bill would still be stonewalled from even being debated in this House and by this Republican majority? We would debate the Paycheck Fairness Act right away.

Since most American families rely on women's wages, the pay gap means $11,000 less every year for their groceries, rent, and doctors' visits. And the effects last a lifetime, resulting in lower pensions and Social Security benefits.

Fifty years--a half a century--is far too long for women to wait for paycheck fairness. Here is a little warning: women may not be a majority here now, but we are a majority of voters.

Let's pass the Paycheck Fairness Act.

Mr. Chair, I move to strike the last word.

Mr. Chairman, I rise in strong support of Mr. Deutch and Mr. Foster's amendment.

I think it is absolutely astonishing. We can have a conversation about different people who are here undocumented and whether or not they ought to be in detention and whether or not they have a criminal record and whether they're a danger to our country, but to say that 34,000 beds have to be filled no matter what is so un-American. It's so un-American to say we're going to build X number of prison cells and then, no matter what the law says, we're going to fill them. We start with the need to fill the cell?

What the Deutch-Foster amendment would do would be to strike that mandate. It doesn't strike the idea that some people are going to be detained. It just strikes the idea that we have to fill what Janet Napolitano, who is the Homeland Security Secretary, just said is arbitrary. These mandated levels effectively mean that ICE, our immigration system, can't make detention decisions based on risk to our country, to our people, the various agency priorities. Its officers have to focus instead on filling daily quotas. And as a result, growing numbers of immigrants are held in detention. In fiscal year 2011 alone, ICE detained 429,000 people.

Let's talk about those people. Some of them are dangerous criminals, but most are not. Over half of the immigrants detained in 2009 and 2010 had zero criminal history. Of those who did, about 20 percent had only traffic violations. Only 11 percent of the detainees with felony convictions had committed violent crimes.

Included among those detained are victims of trafficking, families with small children, elderly individuals, individuals with serious medical and mental health conditions. Many of those detained have U.S. citizen children or spouses and deep ties to their American families and their communities. Many have potential claims for lawful status, but still are detained for months or even years. Some are even survivors of torture seeking asylum in the United States.

In my district, the Heartland Alliance Marjorie Kovler Center works with survivors of torture and emphasizes that placing these individuals in detention can be particularly traumatic, even replicating the feeling of vulnerability that they experienced during their torture.

And the irony is this: detaining large numbers of immigrants who have no criminal convictions, except immigration charges, does not make us safer. It's not necessary to enforce immigration law--we don't need it to enforce the immigration law--and it represents a major waste of taxpayer dollars. Each detainee costs the government around $164 a day to hold. I understand why the prison industry, the private prisons in particular, would love to see $164 and set this goal of detaining all these people every day.

So we should detain people because they pose a threat to our communities, not to meet congressionally mandated quotas. The criminal justice system does use a range of cheaper and effective custody options: electronic monitoring, house arrest. Alternatives to detention cost between 30 cents and $14 per individual per day, far less than our current spending on detention.

We're making real progress toward immigration reform. The Senate is considering language that would allow undocumented immigrants to come out of the shadows and earn the chance to pursue their American Dream.

Let me tell you, as a first-generation American, I find this policy so offensive to me, and my district is one of the most diverse in the country. To say we have to fill prison beds with these people, whether or not they're criminals, whether or not they pose harm to our country, this is not who we are as Americans. These provisions don't make us safer and they don't solve the immigration challenges we face. They are a waste of taxpayer money.

I urge support of the Deutch-Foster amendment in promoting real immigration reform and yield back the balance of my time.

Madam Chair, I rise today to express my strong support for funding veterans' programs. However, I am very concerned that this bill is part of a Republican budget that would shortchange other critical priorities--like education, nutrition and housing assistance, healthcare and medical research.

I voted in favor of H.R. 2216, the Military Construction--VA Appropriations bill for FY 2014 because I believe it is critical that we keep our promises to our veterans. Today's legislation provides $157.8 billion for veterans' programs and military construction in FY 2014, including the over $73 billion in advance appropriations for veterans' health care approved in last year's appropriations measure. It also contains $55.6 billion in advance FY 2015 funding for VA medical programs.

Among other critical priorities, it provides over $290 million to help the VA eliminate the disability claims backlog by 2015, including funding for the VA's paperless process claims system. It provides $344 million for the Pentagon and the VA to implement a joint integrated electronic health records system. These funds are critical: the VA has nearly

900,100 Pending disability claims and, of those, 72 percent have been pending for over 125 days. That is unacceptable; the backlog is causing serious hardships for veterans and families throughout our country, and it is imperative that we work with the VA to ensure that the backlog is eliminated and all claims are processed in a fair and timely manner.

While I am proud to support critical funding for those who served our nation, I have serious concerns about the implications this bill carries for the rest of the appropriations process. The Republican Budget sets the lowest cap on discretionary spending in a decade. Non- defense discretionary spending would be reduced even below the levels required under the sequester. Because of those limits, the adequate funding of this bill will result in inadequate funding of other spending bills down the line. Those other bills fund national priorities including education, nutrition and housing assistance, and programs to spur job growth. We cannot afford to abandon those important initiatives.

The White House warned, in its veto threat for this legislation, that enacting this bill ``while adhering to the overall spending limits in the House Budget's top line discretionary level for fiscal year (FY) 2014, would hurt our economy and require draconian cuts to middle-class priorities.'' I couldn't agree more. We need to set a realistic spending ceiling so that all of our national priorities receive adequate funding.

Mr. Chairman, we are privileged to be Members of the single legislative body in the entire world that has the greatest opportunity to actually address the biggest challenge humankind has ever faced: the warming of our tiny planet and the devastating consequences that will follow.

I'm not asking anyone to agree that humans are the cause. I'm only asking that, regardless of the cause, adding more carbon to the atmosphere does put our lifestyles and, ultimately, the lives of generations at peril. No one will view this notion as radical in the near future, and we will all be judged.

We can choose now to shift toward cleaner fuel sources that will make our country forever energy independent, or we can continue to leave American consumers subject to unpredictable oil prices and severe public health and climate change. Our atmosphere can only absorb about 565 gigatons more of carbon dioxide before global temperatures rise 2 degrees Celsius. If that happens, the planet faces catastrophic consequences. Keystone XL would push us toward that cliff.

TransCanada's application is to run a pipeline filled with the dirtiest oil through the middle of our country, refine it, and then export it on the world OPEC market. Even those who support the pipeline should agree to examine the consequences of its construction. This bill would prevent that from even happening.

I ask my colleagues to take your heads out of the tar sands and let's all work together to collaboratively address the crises that we face. We can meet our energy and environmental challenges together.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in opposition to the Patients' Rights Repeal Act.

Rather than more rhetoric, I challenge my Republican colleagues to explain to the American people why we should take away the benefits and protections that ObamaCare already provides and will provide; explain to the

125,000 young adults in Illinois that they have to get off their parents' policies, even if they're sick; explain to the 134,000 seniors in Illinois who have saved over $235 million on their prescription drugs why we need them to pay more for their drugs; and explain to the 1.4 million Illinoisans who will finally have the opportunity to obtain quality, dependable health insurance coverage--sorry, politics trumps expanding their access to health services.

I urge my colleagues to take a stand for the health of the American public. Vote ``no'' to the Patients' Rights Repeal Act.

Madam Speaker, are you kidding me? Taking food out of the mouths of hungry children--is that the reason that any of us would come to Congress? But that is exactly what the farm bill that's being considered today does. It takes food out of the mouths of hungry children.

Not only will 1 million children lose their SNAP funding--the money that puts food on the table--but 200,000 of them will also lose their school lunches. This in the richest country in the world? This in the name of deficit reduction? This in a country where already tens of millions of children go to sleep hungry?

There's not a district in this Nation, there's not a Member of Congress who doesn't have constituents who have to line up at a food pantry because otherwise they and their children would go to sleep hungry. This is the most incredibly mean-spirited piece of legislation.

I urge a ``no'' vote on the $20 billion cut in SNAP.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Mr. Calvin ``Cal'' Sutker, a political and community leader, a devoted family man, and a treasured friend to many.

Cal Sutker had an illustrious political career that included many elected and appointed leadership positions, beginning as a Trustee in the Village of Skokie from 1965 to 1969, where he helped pass one of the first Fair Housing Ordinances in the State of Illinois.

From 1985 to 1991, Mr. Sutker ably represented his community in the Illinois General Assembly as State Representative and went on to become Cook County Commissioner from 1994 to 2002. Mr. Sutker served as Niles Township Democratic Committeeman for 33 years, from 1973 to 2006. He also served as Chairman of the Illinois Democratic Party and as State Central Committeeman. He was a friend and supporter of many aspiring and serving elected officials, including me, for which I will always be grateful.

In addition to the many laws and ordinances that he authored that have made life better for the people of Illinois, Mr. Sutker has left an indelible physical legacy for our community. He was instrumental in bringing the Skokie Northshore Sculpture Park, the 2nd District Courthouse, and the Illinois Holocaust Museum to Skokie. In 2006, a Cook County Forest Preserve District grove was name for Cal Sutker.

Mr. Sutker was active in Jewish charitable causes, and a staunch support of NA'AMAT USA, in which his beloved wife Phyllis was a leader for many years. He enlisted in the United States Army in 1942, serving in Germany, France and Austria during World War II. He was in the battalion that first entered the Dachau concentration camp and liberated its prisoners, and spoke regularly to community and student groups about his experiences during the war.

He received his undergraduate and law degrees from the University of Chicago.

Calvin Sutker and his late wife Phyllis had four children--Edie Sue Sutker, a Skokie Trustee, Shelly Sutker-Dermer, a Circuit Court Judge in Skokie, Sharon McGowan, and Allen Sutker. He is also survived by his eight grandchildren, his sister Ada Rabinowitz, and his brother Irwin Sutker.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the enormous contributions of a true American patriot: Isabella Catherine Ingles (nee Hankel). Isabella has done a lot with her life: she is a wife, a mother, a grandmother, a World War II veteran, and so much more. She is a great example of what we call the ``greatest generation.''

Isabella was born in Chicago, Illinois, in 1921, and graduated from Senn High School. A few short years afterwards, the United States was attacked at Pearl Harbor and entered into World War II. Isabella felt the need to contribute to the war effort, and enlisted in the United States Navy in early 1944. After basic training, she attended the Control Tower Operator School, and graduated second in her class. Isabella was stationed in the Pacific Northwest, and spent the next two years working in the control tower at Naval Air Station Pasco, in Washington State. While stationed here, Isabella met her future husband, Roy Ingles, who was at the time serving as an Aviation Chief Machinist Mate, and had survived the sinking of the USS Lexington during the Battle of the Coral Sea.

Isabella left the Navy in 1946, having achieved the rank of Specialist (Control Tower Operator) First Class, and returned to her home in Chicago. Roy soon followed and the two were married on her birthday the next year.

Isabella Ingles has kept very busy in the years since. Settling in Des Plaines, Illinois, Isabella and Roy had two boys and two girls. Following in their parents' footsteps, both of her sons went on to serve, joining the United States Air Force. After raising her children, Isabella became a Certified Occupational Therapy Assistant, and worked with senior citizens in her local community as the Activities Director for a local assisted living facility. Since then, she has continued to contribute. Isabella is a long time volunteer all over our community: helping with the Des Plaines Self Help Closet & Pantry, visiting the local Veterans Administration hospital and volunteering for over six decades with the Women's Service League.

On behalf of myself and a grateful nation, I want to thank Isabella Catherine Ingles for all that she has done for our nation: for her service, her sacrifices, and for all the contributions she has made to our community. I want to welcome her, and all the other veterans participating in the ``Honor Flights'' to Washington, DC to visit the World War II Memorial.