Floor Statements

When I arrived off Afghanistan in charge of an aircraft carrier battle group, I knew as an admiral that a certain percentage of that carrier battle group in combat was gay. I always wondered how one could come home and say they don't deserve equal rights.

I respect the differing opinion. It was 5,000 sailors on that aircraft carrier that I commanded. Their average age is 19\1/2\, and they just don't care. I honestly believe that when those who you are supposed to be leading are actually ahead of the leaders, leaders lose credibility.

I joined up during Vietnam. We were having race riots on our aircraft carriers then. We worked through that. That night off Afghanistan when I first arrived, we had never had women pilots. I put up one woman with seven men. She was the one that disobeyed

my orders and dove without permission and saved four Special Forces.

My point is we don't do this just for equality. We do it because we want the best of all, whether it is race, whether it is gender, or sexual orientation. That is why I support the repeal of Don't Ask, Don't Tell.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to congratulate Dr. Anthony Di Stefano, the 2010 recipient of the Distinguished Service Award from the Vision Care Section of the American Public Health Association. Dr. Di Stefano has dedicated his life to educating others, as is evident by his impressive academic resume and his professorship at Salus University in Elkins Park, Pennsylvania. Dr. Di Stefano recognized a need for vision care in rural and urban areas and addressed it by serving on the Helen Keller Worldwide Medical Advisory Board. Helen Keller once said, ``Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much.'' Dr. Di Stefano heeds Ms. Keller's advice and spends countless hours working for children not only in the United States, but all across the world though his participation in the development of international optometric educational programs. Now, because of Dr. Di Stefano, countless children have access to the vision care denied to them for so long.

Madam Speaker, I ask that we recognize and show our strong appreciation for Dr. Di Stefano and Salus University and his remarkable leadership and commitment to public health.

Madam Speaker, I rise to honor Pathways PA which this year celebrates 32 years of service to low-income women, children and families in the Greater Philadelphia area by helping them achieve economic independence and well-being. In these times of extraordinary economic hardship, this organization had stood tall to better equip disadvantaged families with the skills and tools needed to succeed in the workplace and create a safe and secure home.

This dedicated group also offers job skills program wherein participants receive career counseling, computer and job training, and job placement services. For those transitioning from temporary assistance programs to the workforce, Pathways PA's EARN Center offers free services and incentives to prospective employers and employees. In addition to offering General Adult Education and Adult GED classes, Pathways PA is also a founding member of Families That Work, an organization that offers adult literacy classes.

In addition to offering support and services, Pathways PA also publishes reports on issues important to Pennsylvanians such as Self- Sufficiency Standard for Pennsylvania, Ready to Compete? Pennsylvania's Community Colleges, and Elder Economic Security Initiative for Pennsylvania. These reports help raise awareness about issues that are imperative to the well-being and success of working families throughout the Greater Philadelphia region.

This superbly led organization provides invaluable services to more than 6,000 displaced and disadvantaged families in Southeastern Pennsylvania every year. They provide a prescription drug discount program, which offers discounts of up to 85%, to help people who don't have prescription drug coverage or who take prescription drugs not covered by their insurer.

The work that Pathways PA has dedicated 32 years to is absolutely vital and ensures that all Pennsylvanians have the opportunity to become self-sufficient. I speak for all residents of the Seventh Congressional District of Pennsylvania in thanking Carol Goertzel, President and CEO, and the remarkable staff of Pathways PA for their unyielding and compassionate dedication to helping working families in Southeastern Pennsylvania.

Madam Speaker, I rise to recognize the 100th Anniversary of the Naval Surface Warfare Center, Carderock Division--Ship System Engineering Station, NSWCCD-SSES, at the Philadelphia Naval Business Center. Since 1910, when Secretary of the Navy Beekman Winthrop authorized the first funding be directed to what is now the Ship Systems Engineering Station, SSES, that organization has served our community, Navy and nation with great distinction.

Today, SSES executes a budget of over $380 million and employs 1,600 engineers, scientists, technicians and support personnel. That workforce reflects the hard working, industrious nature of dedicated patriotic Americans throughout the Delaware Valley. The results of their labor are a stronger nation and safer world. With the singular purpose of sending USN Bluejackets to sea with the best possible equipment, this proud organization, under the leadership of Rear Admiral Jim Shannon, Captain Alexander Desroches and Patricia Woody maintains a covenant between our citizens and Sailors. It guarantees that our Navy will always be better designed, built and maintained than any other in the world. In conflicts for a century, our Navy has sailed into harms way with a quantitative advantage in readiness that is the result of those talented, dedicated professionals of SSES Philadelphia and their 54,000 colleagues of the Naval Sea Systems Command, NAVSEA, located in 34 cities across the United States and Asia. Together they help fulfill the vision of General George Washington, who wrote to Marquis De Lafayette nearly two hundred thirty years ago, ``It follows that as certain as the night succeeds the day that without a decisive naval force we can do nothing definitive, and with it everything honorable and glorious.''

As NAVSEA and NSWCCD-SSES work today to support our naval forces in two conflicts, it is my honor to join all the good citizens of the 7th Congressional District of Pennsylvania and Americans throughout this great nation in recognizing their 100 years of excellence in naval engineering and wish them another century of continued success in every endeavor.

Madam Speaker, today, it is my honor to recognize Edwin and Alma Lakin for their outstanding work to support Holocaust and genocide education initiatives, locally and nationally, through the Pennsylvania Holocaust Education Council.

This remarkable couple's consistent advocacy for a Holocaust Library and Resource Center at Albright College, as well as their fundraising efforts on behalf of the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum, the Lakin Early Education Center, the Jewish Federation of Reading, and innumerous humanitarian projects worldwide, reflects their commitment to remembering mankind's darkest hour. If we do not, we may allow these unspeakable horrors to be repeated.

In the words of Nobel Peace Prize Winner Elie Wiesel, ``Mankind must remember that peace is not God's gift to his creatures; peace is our gift to each other.'' The Lakins' perseverance in honoring the victims of the Holocaust and their exemplary efforts to bring out the best in us all is essential to achieving that peace.

I join good people everywhere in commending Edwin and Alma's vigilance against hatred and tyranny. We should all be so strong.

Madam Speaker, on September 26th, 2010, in Springfield, Pennsylvania a ceremony marked the 50th anniversary of the Don Guanella Village. It is my personal honor to join the good people of Pennsylvania's 7th Congressional District in celebrating that event. The Blessed Luigi Guanella, founder of the Servants of Charity, said ``it is not human beings who erect charitable institutions and feed the poor. Providence does all.'' That sense of faith and humility has always been the hallmark of one of the most capable and caring organizations in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and our Nation.

My first hand knowledge of the good works performed at Don Guanella Village dates from my days as a student at Cardinal O'Hara High School over forty years ago. Then and now the staff at Don Guanella Village have been personal heroes to me and thousands of others throughout the Greater Delaware Valley. Every day of the year those remarkable men and women offer around the clock care to some of our society's most vulnerable souls. In so doing, they offer the residents and their families peace of mind they would not otherwise find.

A nation is not measured by how it cares for those blessed with health, wealth, and position. It is measured by how it cares for those challenged by a variety circumstances beyond their control. I ask that every member of this chamber pause and thank Superior General Alfonso Crippa and everyone who contributes to the vital work of Don Guanella Village. It is their countless acts of charity and goodness that help make ours a great nation under God.

Madam Speaker, on September 24th, 2010, in Reading, Pennsylvania, a ceremony marked the 22nd anniversary of that proud community's Vietnam Memorial. It is my personal honor to join the Vietnam Veterans of America (VVA), Reading, PA Chapter in celebrating that event. The author Myra MacPherson wrote that ``above all, Vietnam was a war that asked everything of a few and nothing of most in America.'' When called, many young Americans went abroad to fight for our Nation--just as their fathers did before them. Sadly, the sacrifices they made in Southeast Asia were not reciprocated by our government or the American public. They returned to a nation wracked by recession and without the medical care, counseling, educational opportunities or public support they deserved.

That outrageous neglect persisted for over thirty years as a grossly underfunded Department of Veterans Affairs was unable to meet their needs. As a result, courageous men and women suffered alone for years with the debilitating illnesses associated with exposure to Agent Orange and other physical and emotional maladies unique to that war. The fight to right those wrongs was led by the VVA, and as the senior most veteran ever elected to the House of Representatives, it has been my solemn duty in Congress to see that our Vietnam veterans receive the recognition and resources that belatedly fulfill our obligation to them and their families for their service to a now grateful Nation.

The 110th and 111th Congresses have worked very hard in that regard but more needs to be done. Madam Speaker, I ask that this chamber pause to acknowledge the patriotism, courage, and fraternity of the VVA and salute every veteran of the Vietnam War. With our nation again at war, let us continue our work to finally, fully support veterans of all conflicts. And let us pledge to never again abandon a generation of brave American warriors.

Madam Speaker, today, a ceremony will take place in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania to honor one of our Nation's truly remarkable women, Eunice Kennedy Shriver, founder of Special Olympics and an American of unmatched energy, compassion, and vision.

Through her work to create Special Olympics, Eunice Kennedy Shriver offered untold numbers of Americans with intellectual disabilities the opportunity to participate in sports and social activities that helped transform their lives and ours. As anyone who has ever coached, ``buddied,'' or watched Special Olympians in competition can attest, all involved come away from that experience with a new found respect and admiration for the spirit of those athletes, their families, and Eunice Kennedy Shriver.

In the East Wing Rotunda of Pennsylvania's Capitol Building in Harrisburg, a portrait of Eunice Kennedy Shriver will be unveiled in a permanent place of honor to acknowledge her wonderful work and, to mark the 40th Anniversary of Special Olympics Pennsylvania (SOPA). Fittingly, the portrait will include the likeness of a Special Olympian, Loretta Claiborne.

In memory of Eunice Kennedy Shriver, the fourth Saturday of every September will forever be known as Eunice Kennedy Shriver Day. On that day we should all dedicate ourselves to love, justice, faith, hope, and courage--as she did--to the benefit of more than four million Special Olympic athletes, Best Buddies and millions more of their family members.

Madam Speaker, I ask that all Americans pause to reflect on the civic and spiritual greatness of Eunice Kennedy Shriver and acknowledge the outstanding work Special Olympics of Pennsylvania, under the leadership of Mr. Matthew Aaron. He, his staff, and thousands of wonderful volunteers carry on Pennsylvania's proud tradition of caring for some of our most special citizens in a manner that reflects the very best of Eunice Kennedy Shriver.

Madam Speaker, I rise to acknowledge the Main Line Chamber of Commerce and Devereux Foundation's selection of Irene Horstmann Hannan as recipient of the ``2010 Helena Devereux Women in Leadership Award.''

Helena Devereux once wrote ``The Devereux aim must always be to innovate and build programs so forward-looking that they will never reach completion--but which will perpetually pioneer in developing improved insights and solutions.'' Just as that philosophy shaped one of the world's great schools, so too Ms. Horstmann Hannan's financial acumen has helped build countless small businesses and non-profits through her current position as Senior Vice President of Citizens Bank. Also, as a board member of both Temple's Fox School of Business' Center for Entrepreneurship and the Women's Investment Network, she supports the education of our next generation of women entrepreneurs. Finally, her service on the board of the Girl Scouts of Eastern Pennsylvania provides over 41,000 young women and girls of our region an outstanding example of everything that is right in our country.

As a father of a young daughter, I am an enthusiastic admirer of her work. Her remarkable range of influence on young girls, graduate students, and successful business women is impressive in every sense. Few can claim to be as important a mentor and counselor across three generations of women.

Irene Horstmann Hannan embodies the inspirational spirit, passion, and determination of Helena Devereux. She has worked tirelessly to make our community more caring, prosperous and enlightened. I join all the good people of the 7th Congressional District of Pennsylvania, in saluting this extraordinary leader and deserving recipient of the ``2010 Helena Devereux Women in Leadership Award.''

Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the tradition of dedicated care upheld by Taylor Hospital of the Crozer-Keystone Health System and located in Ridley, Pennsylvania. This year, Taylor Hospital celebrates a significant milestone of 100 years of service to the residents of the 7th Congressional District of Pennsylvania. On February 10, 1910, Horace Furness Taylor, M.D. and his wife, Katherine Manly Taylor, R.N., opened their Ridley Park home as a 10-bed hospital for local residents. On May 21st, the couple received a charter for their newly founded, medical institution ``for medical and surgical treatment of the sick and injured . . .'' Over the past 100 years, Taylor Hospital has continued to offer personal care to each patient, while remaining at the forefront of medical advancement. Its intimate size and the unwavering spirit of devotion embodied by the doctors, nurses, and hospital staff allow Taylor the unique ability to give each patient a highly individualized experience. Taylor employees develop relationships of trust with patients and have created a true partnership with local communities. Residents of this region do not have to travel beyond their own neighborhood to receive the finest healthcare. Directed at its founding by Dr. Horace Furness Taylor, and now by current president, Diane Miller, Taylor Hospital remains committed to excellence.

Today, Taylor continues to improve and expand upon its medical practice, and currently offers a variety of inpatient and outpatient services some of which include cardiovascular care, medical imaging, and orthopedic care. This institution has various specialty services including a Joint Commission Certified Primary Stroke Center, and the oldest nationally accredited sleep center in the Greater Delaware Valley of Pennsylvania. Additionally, 30 years ago, Taylor opened one of the region's first inpatient Rehabilitation Units. Taylor Hospital proves to be a leader in medical services in this region of Pennsylvania.

Madam Speaker, I ask that we recognize and show our strong appreciation for a truly historic and trusted institution of outstanding and comprehensive medical care to the communities of the 7th Congressional District of Pennsylvania, Taylor Hospital.

Madam Speaker, since assuming office in January 2007, I have had the privilege of working with the Blue Star Mothers of Greater Philadelphia. That group has been in the forefront of countless efforts to support our troops engaged in two protracted conflicts. Though the ``all volunteer force'' has provided our nation with the most capable and powerful military in our history, it has also shifted the burden of waging those conflicts to a decreasing percentage of our overall population. As a result, the vast majority of Americans benefit from the security wrought by the sacrifice of relatively few families. In the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, we are blessed by the work of Marian Moran of Media, PA who leads the Philadelphia Chapter, Laurie Menges of Hanover who leads the South Central Pennsylvania Chapter, Laura Zazworsky of Camp Hill, President of the Central Pennsylvania Chapter, and Sue Donaldson of Easton PA, President of the Lehigh Valley Chapter.

For our families with serving members of the military, it has always been the case that the greatest emotional toll of sending our sons and daughters to war is borne by our nation's mothers. Since 1943, the Blue Star Mothers of America (BSMA) have stepped forward to offer support, counsel and advocacy on behalf of their children and one another. In addition to the thousands of phone calls, letters, and emails of support that flow daily between BSMA members, they are actively engaged in policy making at the highest level. Their support for H.R. 2647, ``National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2010'', which directs states to provide both electronic and mail absentee ballots in a timely fashion, is helping to right a long-standing wrong in the provision of absentee ballots for serving members of our military. For years, our men and women in uniform have been denied their vote by inefficient and often indifferent bureaucracies at the local, state, and federal levels. The BSMA is also a tireless morale builder for our troops, providing 'care packages' from home, that not only nourish them but offer essential items to mitigate the extremely harsh climates in Iraq and Afghanistan. Most noteworthy is how Blue Star Mothers rally to the side of their sister Gold Star Mothers. When a Blue Star turns to Gold our entire nation mourns. But for the Blue Star Mothers that tragedy is their call to arms. An old Spanish proverb holds that ``An ounce of mother is worth a pound of clergy.'' Certainly it is a fellow mother who is best qualified to offer comfort when a child has been lost in service to our nation. For over sixty seven years, the Blue Star Mothers have been there for their children, one another, their Gold Star sisters, and our nation.

As the Blue Star Mothers of America gather in Grand Junction, Colorado for their National Convention under the leadership of President Wendy Hoffman, I request that all Americans

acknowledge the maternal love, patriotism, and courage that distinguish that remarkable organization. Our entire nation has reason to be grateful for their service.

Madam Speaker, on the occasion of his retirement from the School of Law at Widener University, it gives me great pleasure to acknowledge the achievements and contributions of the talented and altruistic public servant, author, professor, warrior, and history buff Professor Thomas J. Reed, J.D. A

2nd Lieutenant of the U.S. Marine Corps awarded the Air Medal for his efforts in the Dominican Republic in 1965, and loved father of Heather and wife of Emily, Tom certainly deserves our praise.

Throughout Professor Reed's career, he has shown the greatest respect for public service. He has served in our nation's military, worked as a Reporter to the Delaware Supreme Court for the Delaware Appellate Handbook and the Supreme Court for revisions to the Delaware Uniform Rules of Evidence, worked for and served as the President of the Civil War Round Table of Wilmington, Delaware, and was instrumental in the establishment of the Widener University Veterans Law Clinic, which specializes in representing those Veterans without the means to mount a challenge to unfair decisions rendered by the VA.

In addition to his noteworthy service to many venerable organizations of our nation, Professor Thomas Reed has spent 29 years of his life educating generations of prospective lawyers at the Widener University School of Law in effective and innovative ways. His play, entitled Delaware: A State Divided is an excellent learning device for school- age children, and he has recently filmed a short piece to introduce law students to the intricacies and challenges associated with trials.

Professor Reed has worked extensively with my office to defend the rights of our heroes who fight for our freedom day in and day out. His innovative ideas on merging Department of Defense and Veterans Administration records to permit the seamless flow of information between those two organizations could dramatically improve the delivery of cost-effective medical care to Veterans. Professor Reed also was recently recognized by the Taischoff Advocacy, Technology, and Public Service Institute as the first Taischoff Professor of Law upon the organization's creation in 2008.

As our nation struggles on so many fronts--suffering the most severe economic woes in decades and fighting multiple wars abroad--it is important to remember the successes achieved by our constituents in our communities every single day. I am truly honored to offer this recognition to Professor Thomas J. Reed, and I wish him well in his retirement.

Madam Speaker, I rise before you to honor Director Richard S. Citron on his retirement from the post of Director of the Philadelphia Veterans Affairs Medical Center.

Mr. Richard S. Citron was appointed Director of the Philadelphia Veterans Affairs Medical Center in August 2007. The Philadelphia VAMC is a tertiary care facility for the eastern half of VA Healthcare--VISN 4, providing care to 60,000 Veterans in America's sixth largest metropolitan area including the city of Philadelphia and surrounding six counties in Pennsylvania and New Jersey. He has led more than 2,000 dedicated staff working at the main campus in West Philadelphia and community-based outpatient clinics in Fort Dix, NJ, Gloucester County, NJ, Camden, NJ, Center City Philadelphia, and Horsham, PA (the Victor J. Saracini Community Based Outpatient Clinic). Philadelphia VAMC operates 140 inpatient beds and a 135-bed nursing home known as the Philadelphia Veterans Community Living Center.

Mr. Citron has 38 years of VA healthcare experience, beginning in 1971 at Long Beach, CA. He has since served at medical centers in Newington, Loma Linda, Richmond, Brockton/West Roxbury, and VA Central Office. Mr. Citron served as Assistant Director of the VA Medical Center (University Drive) in Pittsburgh, as Acting Director of medical centers in Murfreesboro and Cleveland, and Director of the Jesse Brown VA Medical Center in Chicago. Prior to arriving in Philadelphia, Mr. Citron was Director of the Wilmington, DE, VA Medical Center.

Mr. Citron served in the US Army from 1968 to 1971, including one year at a MASH hospital in Chu Lai, Vietnam. He holds a bachelor's degree in Economics from the College of William and Mary and a master's degree in Public Administration from the University of Southern California. He is also a Fellow in the American College of Healthcare Executives (FACHE).

Madam Speaker, I ask you to join me in honoring Director Citron for his commitment to ensuring the well-being of our nation's Veterans.

Madam Speaker, I would like to honor Captain Stanley DeGeus on his retirement from the United States Navy, which he has faithfully served for over three decades.

Captain Stanley Vincent DeGeus is a native of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and a 1979 graduate of Villanova University. At Villanova, he earned a Bachelor of Science in Biology and was commissioned an Ensign through the Naval Reserve Officer Training Corps Program.

Following commissioning, Captain DeGeus completed Division Officer tours as Administrative Officer, Second Division Officer, and Combat Information Center/Missile Officer in USS SEATTLE (AOE 3) from November 1979 to May 1983. His first shore assignment was Commissioning Crew and Navigation/Naval Operations Instructor at the Naval Reserve Officer Training Corps Program at Boston University. While at Boston University, he received his Master's Degree in Biology in January 1986.

Captain DeGeus' subsequent afloat duty included assignment as Executive Officer in USS IMPLICIT (MSO 455) from October 1986 to November 1987 and as Executive Officer in USS ENHANCE (MSO 437) during mine countermeasure operations in the Persian Gulf. He then served as Operations Officer in USS CROMMELIN (FFG 37) from June 1988 to December 1989. Captain DeGeus served as Commissioning Commanding Officer in USS CHAMPION (MCM 4) from May 1990 to September 1992.

Following a year of study at the Naval War College, where he received a Master's Degree in National Security and Strategic Studies, he completed a three-year tour of duty as an instructor in the Command Training Department at Surface Warfare Officers School Command in Newport, Rhode Island. From May 1997 to November 1998, Captain DeGeus served as Commanding Officer in USS BONHOMME RICHARD (LHD 6) from September 2001 to February 2003. USS BONHOMME RICHARD deployed for both Operation Enduring Freedom (67 combat sorties) and Operation Iraqi Freedom during his tenure in support of the Global War on Terrorism. Following a tour of duty as a Strategy and Alignment Branch Head in OPNAV 76 and as Sea Shield Pillar Lead in OPNAV 70, Captain DeGeus reported as Commander, Surface Warfare Development Group in May 2005.

Captain DeGeus' medals and decorations include two Legion of Merit awards, the Defense Meritorious Service Medal, three Meritorious Service Medals, two Navy Commendation Medals, and four Navy Achievement awards. Most impressive is that he was able to lead a highly successful career in the Navy all while raising his three remarkable children-- Juliane Catherine, Case James, and Cory--with his wife, Barbara Jean Mellon of Freehold, New Jersey.

Madam Speaker, I was stationed at the Pentagon when 9/11 happened. A few months later, I was on the ground in Afghanistan as head of the Navy's anti-terrorism unit for a short mission. I watched as the Taliban and al Qaeda flowed across that border over to Pakistan. And then came that tragic misadventure in Iraq. We took that edifice of security of our Special Forces and others and placed them in that country. And what we might have done to truly have better won this global war of terror with the other elements of power, such as fix the illiteracy rate of women in Afghanistan, which is 98 percent, never occurred.

I support the President's policies not because of Afghanistan--it has spiraled too far downward to try to resurrect what we once might have done--but because of Pakistan, the most dangerous place in the world.

It should have sent chills down everybody's back when General Hayden, 3 years ago, said al Qaeda now has a safe haven in Pakistan where we cannot go, several hundred of those criminals there to plan safely against us.

I support the President's policy because, as General Gates said in a closed hearing in December, we need to seal that border. So as Pakistan, once united now again with us, moves to North Waziristan through the Taliban on its side of the border to eradicate the danger to us, the safe haven of al Qaeda, that they do not flow back over into Afghanistan whence Pakistan, who created the Taliban, might once again spread its bets.

If Pakistan becomes a failed state and al Qaeda remains, we may get out the nuclear weapons. But there are 2,000 nuclear-trained scientists in that nation who have access to the radiological material and the knowledge in a failed state potentially controlled by the Taliban and al Qaeda that endangers us.

I support this President's policy in a limited window of opportunity to help Pakistan eradicate, yes, the danger to them, but to us, that al Qaeda.

I strongly do believe that this President still needs to provide this Nation something, however, and that is what he promised us a year ago, and that was an exit strategy. Every warrior knows that when you go into battle, you have an exit strategy, which is merely benchmarks by which you measure success or failure. And if success succeeds, exit, and if the costs of failure become greater than success, exit to an alternative strategy. I believe that needs to be provided to this

Nation who, after 7 or 8 years of war, deserves to see how its national treasure is being used and if it is being successful.

But as I end, to my colleague from Ohio, I served for 31 years with the wonderful men and women of this Nation.

And I will always remember what the former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said when asked about these debates here: Our men and women in the military are wise enough to know, this is your sacred duty here in the Halls of Congress, to have a debate about the use of their lives. When I led them into war, I would hope my lawmakers would have that debate if we were being used wisely.

So I thank you for bringing forward this debate, although I oppose the resolution.