Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I am indeed proud to introduce the LWCF Parity for Territories and D.C. Act, with the support of all six Members of the House representing our U.S. territories and the District of Columbia as original cosponsors.

Mr. Speaker, this bipartisan bill gives parity to Guam, the other territories, and D.C. in annual funding from the Federal Land and Water Conservation Fund.

Current law requires the territories and D.C. to split six ways a single State's annual LWCF allocation. This bill fixes this disparity by providing a full, State-equivalent share of Land and Water Conservation Fund funding for each territory and D.C. every year.

This additional funding is needed to improve our public parks, our outdoor sports fields, and our community open spaces on Guam and the other territories, especially as Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands rebuild from recent hurricanes.

So, Mr. Speaker, I encourage our colleagues to cosponsor this bipartisan legislation and support the LWCF parity for the territories and the District of Columbia.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to commend Dania E. Rodriguez for her 20 years of service with the Association of State and Territorial Solid Waste Management Officials (ASTSWMO).

Dania has been serving in the capacity of Executive Director of the Association of State and Territorial Waste Management Officials in Washington, D.C. since July 2013. She previously served as the Deputy Executive Director of ASTSWMO for six years. During her time at ASTSWMO, she served as the liaison between the states and numerous federal agencies to work on policy issues.

Dania keeps the ASTSWMO running smoothly by providing support to the ASTSWMO staff and Board of Directors. She manages the day-to-day operations to include the association's budget, cooperative agreements.

Dania graduated from Hood College in Frederick, Maryland where she received a B.A. in Political Science. She also holds an Executive Certificate in Nonprofit Management from the McCourt School of Public Policy at Georgetown University. She worked for the American Petroleum Institute before starting her career at ASTSWMO.

Dania has an impressive record of experience and expertise in technical, financial and policy development in environmental work. She holds comprehensive knowledge of state and territorial environmental programs. Dania has been a true friend and advocate of Guam and the region.

She was the first Executive Director of ASTSWMO to directly collaborate with Guam and assist with the development of the first Zero Waste Conference held in Micronesia. She also played a vital role in making the first EPA Pacific Islands Environment Conference come to life for Guam, the CNMI and America Samoa.

On behalf of the people of Guam, I commend Dania for her outstanding service to our community throughout her career. I extend a sincere Si Yu 'us Ma 'ase' (thank you) and look forward to her continued contributions to our island and nation.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to wish the people of Taiwan and Americans celebrating Taiwan's National Day this October 10th a Happy Double Ten Day.

Over the past 40 years, this key partner in the Asia-Pacific has transformed itself into a high-tech, multiparty democracy which is a significant contributor to the global economy. This is chiefly due to the hard work of the 23.5 million people on Taiwan who value education, science, and progress, and whose young people are not only plugged into global cultural trends, but are also contributing to them. Taiwanese are also the third largest tourist group to Guam and a cornerstone of our island's economy.

Americans share these values, which is why we have also contributed to Taiwan's success not only through our support and friendship, but through the Taiwan Relations Act and the Six Assurances, cornerstones of our relations with Taiwan. Our security relationship is an integral element of United States engagement in the Indo-Asia-Pacific and we must continue to work cooperatively together. The people of Guam, neighbors to Taiwan, understand and appreciate the need for strengthening alliances and partnerships in the region.

Two recent events have served to remind me of the imagination and drive of our two peoples--the end of our spectacular Cassini mission to Saturn, and the successful launch this summer of Taiwan's Formosat-5-- the latter being the first Taiwan's first major indigenously-developed remote sensing satellite, which will be engaged in Earth observation for the next five years. We are expanding our knowledge of our small planet, our solar system, and the universe at large. Whatever the challenges this planet is presented with in future years, I am confident that our two, talented peoples, along with likeminded societies across the globe, will be able to meet them.

This is a day to celebrate, and to be optimistic. I ask my colleagues to join me in recommitting ourselves to the U.S.-Taiwan relationship, and in wishing Taiwan a Happy Double Ten Day.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to commend and congratulate my good friend and the Speaker of the 34th Guam Legislature, Benjamin J.F. Cruz, on being awarded the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network's National Distinguished Advocacy Award. This is the Cancer Action Network's highest national advocacy honor and Speaker Cruz is being presented with this award for his lifetime of advocacy for cancer research, education, and outreach, as well as the introduction and passage of the Youth Protection Act of 2017 in the 34th Guam Legislature, which raised the minimum age to purchase or access tobacco products on Guam to 21 years. On March 24, 2017, Speaker Cruz's measure became the first bill enacted into law during the 34th Guam Legislature and made Guam the third jurisdiction nationwide to enact legislation raising the age to purchase tobacco products to 21 years.

Speaker Cruz's bill furthers efforts on Guam to reduce smoking on Guam and raise awareness among youth and young adults of the harmful effects that smoking and tobacco products have on a person's health. On Guam cancer is one of the leading causes of death in our community. Numerous community organizations, non-profits, and government agencies have partnered to promote research and community engagement to assist cancer patients and their families. Increased educational campaigns have also been ongoing to raise awareness of cancer and ways to reduce risks. Speaker Cruz's bill is an important compliment to these efforts, and I commend him, his staff, and all community stakeholders who were critical to its passage.

I have had the pleasure of working with BJ on numerous policy initiatives and joined him in supporting many of Guam's community organizations and the causes for which they advocate. As a former attorney, judge, and Chief Justice of Guam, and now as a legislator and current Speaker of the Guam Legislature, he has been a true public servant and champion for our island.

I join the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network in commending Guam Speaker BJ Cruz for his advocacy for cancer research, outreach, and education, and for the enactment of the Guam Child Protection Act of 2017. On behalf of the people of Guam, I congratulate him, as well as his entire staff and policy team, on this award, and I look forward to our continued work together for our island and community.

Mr. Speaker, yesterday I introduced a resolution with 21 of our colleagues from both sides of the aisle condemning the threats North Korea made against Guam last month--you can imagine the fear that we had during this period--but also reaffirming the United States' absolute and unshakeable commitment to Guam's security, as well as that of the Pacific States, the territories, and our Asia-Pacific allies.

Mr. Speaker, this threat against Guam and, indeed, our entire Nation, was inexcusable, and it demands firm condemnation from this House of Representatives.

My resolution sends a clear message that North Korea's continued willful disregard for U.N. resolutions, international agreements, sanctions, and arms controls in pursuit of its illicit nuclear weapons program will not go unanswered by our government.

I remain fully confident in the defensive capabilities on Guam and in our region, but it is vital that we do all that we can to prevent a military conflict with North Korea and ensure that its regime does not continue down this path of reckless and destabilizing nuclear militarization.

I want to thank my colleagues who have cosponsored this resolution with me, and I hope that the House leadership will quickly bring it to the floor for consideration, and I urge all the Members to support it.

Calling for the House to Take Up the Dream Act

On a separate topic, Mr. Speaker, I also want to echo my Democratic colleagues in calling for the House to quickly take up a permanent legislation solution such as the Dream Act, H.R. 3440, and lift the veil of anxiety that has been placed on nearly 800,000 DREAMers who live in and contribute to our community.

I know one of those DREAMers on Guam. Her name is Christine. She is a registered nurse on our island and works every day to save lives in our community. And it is easy, Mr. Speaker, to hear the number 800,000 and forget that these DREAMers are real people.

They are individual children or young adults who study in our schools. They work. They pay taxes. So can you imagine how disruptive this must be in their homes? They are our neighbors, our coworkers, our children's classmates and friends.

They are first responders, servicemembers, reservists, National Guardsmen, active military who serve on the front lines in our military. They are nurses, and doctors, businessowners, and entrepreneurs, and all DREAMers contribute to the fabric of our great country of America.

So I hope that we will give these DREAMers the security of knowing that they will not be deported from the country that they love and have called home for most of their lives. They are Americans in all but paper, and we should treat them with the same compassion and love that they have for our great country.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to bring up H.R. 3440, the DREAM Act, to protect DREAMers like Christine, who arrived in my home district of the territory of Guam as a child and is now a registered nurse saving lives and caring for our community on Guam thanks to DACA.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to thank Vickie Plunkett for her over twenty years of service in the United States House of Representatives. As we consider the Fiscal Year 2018 National Defense Authorization bill in the House Armed Services Committee, for the tenth and final time with Vickie as a Professional Staff Member on the Committee, I would like to take a moment to reflect on her decades of service to this body, and our nation.

Vickie has served as the lead staffer for the Readiness Subcommittee, which oversees the largest account in the Department of Defense, Operations and Maintenance, to include military operations, readiness, and training issues, funding, and programs. In this capacity, she has fought to ensure that our men and women in uniform are trained, ready, and equipped to carry out missions we ask of them, while ensuring that we are acting as responsible stewards of the taxpayer dollar. As the Ranking Member of the Readiness Subcommittee, I have deeply valued Vickie's counsel and advice, as well as her candid perspectives.

Vickie joined the House Armed Services Committee in 2007 after more than a decade of working on defense issues in Congress. From 1989 to 2002, she served as the Deputy Chief of Staff and Military Legislative Assistant to my friend and the former Chairman of the Readiness Subcommittee, Solomon Ortiz, as well as former Congressman Glen Browder, another member of the Subcommittee. Prior to relocating to Washington D.C., Vickie honed her critical thinking and journalistic skills as a publisher, editor, reporter, and photographer for daily and weekly newspapers in Alabama and Georgia. Her editorial expertise and deliberative approach served her and the Committee well not only as we crafted the annual defense authorization bill, but also through countless hearings, markups, and meetings. Her efforts have been instrumental to enacting good public policies for our military and our servicemembers and their families are better equipped, trained, and resourced because of them.

Mr. Speaker, Vickie's departure from the House Armed Services Committee will leave us without the decades of experience and wisdom that she brought to each and every challenge we encountered. I am proud of the work she did, as well as the intelligent, thoughtful manner in which she approached it. On a personal level, Vickie has been a tremendous friend of Guam and the men and women who serve on our island. So on behalf of my constituents and the people of Guam, I extend her my sincere un dangkulo na si Yu'os ma'ase (deepest gratitude). I wish her, her husband David, and their families well as they enter the next chapter in their lives.

Mr. Chairman, I would first like to commend Chairman Thornberry, Ranking Member Smith, and the committee staff who have worked many long nights on the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2018.

While there are very real questions about the top line number, and I believe it would be inappropriate and reckless to have any additional funding come off the backs of nondefense spending, this is an important step forward in rebuilding our military readiness.

This bill includes additional operations and maintenance funding to support more combat training center rotations and needed investment in the facilities sustainment, restoration, and modernization accounts, providing more training opportunities and better maintenance facilities to live, work, and operate in. However, readiness cannot be bought back in a year, and these targeted investments must continue.

Furthermore, the bill provides authorities to right-size civilian personnel shortfalls that have stressed maintenance backlogs at our shipyards and our depots. It also will make more effective the Department's Quarterly Readiness Report and raise the minor military construction threshold and clarify unspecified projects to provide additional flexibility to the Department.

I would especially like to thank Chairman Thornberry for following through on his commitment last year to work with me to include my provision that would help address critical workforce shortages affecting military

construction and healthcare essential to the military buildup on Guam. I also thank our Ranking Member Smith and Readiness Subcommittee Chairman Joe Wilson for working with me on this issue and on this bill. I look forward to continuing to work together to protect the full intent of this legislation.

The readiness portion of this bill also includes provisions to support ship repair in the western Pacific, as well as full funding for critical military construction projects.

Given our posture, our strategic needs and challenges in the region, it is essential that we continue to sufficiently resource and support an active and engaged Indo-Asia-Pacific force.

I look forward to working with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle as this process continues.

And lastly, Mr. Chair, I would like to commend Vickie Plunkett for her over two decades of service in the House of Representatives, and 10 years on the House Armed Services Committee.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize Ms. Lisa Disbrow. Over the last 32 years, Ms. Disbrow has had a distinguished career in public and military service culminating with her recent assignment as Acting Secretary of the Air Force, where she was responsible for organizing, training, equipping and providing for the welfare of approximately 660,000 active duty, Guard, Reserve and civilian Airmen and their families, world-wide.

Ms. Disbrow has given much to this Nation through her dedicated and selfless service. After graduation from the University of Virginia she answered the calling to join the Air Force. She served on active duty until 1992 in a variety of positions to include intelligence alert officer, Africa/Middle East military political analyst, and chief of electronic intelligence analysis. She deployed in support of Operations Desert Storm and Southern Watch and was selected for the Defense Intelligence Agency's Advanced Language and Area Studies.

After Desert Storm, Ms. Disbrow transitioned to the Air Force Reserve, and accepted a civilian position as a senior systems engineer for the National Reconnaissance Office. In that capacity, she helped develop programs and requirements to improve national intelligence support to tactical users, including operational and analytical systems.

From 1995 to 2014, Ms. Disbrow held a variety of positions on the Joint Staff as a senior civilian, including the Joint Staff Vice Director

for Force Structure, Resources and Assessment. She was responsible for developing joint warfighting requirements, advising on force assignments to combatant commanders, conducting force structure and warfighting studies, and evaluations defense plans, programs and strategies for the Chairman of the Joint Requirements Oversight Council.

While assigned to the Joint Staff, Ms. Disbrow was detailed to the President's National Security Advisor as the Special Advisor for Policy Implementation and Execution at the White House. She assisted in planning and implementing the National Security Strategy and advised the White House on issues across the federal government.

Her twenty-three years of uniformed service culminated in 2008 when she retired as a Colonel from the Air Force Reserve while serving as Special Assistant to the Director of Programs, Headquarters Air Force.

In 2014, Ms. Disbrow was confirmed by the Senate as the Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Financial Management and Comptroller, the principal senior official on all financial matters. She was responsible for financial policy, management, execution of an annual budget of over $130 billion, workforce development for over 10,000 financial managers world-wide, and providing analytic support services. She directed the development of the five-year programming plan, prepared for the first congressionally-mandated audit, oversaw the Air Force Cost Analysis Agency and led accounting and financial operations.

Prior to assuming the duties of Acting Secretary of the Air Force, Ms. Disbrow served as the twenty-fifth Under Secretary of the Air Force. As Under Secretary, her leadership enabled the successful roll- out of the Long Range Strike Bomber program, helped develop the first- ever analytic framework for space resiliency, effecting $10 billion in acquisition programs, facilitated operational energy efficiencies resulting in over $1 billion in savings, and successfully gained authorization to add over 10,000 new Airmen to the active duty force.

At the same time, Lisa also led efforts to better support Airmen suffering from invisible wounds of war by improving processes from injury diagnosis through reintegration with appreciation of the member's experience and care.

Finally, I also commend Ms. Disbrow's family for their service and support. Her husband, Harry, served as an Air Force Colonel and as a senior civilian in the Pentagon. Her two children, Stefanie and Derrick have remained supportive through the family's decades of service. Stefanie's husband T.J. is an honored serviceman serving two tours in Afghanistan and Iraq, and I would also like to acknowledge their two children, Parker and Brody. Our nation appreciates their unwavering support, service, and sacrifice throughout Ms. Disbrow's exemplary service.

Mr. Speaker, I thank Ms. Disbrow and her family for their remarkable service to our nation. I wish Ms. Disbrow good luck and Godspeed in her next chapter of life, and I look forward to their continued success.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to thank Matthew Herrmann for ten years of service to the people of Guam and the United States Congress. Over the last decade, Matt has served diligently in my office here in Washington, D.C. and he has been instrumental to enacting numerous public policies that have benefitted my constituents in Guam and our nation as a whole.

Matt joined my office in May of 2007 as my Military Legislative Assistant and he went on to become my Legislative Director and then Chief of Staff. He concurrently serves as an Adjunct Professor at American University here in Washington, D.C. where he teaches a course on the impact of technology on the American political system. Prior to joining my office, Matt was the Executive Officer to the Director at the National Guard Bureau Office of Legislative Liaison.

During his time in my office, Matt has overseen many legislative responsibilities and he has provided me with invaluable counsel in fulfilling my role as Guam's only representative in Congress. He has been my key advisor on issues impacting our military, veterans, and foreign policy. I have especially appreciated his commitment to enhancing the role and resourcing of the National Guard, efforts for which his actions have been widely recognized. His guidance has also been critical to securing millions in dollars for Guam as well as ensuring that programs such as the realignment of Marines from Okinawa to Guam moves forward in a way that not only satisfies the Department of Defense's needs, but also has a positive benefit to the people of Guam and the entire Asia-Pacific region.

Matt was also instrumental to my success in including the Guam World War II Loyalty Recognition Act as a provision of the FY17 National Defense Authorization Act, which was signed in to law by President Barack Obama on December 23, 2016 . This was historic legislation that finally authorized, after more than 70 years, the payment of claims to the patriotic Chamorro Americans on Guam who endured brutal enemy occupation during World War II.

Matt's professionalism, understanding of the complexities of the legislative process, and personable demeanor have been critical to his successes here on the Hill and in turn helped me best represent people of Guam. Further, on a personal note, Matt has also been a close mentor and confidant to many current and former staff members and he was always willing to lend his personal and professional experiences to guide and direct them. He has fostered strong bipartisan relationships with Congressional staffers, officials in the Administration, as well as key stakeholders in the private and non-government industries, and he will be deeply missed here on Capitol Hill.

Mr. Speaker, Matt's departure from my office will leave a void that will be difficult to fill. I will miss his counsel and the light heartedness he brought to my office every day. I am proud of the growth and experiences that he has had while working on behalf of my constituents and the American people. So on behalf of the people of Guam, I extend my sincere un dangkulo na si Yu'os Ma'ase (with deepest gratitude) to him, and I wish him well as he begins this next chapter in his life.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to commend and congratulate nurses and school nurse support staff of the Guam Department of Education (GDOE) in honor of National Nurses Week and National School Nurses Day. There are currently 44 Registered Nurses and 3 Licensed Practical Nurses serving the students of the Guam Department of Education. These nurses take on the daunting task of caring for the Guam Department of Education's more than 30,000 students and nearly 4,000 employees of the Guam Department of Education. These school nurses work day in and day out to ensure the health of our island's children so they can continue their education in the classroom.

Guam Department of Education nurses join the National Association of School Nurses in celebrating the theme of this year's School Nurses Day: Healthy Nurse. Healthy Students. They also join the American Nurses Association in celebrating the 2017 Nurses Week: The Balance of Mind, Body, and Spirit! GDOE nurses have chosen to celebrate National School Nurses Day by teaching students how to conduct hands only CPR or heart health activities.

Every year the GDOE nurses serve a critical role in providing a safe and healthy learning environment for students throughout Guam's public elementary, middle, and high schools. GDOE nurses provide frontline, critical care for the most fragile children in our community and are members of health teams that support both educational and response initiatives dedicated to improving public health. Additionally, school nurses are liaisons to the school administrators, parents and healthcare providers when it comes to attending to the physical health of our island's students.

Every school year is different and challenging for the GDOE nurses. In April 2016, the school nurses received a call from the Department of Public Health and Social Services asking them to administer 5,000 doses of TB skin test solution to GDOE students and staff who need updates. The school nurses embraced the challenge and were able to host TB clinics in almost every GDOE school for students and staff. Despite these challenges, our island's school nurses have responded to these needs with professionalism and passion for the school communities they serve.

I commend and congratulate nurses and school nurse support staff of the Guam Department of Education (GDOE) as they celebrate the 2017 National School Nurses Day and On a successful school year. I join the people of Guam in expressing our appreciation for their contributions to Guam's school communities.

Mr. Speaker, today I rise to urge my colleagues to support H.R. 2052, the Protecting the Rights of IndiViduals Against Technological Exploitation Act, also known as the PRIVATE Act. This act will amend the Uniform Code of Military Justice to prohibit the wrongful broadcast or distribution of intimate visual images.

As technology evolves, so, too, must our judicial systems; and it is clear, especially after the Marines United scandal, that there is a gap in the UCMJ. This bill addresses that gap and gives commanders the tools they need to address this horrific crime of posting or sharing intimate images that were previously privately shared.

The bill clearly states that distributing or broadcasting intimate visual images without consent would result in punishment. This change in the UCMJ will send a strong message to any bad actors in our military and remind them that honor, trust, and respect are paramount whether you are deployed or back home. Servicemembers will know that sharing, broadcasting, or posting intimate images are illegal and will be punished under the UCMJ.

I thank the gentlewoman from Arizona, Representative McSally, for introducing this important legislation and diligently working it through the legislative process. I am also pleased to see such bipartisan support. Although the circumstances that led this bill to be written are appalling, it is heartening to see so many colleagues coming together today to make the necessary changes.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 2052. This amendment to the UCMJ is very necessary and very timely.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to commend and congratulate the Guahan Lions Club as they celebrate 25 years of public service to the people of Guam. The Guahan Lions Club was established in 1992 by a group of business people, teachers, accountants, engineers, and government and private employees who shared a common desire to give back to our community. Throughout its rich history, the Guahan Lions Club has championed numerous causes and donated thousands of dollars in support of charitable organizations.

The Guahan Lions Club was charted by the International Association of Lions Clubs on March 23, 1992, and since then the club has advocated for numerous causes and donated thousands of dollars in support of charitable organizations. They were critical to the passage of local legislation, Guam Public Law 23-27, that sought to combat graffiti, and they held an island-wide ``Graffiti Wipe-out Camapaign'' to remove graffiti throughout Guam and ensure that the island was clean. They have also been strong supporters of the Salvation Army, Guma Trankilidat, the Guam Memorial Hospital, St. Dominic Home Care, as well as numerous other community and non-profit organizations. They have also joined other Lions Clubs in Guam and throughout the region in sharing their knowledge and expertise on ways to improve local communities.

I join the people of Guam in thanking all members of the Guahan Lions Club for their invaluable work to our community. I especially congratulate the Guahan Lions Club's charter members--Evelyn Angeles, Cely Aquino, Thelma Barrozo, Fely Co, Monito Co, Bella Duplito, Fernando Duplito, Aida Fernandez, Fred Flores, Mirasol Flores, Rose Hidalgo, Nydia Llarenas, Cely Nisperos, Romy Nisperos, Lulu Oliamot, Rolly Ricabar, Yolly Ricabar, Nora Sicad, Bernie Tiong, Lath Tiong, Emelio Uy and Gloria Villanueva--for their foresight and diligence in creating the foundation for their success.

On behalf of the people of Guam, I congratulate the Guahan Lions Club on their 25 years of service and look forward to continued success in the future.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the scuttling of the World War I German ship, the SMS Cormoran, in Guam's Apra Harbor, which occurred on April 7, 1917.

The SMS Cormoran was scuttled by its crew on April 7, 1917, the day the United States entered World War I. Twenty six years later, on August 27, 1943 the Japanese freighter Tokai Maru was torpedoed and came to rest also in Apra Harbor's waters. This Apra Harbor site is symbolic of Guam's rich history and unique role in United States and world history, as this is the only site in the world housing two shipwrecks from the two World Wars.

Originally a Russian merchant fleet vessel, SMS Cormoran was captured by Germans in the years leading up to World War I, and was transformed into an auxiliary cruiser which Germany docked in the Chinese province of Tsingtao, a small German colony at the time.

In December of 1914, the SMS Cormoran was chased by Japanese warships on a routine trip, and running low on fuel, docked at Apra Harbor on Guam. At the time, Guam was a U.S. territory, and the United States was a neutral nation. The SMS Cormoran's captain, Captain Adalbert Zuckschwerdt requested fuel and provisions from Guam's naval Governor William Maxwell, who promptly denied the request due to the United States' neutrality. Instead he gave Captain Zuckschwerdt two options-- to leave Guam immediately or remain interned. Captain Zuckschwerdt chose to remain on island. On April 7, 1917 the United States entered World War I, and naval Governor Roy Smith ordered Captain Zuckschwerdt to surrender his personnel and the SMS Cormoran. While Captain Zuckschwerdt surrendered his personnel, he ordered the crew to scuttle the vessel. American soldiers noticed the activity and fired a warning shot, which signified America's first engagement with Germany the very same day we declared our entry into World War I. Six German soldiers died in the scuttling of SMS Cormoran and they were buried with full military honors at the U.S. Naval Cemetery.

In 1975, the wreck of the SMS Cormoran was placed on the National Register of Historic Places. I commend the work of the Guam Visitors Bureau and all other stakeholders for organizing an event to commemorate 100th anniversary of the SMS Cormoran's sinking, which prompted the first American action upon its entry into World War I. This ceremony highlights Guam's unique history in world events and provides an opportunity to showcase the distinctive historical sites that are only available on our island.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to commend and congratulate Albert ``Al'' Yanger on receiving the U.S. Small Business Administration's 2017 Veteran Small Business Champion of the Year Award for Guam. This award honors an individual on Guam who has fulfilled a commitment to advancing small business opportunities for Veterans of the U.S. Armed Forces.

Al is the Co-Founder and President of Galaide Professional Services, Inc. (GPSI). Galaide Professional Services, Inc. is a Disabled Veteran Owned and SBA HUBZone certified small business providing professional, technical management, administrative and general contracting services for the Federal Government, Government of Guam and clients in the Western Pacific Region.

Al faithfully served in the U.S. Army for 22 years and retired as the Division Chief of Intelligence at the Pentagon. He then joined the private sector and worked for the Native American Industrial Distributers, Inc. Al recognized there was a need for the services he was providing with NAID in his home island of Guam and returned to the island in 2010. Together with his partner and fellow veteran Frankie Dumanal, Al launced Galaide Professional Services Inc. in December 2010. The company specializes in program/project management consulting with core competencies in the information technology sector. GPSI Guam works diligently with the Department of Defense Small Business representatives on Guam and has helped build the confidence of

federal and local buyers to use local Veteran/Disabled Veteran Owned Small Businesses. Additionally, GPSI Guam is committed to using other Veteran/Disabled Veteran Owned Small Businesses as subcontractors. GPSI Guam supports Joint Region Marianas, U.S. Navy and U.S. Air Force small business programs and the University of Guam Procurement Technical Assistance Center and Small Business Development Center. GPSI Guam is also a strong supporter of the Employee Support of the Guard and Reserve through financial donation and recruiting through the ESGR office. Half of GPSI Guam's work force is proudly made up of retired military or active guard and reserve members.

Al and GPSI Guam are also active in the island community. GPSI Guam is a member of the Guam Chamber of Commerce and the Chamber's Small Business and Armed Forces Committees. They are also members of the Guam Contractor's Association and Guam Visitors Bureau.

I join the people of Guam in congratulating Albert ``Al'' Yanger on his selection as the SBA's 2017 Veteran Small Business Champion for Guam. I commend him for his many contributions to our island and community.