Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding.

Mr. Speaker, the Biden administration took a bad situation at our southern border and turned it into a complete and utter disaster that puts Americans in danger every day. It is often said that every State is a border State, and that is very much the case, as we see now.

There is no way on God's green Earth that President Biden can spin this any other way. The President can blame it on Trump, blame it on the Republicans, but, for the last 3 years, Mr. Speaker, dadgummit, he has been in control of this.

We recently learned that, in 2023, the Biden administration flew 320,000 illegal aliens into 43 airports across the United States. Let me say that again--320,000 illegals into 43 airports across the United States. Mr. Speaker, that is in your backyard. That is in my backyard. That is all across our great country. They pay for these flights with the American people's tax dollars.

Unfortunately, this latest stunt is not nearly as surprising as it should be. Since Joe Biden took office, over 10 million illegal immigrants have crossed into the United States. What is most troubling to me in all of that, Mr. Speaker, 100,000 children are in the system somewhere.

Additionally, these cartels, they are evil, and they are from the pits of hell, and it would be my desire to send them back as soon as possible. Mr. Speaker, 100,000 children are somewhere in this system, possibly sold into labor, possibly victims of sex crimes, possibly victims of many other horrendous acts.

There have also been 8.7 million illegal alien encounters, plus 1.7 million got-aways. Every day, we are hearing about Americans who are hurt or killed at the hands of illegal immigrants. These are people who were released into the United States without being properly checked, and Americans are suffering because of it. A dear family that is very close to me back in Knoxville, they lost their son because of this.

This week, the House is voting on the Laken Riley Act, which was named after a young woman who was brutally murdered by an illegal immigrant. He had been arrested three times before and, yet, he was still released back into the United States each time. He was a criminal in his homeland. He is a criminal up here. He should have been deported the first time, Mr. Speaker. If he had, that young girl would be alive today.

The Biden administration is inviting illegal immigrants into this country with its open-border policies. We have magnetized this country. We allow the giving of credit cards, free healthcare. We put them ahead of our veterans. We put them ahead of our citizens, and that is disgusting.

The Biden Administration has been actively fighting the border States that are trying to fix the problem. It has gone as far as filing lawsuits. They are using your tax dollars to fly immigrants into every State, including Tennessee, without telling the American people what they are doing.

Mr. Speaker, it is unacceptable, and we need to close the dadgum border.

Mr. Speaker, I remind Members it is a little crowded back there, but we have a few more seats down front if you all want to come down here.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to recognize the folks at Back Yard Burgers, which recently closed its doors after 35 wonderful years.

The managing partners, David and Natalie Broyles, are a dynamic duo. They are a wonderful couple and loving parents to their kids, Kelsey and John, and great business partners.

When I was county mayor, I would host employee appreciation luncheons for my staff. We would always eat Back Yard Burgers because they were delicious, and I knew it would put a smile on my employees' faces.

I also saw David and Natalie at my nephew Charlie's football games, where their son played as well. We would sit together in the stands and hurl insults at the referees when they made bad calls.

David and Natalie used Back Yard Burgers to serve the community in lots of different ways. They hosted the Back Yard Burgers Bowl, which was a football game between Alcoa High School and the Christian Academy of Knoxville. They would donate a $1,000 scholarship to each school for a graduating senior that year and also raised funds for the Knoxville Area Rescue Ministries.

They also held a pillow fight event one year to collect pillows for the Knoxville Area Rescue Mission and collected over 600 pillows for them.

The Knoxville community will miss Back Yard Burgers. I wish David and Natalie the best in their retirement, as well as everyone else who is moving on to the next chapter in their lives.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor the life of my dear friend, Bob Booker, who passed away on February 22 at 88 years young.

He was a historian, a U.S. Army veteran, and a passionate civil rights leader who was not afraid to stand up for what he believed. State Representative Joe Armstrong and I named a bridge after him when we were both in the State legislature because of all of his hard work. He really cared about his community and making it a better place.

In 1966, Bob was also elected as Knoxville's first Black Tennessee State Representative.

Bob was a dear friend of mine, and I knew him for many years. He worked with my dad at UT, and he knew my mama because she taught at Knoxville College, a historically Black college. He continued to be a great friend to me and my family after they passed away.

I have one particularly fond memory of Bob. One night when Kelly, my wife, and I were at a noted honky-tonk in Knoxville, Bob was there, as well. Kelly and I had snuck in, and we were in the back row. He belted out a karaoke song and dedicated it to us. He knew his music and had an incredible record collection that I loved and admired whenever I went to his house. He was an excellent host and an excellent cook.

I give my condolences to Bob's brother, Percell, all of his friends at Marie's Old Town Tavern, and everyone who knew and loved him. Bob will be missed.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor Long's Drug Store, a family-owned and operated pharmacy that has been serving the Knoxville community since its opening in 1956. After 67 years, Long's had its last day on January 16.

My very good friend Hank Peck and his family has kept the store running for over 60 years. His dad became a pharmacist at Long's in 1959 alongside Clarence Long and John Benson. Actually, Mr. Peck was my Sunday schoolteacher for a while, so if you all need to blame anybody for anything, that would be him.

When Long's first opened, the idea was to open a drugstore that would also be Knoxville's first shopping center. It was a place where you could stop and pick up your prescriptions, enjoy a milkshake, and pick up some comic books. All the folks at Long's Drug Store are wonderful people. I am so grateful I got to know Sharon, who worked behind the pharmacy counter; Ruth, who has been working there for 47 years and who is pictured right there with Hank; and all the other lovely folks at Long's Drug Store.

They have been good friends to me and my family for a long time, and I wish them very well in the next chapter of their lives.

Knoxville will not forget Long's Drug Store and its many years of service to our great community.

Celebrating Joe Duncan's 100th Birthday

Madam Speaker, today I rise to honor Judge Joe Duncan as he celebrates his 100th birthday.

Joe was born February 11, 1924, in Scott County, Tennessee.

He was raised on a farm with his nine siblings where his parents taught him all the values of hard work, responsibility, and a good education.

During World War II, Joe enlisted in the United States Army Air Corps, and he was honorably discharged in 1945. He then got his law degree from the University of Tennessee. Later on, he worked as a special agent for the FBI and was given a letter of commendation from none other than J. Edgar Hoover when he retired.

He also served as the Knox County criminal court judge and spent 15 years on the Tennessee Court of Criminal Appeals.

In 1946, Joe married the love of his life, Louetta; and they had a son, Phillip, and two grandchildren, Meredyth and Tyler.

Joe and his family have been working in public service in east Tennessee for many years. Joe supported his brother John's successful bid for Knoxville mayor in 1959 and 1963, as well as John's successful campaign for U.S. House of Representatives in 1964. Joe also supported the political careers of his nephew, my predecessor, John Duncan, Jr., who was Tennessee's Second District Representative in Congress before me; as well as his niece, State senator, Becky Massey; and his son, Falls Church city councilor Phillip Duncan.

Judge Duncan has lived a beautiful and full life in public service, and I am honored to wish him a happy 100th birthday on the House floor today.

Recognizing Charlie and Patsy Daniels' 70th Anniversary

Madam Chair, I want to recognize my dear friends, Charlie and Patsy Daniels, who are celebrating their 70th wedding anniversary this year.

Charlie spent 60 years as a successful political cartoonist in east Tennessee, and he just retired a few years ago. Many of his cartoons are hanging on the walls of my Knoxville office. As you can see on one of them in the poster beside me, during my first years of Congress, I spoke here on the House floor about his retirement. I said back then-- and it is as true today--that I have been made fun of by people all over the world, but my friend, Charlie, is my favorite.

His cartoons were razor sharp while still being very respectful. Charlie's lovely wife, Patsy, has been at Charlie's side since they were childhood sweethearts. They made their home in Powell, Tennessee, where Charlie cooks breakfast for Patsy every morning.

Charlie and Patsy often attend reunions for the alumni of Fork Union Military Academy where Charlie attended high school, as well as Tarheel football games. When they travel for reunions or to visit family, Charlie is always the willing chauffeur.

They have a great love for their children, Charles, Jr., and Sarah, as well as their grandkids and great-grandkids.

Madam Speaker, I wish a happy anniversary to Charlie and Patsy. They are an example to all of us of a faithful and loving marriage that has lasted a lifetime.

I would be remiss if I did not note that Charlie is also a member of the United States Marine Corps.

Corruption in the United Nations Relief and Works Agency

Madam Speaker, for a long time, there have been rumors that the United Nations Relief and Works Agency had a relationship with Hamas. Last week, those rumors were confirmed when we discovered that 12 members of the agency were directly involved in the horrific attacks by Hamas on our friends in Israel on October 7. Another 1,200 employees of the agency have direct connections to Hamas. That is 10 percent of all the agency's employees in Gaza.

The State Department did the right thing by pausing its funding to the agency, but it is also something President Trump did years ago. The Biden administration restarted the funding in 2021. Clearly, the administration did not do proper research to ensure this funding wasn't going to friends of terrorists.

Also, pausing the funding did not have the huge impact they want us to think it did, since the United States has given them at least $730 million in taxpayer dollars since 2021. That is about 99 percent of what has been allocated, and we only paused about $300,000 in the remaining funding.

Now, an Israeli firm is investigating the United Nations Relief and Works Agency's digital wallets to see where their cryptocurrency is going. The firm has found that at least one digital wallet that belongs to Hamas is still active.

We need to defund the United Nations, Madam Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, I thank my brother for allowing me to speak tonight.

Mr. Speaker, the American people are not as blind and they are not as stupid as this administration and the mainstream media makes them out to be.

Everyone in this world can see that this President is not well. The Justice Department recently released the report by Special Counsel Robert Hur, and in that report was some very damning notes that were made, facts, I guess I should say, that were stated. The President wasn't charged in the case of mishandled documents, but they couldn't rush to judgment fast enough against President Trump in a similar situation, but the report said: ``It would be difficult to convince a jury that they should convict him--by then a former President well into his 80s--of a serious felony that requires a mental state of willfulness.''

That was the quote. Let me read that again: ``It would be difficult to convince a jury that they should convict him--by then a former President well into his 80s--of a serious felony that requires a mental state of willfulness.''

This wasn't my friends on Newsmax or OAN or FOX; this was the prosecutor, the Special Counsel Robert Hur.

President Biden's own Justice Department knows that he is not in any condition to run this country as do our enemies and our friends abroad. The whole world knows that he is not in a condition to run this country. I have said for a long time that this would happen.

I said when everything goes down the drain for him and he is having to take the stand, they will use his mental condition as an excuse and they will kick this can not down the road, but off a cliff. If he is not fit to be prosecuted, Mr. Speaker, he definitely is not fit to be the Commander in Chief.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor a true American hero who gave his life while keeping my community safe.

On Thursday, February 8, a violent criminal opened fire during a traffic stop. He put Blount County Deputy Shelby Eggers in the hospital and killed Deputy Greg McCowan who was 43 years old.

McCowan was known for being a loving man and a brave officer. His family was the light of his life, Mr. Speaker, and he loved them dearly.

His fellow deputies knew they could count on McCowan when he was serving alongside them. One of his colleagues described him as one of those guys you always wanted on your side. In 2021, he received the Sheriff's Office Lifesaving Award for rescuing a man from a burning vehicle.

I give my sincere condolences and prayers of healing to Greg's parents, Dallas, Elizabeth, and Jeff; his fiancee, Leah; his children, Cayley and Cayden; Leah's children, Caven and Jacob; his sister, Charity; and everyone else who knew and loved him.

I also thank a very good friend of mine, Blount County Sheriff James ``Jimbo'' Berrong for his leadership through this tragedy.

He is a good friend of mine, and I know he has been working so hard to

take care of his department and deal with this incredible loss.

Earlier today, they caught the murderer, and it was due to east Tennessee law enforcement's tireless work to bring him to justice.

We can never forget exactly how much our law enforcement sacrifices to keep us safe every day, Mr. Speaker. My prayer is that this never happens to any of your communities.

Mr. Speaker, I will remind Members, we have a few more seats down front. I notice some of you all are crowded up in the back, but if you want to come down front, that would be quite all right.

Mr. Speaker, we are nearly $35 trillion in debt right now. That is over $100,000 per American, including children. It is all because of our out-of-control spending, and so much of that money is either unaccounted for or just plain wasteful.

The Pentagon can't even tell us where half its funds end up, and right now they have about half a trillion dollars that is unaccounted for--half a trillion dollars. Foreign aid ends up in the hands of terrorists because we don't actually track it. Pandemic fraud was through the roof because we just threw checks at people like they were candy.

Democrats also force Americans to spend a bunch of money on things we don't need. Americans could be on the hook for over $450 billion a year to take care of illegal immigrants because the Biden administration won't close the dadgum border.

We are spending money on drag shows at military bases. We are paying for more diversity, equity, and inclusion programs in our Federal Government. We are funding government employees' out-of-State trips to get abortions. It is so ridiculous, Mr. Speaker.

Americans elected us to handle the budget, and they are suffering as a result. The Democrats' massive spending policies take more of their hard-earned money and drive up the prices, so their paychecks don't go as far as they used to.

Congress needs to stand up, Mr. Speaker, and we need to get us some dadgum guts right now and make some real fiscally responsible changes on how we spend or else we will lose this country.

Honoring Chief Master Sergeant Chrystie Shawhan as Second District

Veteran of the Month

Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor retired Air Force Chief Master Sergeant Chrystie Shawhan.

Chief Master Sergeant Shawhan joined the military right after high school and was deployed to Saudi Arabia during Operation Southern Watch at the age of 23. Chrystie comes from a family of Air Force servicemembers, and her grandparents served in World War II.

When Chief Master Sergeant Shawhan took off the uniform for good, she continued serving her fellow veterans in east Tennessee. She became involved with a national military support group called Irreverent Warriors, whose mission is to bring veterans together through humor and camaraderie to help prevent veteran suicide. The group also organizes hikes, marches, and other gatherings to bring veterans closer together. I have been invited and attended many of their events. It is quite a day, Mr. Speaker.

When she was asked if she feels honored and respected for serving her country, she said, In east Tennessee, I do. That is a testament to our community. I am proud to represent folks who truly appreciate our veterans and make sure that appreciation is known.

Chief Master Sergeant Shawhan served our country faithfully for 28 years before retiring, and I thank her so much for her service. We wouldn't have a country, Mr. Speaker, if it weren't for men and women like Chrystie Shawhan. It is my honor to recognize her as Tennessee's Second Congressional District January 2024 Veteran of the Month.

Honoring the Life of David Earl Foulk

Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor the life of my dear friend David Earl Foulk, who passed away on January 8 at the age of 72.

Dave was born and raised in Knoxville, Tennessee, where he fell in love with his portable transistor radio. He would hide it under his covers at night and would try to pick up faraway stations.

This fascination grew into a career, and David grew up to become a beloved personality in Knoxville and Atlanta. Dave was never more comfortable than when he was sitting in a studio, had a hot mike in front of him, and five police and fire scanners going off behind him.

Dave was an accomplished journalist. He earned numerous awards, including the Edward R. Murrow Award, the Green Eyeshade Award, and honors by the Associated Press of Tennessee and Georgia.

You know he is good at what he does when Hallerin Hill calls him one of the greats.

He knew everything about fire engines and firefighters, and they were as enamored with him as he was with them. He actually survived two helicopter crashes, if you can imagine that.

He is survived by his wife, Dena; their three children, Bethany, Jonathan, and Julia; as well as eight grandchildren.

I always remember being in the studio, Mr. Speaker, as a young man; they would ask me to host a show. I didn't have any guests. I was running out of things to say, and Dave walked in and filled in 15 minutes of dead air for me, and it was just wonderful radio. It was a wonderful experience. I will miss Dave.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor my dear friend, State Senator Art Swann, who served in the Tennessee State Senate since 2017.

Senator Swann is a seventh-generation Tennessean who was born and raised in Blount County, where he now represents. He graduated from Maryville High School, pronounced Maryville if you are from there, and got his bachelor's degree at the University of Tennessee at Martin in 1975.

Senator Swann was serving the Tennessee General Assembly on the house side when State Senator Doug Overbey, another good friend of mine, was appointed by President Donald Trump to be the U.S. attorney for east Tennessee. The Blount County Commission appointed Art to fill the vacancy, appropriately, and he has been in the role ever since. He recently announced, though, that he won't run for reelection.

Senator Swann is an outstanding public servant who has served the folks in Blount and Sevier Counties very well. He has proudly stood for the conservative principles that make east Tennessee so wonderful and that make our country the best in the world.

It is not in my notes, but I would be remiss without saying that the State of Tennessee has zero debt, Mr. Speaker--zero debt.

I wish him and his wife, Janet, the very best in his retirement.

Mr. Speaker, this week marks the anniversary of the Roe v. Wade case, which prevented States from protecting unborn children from the mass murder we now call abortion.

Thankfully, last year, that case was overturned by Dobbs v. Jackson. That case was celebrated across the country by everyone who wants to protect these sweet little babies.

The day that case was decided, I went out to the front of the Supreme Court, and I saw crowds of young people celebrating the victory. They were playing music, blowing bubbles, and just having a great time.

I also saw crowds of angry pro-abortion activists chanting, holding obscene signs, and even crying. They were mourning the fact that abortion couldn't be forced on States that didn't want it anymore. Unfortunately, some of these people were Members of Congress.

Every step of the way, my pro-abortion colleagues have blocked our efforts to protect babies from abortion. They have pushed for taxpayers to fund it. My constituents don't want their tax dollars paying for doctors to kill babies. They call it healthcare, to make it seem less evil than it is, but, Mr. Speaker, it is like putting lipstick on a pig. It just doesn't work.

When faced with the true horrors of abortion, most Americans don't want to see this happen, and they certainly don't want to be forced to pay for it. It is sad that I even need to say this, but we will fight to protect babies from being killed as long as I am in Congress.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor the life of my dear, good friend, Pastor Clarence Sexton, who passed away on December 12 at the age of 75. He was very kind to me through some tough times and would often pray with me and congratulate me on tough wins and an occasional loss.

Pastor Sexton loved the Lord, and everything he did was to serve Him. He founded Crown College in 1991 to train students to serve Jesus Christ in local churches and all across our great world and to help spread the Gospel.

Everyone who met him knew of his faithfulness as well as his support for conservative ideals and family values, which is why he was given the opportunity to conduct the funeral of Robert Trump in 2020.

My dad always used to say that if preachers would just preach the Gospel, we would solve most of the world's problems. Pastor Sexton did preach the Gospel faithfully, without any agenda except to serve the Lord.

I offer my sincere condolences to his lovely wife, Evelyn, of 56 years, his two sons, Shannon and Matt, and everyone else who knew him and loved him. Ms. Evelyn said her husband loved people, his country, and, most of all, loved his Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. She said he lived his life to advance God's kingdom on Earth.

We will certainly miss Pastor Sexton, but he is with the Lord now. We will never forget him.

On a personal note, I always remember that when I adopted my little girl, he came and prayed for us. He will be missed.

Mr. Speaker, today, I recognize Kelle Shultz, a devoted and compassionate leader who has served as president of Knoxville Habitat for Humanity since 1995 and is now entering a well-deserved retirement.

Kelle's work has helped many East Tennesseans who otherwise might not have a place to call home, and her efforts earned Knoxville Habitat recognition as a top 40 Habitat affiliate worldwide. Since she took over, she significantly increased the organization's home-building and repair services for low-income families, peaking at 24 homes a year in 2018. Under Kelle's leadership, Knoxville Habitat also built the 200,000th home built by Habitat for Humanity globally, and Knoxville Habitat became the largest home builder in the city during the 2008- 2009 Great Recession.

Knoxville Habitat also implemented a series of Financial Fitness classes to educate Habitat homeowners, and this program is now a prerequisite to Habitat homeowners around the world. Knoxville Habitat has an overall homeowner success rate of 96.4 percent, which is a testament to how well Kelle understands what these homeowners need and how to provide paths to prosperity.

She has also shown leadership for Habitat for Humanity in other ways. She has actively led the East TN Executive Directors group, served on the Habitat Tennessee Board of Directors and the U.S. Council for Habitat International, and fostered collaborations with local organizations. She was named Outstanding Leader of the Year by Habitat Tennessee in 2015 to recognize her amazing work.

Kelle Shultz is a pillar of the Knoxville community and I wish her well in her retirement.

Madam Speaker, I rise to honor Yeoman 3rd Class William

Osborne. Yeoman Osborne went to Maryville College where he majored in psychology and played for the football team all 4 years and served as co-captain during his senior year.

After graduating, he joined the Naval Reserve and went to boot camp, then served 1 year in the Reserves and 2 years on Active Duty.

In September 1970, he got a job as a probation and parole officer trainee in Virginia, then worked at the Virginia State Penitentiary, and after that he drilled on a World War II destroyer.

Around this time, the Navy was under pressure to do something about troops returning from Vietnam with substance abuse issues.

Since Yeoman Osborne had a degree in psychology and experience working with people with drug addictions, he was selected as part of a team who received training as substance abuse counselors.

He went on to get his master's degree in education and his Ph.D. in public policy and administration, and he had a great career as a criminal justice educator.

He is currently enjoying retirement with his wife, Maureen; and living in Knoxville close to his son Patrick, and his wife, Jessica, and their two children. He also has another son Ryan, who lives in North Carolina.

It is my honor to recognize Yeoman William Osborne as the Tennessee Second District's 2023 Veteran of the Month.

Mr. Speaker, the United States provides a lot of foreign aid to a lot of countries. It is important that we make sure that money is being spent wisely.

The Biden administration has not taken this responsibility seriously at all, Mr. Speaker. The White House is currently pushing to send billions of dollars to Ukraine, even though we have already allocated over $110 billion to Ukraine and have no way of knowing where that money really ends up.

We also have sent nearly $2 billion to Afghanistan since our botched withdrawal in 2021, even though we know a lot of that money ends up in the hands of the Taliban.

I asked an expert witness in a Foreign Affairs Committee hearing if there is any way the United States can provide aid to Afghanistan without any of it falling in the hands of the Taliban, and he said no.

Yet, when the president of Guatemala specifically requested aid to help block off one of the most popular travel routes for illegal immigrants coming to the United States, the Biden administration refused to help.

It is pretty apparent to me, Mr. Speaker, that this administration has its foreign aid priorities all out of order.

It needs to get serious about addressing issues that affect the American people, like our illegal immigration crisis, instead of trying to send billions of unchecked dollars to Ukraine and the Taliban.

Madam Speaker, I appreciate you and the great work you do.

I rise to honor my good friend, Pace Robinson, who recently passed away at the age of 65. My buddy Steven Rosen called me the other day and gave me the bad news. They had been playing golf just the day before, and things seemed to be going really well.

Pace grew up in Knoxville and was a family man through and through. He worked with his dad, Mitchell, at the Modern Supply until Mitchell passed away, and Pace became the company's president until he retired in 2017.

He met the love of his life, Karen, at the 1982 World's Fair, and they were married for 38 great years. They had two sons together, Eli and Asher, and he loved them dearly. He also had a granddaughter, Poppy, and he loved her with all his heart.

Pace was a respected leader in his community. He helped lead the Knoxville Jewish Federation, The Knoxville Jewish Alliance, the Webb School of Knoxville, and many other groups over the years.

He was also a great businessman. He was respected by his employees. He loved his regular poker game where, for over 30 years, the stakes were still at a quarter a chip.

I have known Pace for a long time, Madam Speaker, and he and his family supported me through my career, even though they didn't always agree with me on every issue.

I send my condolences, especially to his wonderful family: Karen, Eli, Asher, Poppy, and all the friends and family that knew and loved him.

I will never forget what a good friend he was to me. I know next year when I go to that first UT football game, and I walk up to the tailgate and not see him there, it will be a big void there. He was quite a man.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor my dear friend, Detective Mike Waggoner, for his service with the Knoxville Police Department. You see Mike in this picture with that incredible moustache.

Detective Waggoner joined the department on November 11, 1974, and I note that I was in the fourth grade at that time. He is celebrating 49 years of service with the KPD.

Waggoner embodies all the characteristics the Knoxville Police Department likes to instill in future generations of officers.

As such, every year, an officer of the department is awarded the Mike Waggoner Leadership Award. This award is given to the officer that exhibits strong passion, dedication, and thoroughness while inspiring those around them to do the same.

This award was named for Detective Waggoner as he has spent his career in service to the people of Knoxville and is a respected leader among his fellow officers.

Mr. Speaker, I congratulate Detective Waggoner on his 49 years of service. He is a great friend, a great father, and a great husband. I thank him for all he has done for our city.

Honoring Captain Jack Gillooly

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Jack Gillooly, an American hero who served his country during World War II.

At 103 years old, he is believed to be the oldest living Navy football player and Navy aviator. He played in three Army-Navy football games and never lost to Army. Jack played in the last game held at West Point in 1943.

Jack had a long list of highlights, but most would say his best was his tackle of Glenn Davis, a Heisman Trophy-winning Army halfback.

After graduation, he was assigned to the USS Columbia and fought in the Battle of Leyte Gulf, the longest Naval battle in World War II. He survived three kamikaze attacks on his cruiser.

Jack wanted to get off the water and into the air, so he applied and was selected to become a Naval aviator. During the Cuban Missile Crisis in the early 1960s, he was the commanding officer of an antisubmarine fighter.

Captain Gillooly was also part of the Navy's first electronic countermeasure squadron during the Korean war, and he was the base commander at Orlando Air Base, which was later converted into the Orlando Naval Training Center.

Our country's heroes are the men and women of our Armed Forces, Mr. Speaker. It is my honor to recognize Captain Jack Gillooly as the Tennessee Second District's November 2023 Veteran of the Month.

Honoring Colonel Edmund Morrisey

Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor the life of Colonel Ed Morrisey who passed away on November 7 at the age of 94.

In 1952, Colonel Morrisey was commissioned a second lieutenant in the Reserves in the U.S. Air Force and placed on Active Duty as a weapons controller.

In 1968, the colonel became the first commander of the I.G. Brown Training and Education Center at McGhee Tyson Air National Guard Base. He went on to build the Air National Guard's premier professional military education institute, leading it for 15 years.

He is the only field officer in the National Guard to have earned the Order of the Sword, the enlisted force's highest honor to be bestowed on officers. The sword symbolizes truth, justice, and righteous power given to a leader among leaders.

Ed is survived by his wife of 41 years, Pauline; his son, John; stepdaughter,

Cindy; his grandchildren and his great-grandchildren. We won't forget Ed's service to this country and the impact he had on those he loved, Mr. Speaker.

Honoring the Life of Ross Bagwell

Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor the life of Ross Bagwell, Sr., who passed away on November 23 at the age of 91.

Ross grew up in east Tennessee where he watched his first television broadcast. He was not only a loving husband and father but also a trailblazer for television producing, bringing east Tennessee to the forefront of America's television production.

Most people think that it all happens in Los Angeles or New York; but, no, it happens right there in my hometown of Knoxville, Tennessee.

He originally worked on the Howdy Doody show. He produced hundreds of hours of programing, including ``I-40 Paradise,'' ``Club Dance,'' ``America's Castles,'' and Nickelodeon's ``Hey Dude,'' shows that I actually watched a lot of, especially the country music.

Ross was always very kind to me. He always catered in barbecue when I would visit him. He was a dreamer with a genuine love for creativity.

He always talked about wanting to build a waterfall in Knoxville on the Tennessee River, right there on the riverfront. I, of course, was the county mayor at the time. We couldn't make it happen because it would have been a city project.

Through CineTel and RIVR Media, the do-it-yourself concept, which you see so prevalent out there now, was actually a creation of Ross Bagwell.

He met the love of his life, Sue, in the eighth grade. They were together their whole lives until her passing in 2022.

Ross is survived by his daughter, Dee; brother, Joe; two grandchildren and six great-grandchildren. He will be missed by those who love him, Mr. Speaker, but he will not be forgotten.