Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the retirement of Clive Simpson of Boone County, Iowa. For the last 28 years, Clive has worked for the Boone News-Republican, delivering the ``Boone County Shopping News'' to rural Iowans.

Clive was born May 12, 1915 in Sac County, and he retired after working for 30 years for the Federal Highway Administration in Ames, Iowa. However, that retirement did not last long. At his wife's urging in 1982, Clive began delivering the ``Boone County Shopping News'' once a month every month. In the 28 years since, Clive has delivered over 187,000 issues and covered over 60,000 miles, all in his own car. Now at the age of 95, Clive decided that it's finally time for him to officially retire.

I thank Clive for his strong and diligent work ethic. It is an admirable character trait, and one that I hope to see many Americans embody. Clive is a good role model for many younger Americans in that respect.

I know that my colleagues in the United States Congress will join me in commending Clive Simpson for his decades of service at the Boone News-Republican. It is an honor to serve as his representative, and I wish Clive and his wife Gertrude a happy and healthy retirement.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the outstanding care provided by the emergency room staff at the Veterans Memorial Hospital (VMH) in Waukon, Iowa. For their dedication to providing quality care and compassionate service, the VMH was recently awarded the 2010 Summit Award by the Press Ganey Association, recognizing it as one of the best emergency rooms in the nation.

The Summit Award is given every year to one hospital in the country that has consistently demonstrated a high level of patient satisfaction. Since 2007, Press Ganey has sent

out thousands of surveys to patients who have received care in an emergency room. These surveys are then collected, and the information in each is used to rank the hospitals according to the level of satisfaction its patients reported. In each consecutive quarter for the last three years, VMH has scored in the top five percent of hospitals nationwide and patient visits have increased by 15 percent .

I commend the staff of Veterans Memorial Hospital for their hard work in promoting superb care and a positive patient experience. It is this dedication to serving patients that we hope to see in hospitals around the country. I urge my colleagues in the United States Congress to join me in congratulating Veterans Memorial Hospital for their achievement. I wish them the best of luck in the future.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to recognize the achievement of Brandon Bates, a Boy Scout from Winterset, Iowa, who recently received the Eagle Scout Award. I commend Brandon on his perseverance and dedication to improving his community.

Brandon, who is the son of Jerry and Roxanne Bates, first joined the Boy Scout organization as a Tiger Scout at age 7. He went on to become a Cub Scout and then a Boy Scout. Throughout his years in scouting, Brandon has worked hard to earn many merit badges and awards, all of which involve personal betterment and community service. As a Cub Scout, he earned the ``Arrow of Light,'' which is the highest award that a Cub Scout can earn. As a Boy Scout, Brandon has earned the World Conservation Award, the Leave No Trace patch, and now the Eagle Scout Award.

The Eagle Scout Award is the highest award that a Boy Scout can receive. In order to be eligible for this award, a Boy Scout must earn a minimum of 21 merit badges. Brandon has currently earned 40. Only 2% of Boy Scouts nationwide receive this honorable reward, and it is looked upon with distinction in the military, in many colleges and in the business world.

I know that my colleagues in the United States Congress will join me in commending Brandon Bates for his achievement. It is an honor to serve as his representative, and I wish him luck in the future.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the achievement of Jordanne Blair of Lake City, Iowa. Jordanne, who was crowned Miss Rodeo Iowa 2010, recently represented Iowa in the Miss Rodeo America pageant in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Jordanne is the daughter of Lee and Joanne Blair and is a 2009 graduate of South Dakota State University. She has been passionate about competing in rodeos for many years, and has inspired that same passion in others as Miss Rodeo Iowa 2010. In that role, she was successful in establishing the annual Exceptional Rodeo in Lake City for handicapped individuals.

On December 4, 2010, Jordanne attended the Miss Rodeo America pageant in Las Vegas as the candidate from Iowa. Competing in the pageant were 28 women from around the country, and Jordanne was selected to be one of the ten semi-finalists. Although it was her close friend Haley McKenzie of South Dakota who took the title of Miss Rodeo America 2011, Jordanne had an exciting experience at the competition.

On January 1, 2011, Jordanne was succeeded by Heidi Gansen of Zwingle, Iowa, who is currently Miss Rodeo Iowa 2011. However, Jordanne has no plans to retire from the rodeo scene. She will advise Heidi in her new role, continue to promote the Exceptional Rodeo and the Lake City Rodeo, serve on the Miss Rodeo Iowa Board, and resume competitive barrel racing. Jordanne also plans to pursue a career in marketing or broadcast journalism.

I commend Jordanne for her devotion to her passion, her community and her state. I know my colleagues in the United States Congress will join me in congratulating and thanking her for the work she has done as Miss Rodeo Iowa 2010. It is an honor to represent her in Congress, and I wish her the best of luck in the future.

Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the resolution (H. Res. 49) providing Capitol-flown flags for recipients of the Medal of Honor.

Madam Speaker, I ask that all Members have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks.

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

Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of H. Res. 49, providing Capitol-flown flags for recipients of the Medal of Honor.

Madam Speaker, the resolution is simple, its language is succinct, but it is so much more significant than mere symbolism. This resolution provides a family member or the Medal of Honor recipient themselves a U.S. flag flown over this Capitol, along with a certificate which reads, ``This flag has been flown over the United States Capitol, in honor of the service and sacrifice of recipients of the Medal of Honor, the highest honor awarded to members of the Armed Forces for valor in combat, with profound gratitude on behalf of the United States House of Representatives.''

Madam Speaker, the Medal of Honor is the highest honor awarded to members of the Armed Forces. And to these Medal of Honor recipients, we, as a country, as one Nation, and as this collective House are immeasurably thankful for their service, their sacrifice, and their bravery, which sometimes has meant giving that last full measure of devotion.

I am especially proud of Staff Sergeant Salvatore Giunta, a native of Clinton, Iowa, who is the first living recipient of the Medal of Honor since the Vietnam War and is here in the Capitol for the State of the Union Address this evening and a recognition ceremony tomorrow.

Sergeant Giunta's service embodies a spirit of selflessness, humility, and determination that Iowans are known for, both in the military and civilian life.

We pass this resolution as a heartfelt and profoundly sincere ``thank you'' to those receiving the highest of honors, the Medal of Honor. Madam Speaker, this resolution should garner overwhelming bipartisan support, and I

urge all of my colleagues to support H. Res. 49.

I reserve the balance of my time.

I want to thank my colleague, Mr. Loebsack from Iowa, for joining me in this resolution and his lead cosponsorship on this.

The Medal of Honor, like the gentleman just referred to, has quite a history with Iowa in that back on December 9, 1861, Iowa Senator James W. Grimes first introduced the concept of a medal of honor to promote the efficiency of the Navy at that time. And later on, there was another bill to also recognize people in the Army for their outstanding service and heroic actions.

I was very pleased back in 2002 to introduce a bill; I don't know how many people were aware at the time, but there was never a Medal of Honor flag. We had in Jefferson, Iowa, a memorial for Captain Darrell Lindsey, who was a Medal of Honor winner from World War II; and a man named Bill Kendall, an Army veteran from Jefferson, felt that it was inappropriate that we didn't have a flag there. So I introduced legislation. Bill Kendall from Jefferson, Iowa, actually designed what is the Medal of Honor flag today, and I am still so appreciative of what he did.

And now at the ceremony down at the White House when the Medal of Honor was given to this next great Iowan to see that flag there, it made me feel very, very proud of the contributions that so many people, Iowans, people all across this country have made and sacrificed for a country for the kind of honor they deserve. So I'm just very proud of the history we have, and I think this is a very appropriate way of recognizing those contributions.

With that, I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I would just like to say what an honor it is for me to be part of the ceremony tomorrow to honor Staff Sergeant Giunta. Really, he is a model for what people in the military today, the service that they give, the humility that he possesses in the statements that Mr. Loebsack made about the fact that in his acceptance he talked about this was not an award and Medal of Honor for him, but for all of his comrades in arms, and how it should be given to everyone who acted so bravely that day. But that certainly is part of what Staff Sergeant Giunta is all about.

The fact that he is such a humble person, someone who believes in the mission, someone who willingly was there to sacrifice himself to save one of his comrades, I think it is so appropriate that we have this recognition today and that we honor all the people in the service today.

Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

I thank the chairman of the Energy and Commerce Committee.

Mr. Speaker, I think it is important to understand and remember how we got here. When the Senate passed their bill on Christmas Eve of 2009, there was not a soul on either side of the aisle in the House of Representatives who thought that that turkey would work. The bill that they passed, everybody knew it was bad. So when it became procedurally impossible to change it, the Democrats decided to push for this bill that everyone understood would not work, and that is what we are dealing with today.

I think it is very promising that now--Iowa just yesterday joined a lawsuit so there is a majority of the States in this country that now say let's repeal this, that the individual mandate is unconstitutional.

So not only are we stuck with a horrible bill, an unconstitutional bill that everyone knows and understood back then would never work, now they want to preserve this. We have got to repeal this and replace it with commonsense reforms that will actually work for the American people.

I thank the gentleman from California for yielding.

I rise today to join my colleagues in offering my prayers and condolences to the victims of Saturday's senseless violence in Tucson. To the families and loved ones of those who lost their lives or were injured, know that every Member of Congress and their staff stand with you today.

This legislative body was designed to be a forum for the will of the American people, and Congresswoman Giffords has always met her constituents in accordance with that spirit. She and her staff members who accompanied her on that Saturday possessed a deep understanding that a Representative of the people's House must listen and remain as accessible as possible to the people.

The citizens who lost their lives Saturday morning were exercising their patriotic duty to participate in the democratic process: a widely respected Federal judge; a dedicated church servant; a great grandmother who deeply believed in her country; a former secretary and homemaker; and a 9-year-old girl, herself a leader, getting an early glimpse of how our democracy works. And it is with an especially heavy heart that we mourn the loss of Gabe Zimmerman, a dedicated member of Congresswoman Giffords' staff and a member of this congressional community who was also a tireless servant to the people of Arizona's Eighth District. That those voices and lives were cut short is a national tragedy of the highest order.

This is a heartbreaking moment in the history of the House of Representatives and our Nation, but we cannot allow this tragedy to put us on the defensive. We cannot retreat from our responsibilities to be accessible and responsive to the will of the American people.

I look forward to the day when Congresswoman Giffords rejoins us in this Chamber. Until then, we can strive towards the lofty standard she has set. We can find inspiration in her steadfast commitment to those she serves, and we can draw strength from her unwavering belief in democracy.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the achievement of Dave Huinker of Decorah, Iowa, who was recently presented the Heritage Award during the International Association of Fairs and Expositions (IAFE) 120th annual convention in Las Vegas, Nevada.

The IAFE is a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting the development and improvement of fairs and expositions around the world. Their influence covers said events from the county level to the national and international level. Although it was first organized in 1885 to represent a half dozen fairs, it has expanded to represent over 1,300 fairs, shows, and expositions today. To be selected for Heritage Award by the IAFE, a person has to have over ten years of fair management experience, cannot receive more than $2,000 annually for their work in the position, must be nominated by their fair, and must be a current member of the IAFE.

Dave has a long history of involvement in Iowa's fairs. As a member of the 4-H from a young age, Dave spent much of his time exhibiting livestock and community service projects at his local fair. Dave served on the Iowa State Fair Board for 30 years, serving two terms of that time as board president and helping to establish the Blue Ribbon Foundation. He has served as a judge at numerous county and state fairs across the country and as an agricultural director to Decorah State Bank. Dave has also spent time as an auxiliary member of the Winneshiek County Fair Board and served on the Winneshiek County Extension Council.

The IAFE could not have chosen a better person to receive the Heritage Award. I commend Dave Huinker for his dedication to continuing and preserving our fairs and the rich culture that they represent. I know my colleagues in the United States Congress will join me in congratulating him in being selected to receive this award. I wish him the best of luck in the future.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the achievement of Ellsworth Community College in Iowa Falls, Iowa for the success of its agriculture program. This program was designed by assistant professor of agriculture Kevin Butt, and it was selected on December 1, 2010 at the National Association of Agricultural Educators (NAAE) convention in Las Vegas, Nevada to receive the National Association of Agricultural Educators Outstanding Postsecondary/Adult Agricultural Education Program Award.

Kevin designed the agriculture program at Ellsworth Community College shortly after he began working there in 2004. The goal of this program is to not only provide students with theoretical and scientific knowledge about agriculture, but also to provide those students with hands-on opportunities and situations where they can apply that knowledge. Through the implementation of this program, Kevin has succeeded in helping these students to develop their communication, leadership, and citizenship skills, all of which will be beneficial to their careers in agriculture and to their futures as civic-minded citizens.

The NAAE, which began in 1948, is a nationally-renowned organization that promotes agricultural education and the professional growth of agricultural teachers. Every year it selects six different programs, one in each of its six regions, to receive this award. Kevin's program at Ellsworth Community College was selected from the third region, which includes the states of Iowa, Minnesota, Wisconsin, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Nebraska.

I commend Kevin Butt and Ellsworth Community College for their unwavering commitment to providing quality education to their students in the field of agriculture. I know my colleagues in the United States Congress will join me in congratulating them for their selection to receive this award. I wish them the best of luck in the future.

Madam Speaker, I rise to recognize the retirement of Carla Warrick, library technician at the Ericson Public Library in Boone, Iowa after 37 years of service. I would like to express my appreciation for her devotion to literature and spreading the joy of reading to members of her community.

Although she was first hired at the library as a secretary, her job gradually changed to administrative assistant and then to library technician. Her duties expanded over the years, and she saw many changes both in the technology that the library utilized and in the building itself. While she enjoyed being surrounded by the books that she loved, it was meeting and interacting with the people--both her co- workers and the patrons--that Carla loved the most. Her experience and knowledge will certainly be missed.

I commend Carla Warrick for her commitment to literature, her career, and members of her community. It is an honor to represent her in Congress, and I wish her only joy and happiness in her retirement.

Madam Speaker, I rise to recognize the retirement of Verle Burgason, co-owner and board chairman of the Ames Tribune in Ames, Iowa. His dedication and commitment to the citizens of the community is appreciated and unequaled.

Verle has spent the last 57 years devoted to journalism, reporting the stories that impacted the community, the state, and the Nation. Known for his honesty and straightforwardness, Verle was a champion of accurate and unbiased writing. During his career, he earned the Iowa Newspaper Association's Master Editor and Publisher award, and deservedly so.

Verle's devotion to the community didn't only find expression through journalism. He was active in United Way, served as president of the Ames Chamber of Commerce, and served on the board of directors at a local bank. He was also extensively involved in church leadership, demonstrating his deep belief in morals, ethics, and a higher power. Verle correctly asserted that community service is a duty that everyone is obligated to fill--an assertion that I whole-heartedly agree with and support.

I know that my colleagues in the United States Congress will join me in commending Verle Burgason for his decades of service at

the Ames Tribune and to the Ames community. It is an honor to serve as his representative, and I wish Verle and his wife Jo a happy and healthy retirement.

Madam Speaker, I rise to recognize the achievement of Alexa Lingren, a 4-H member from Pilot Mound, Iowa, who recently received a leadership project award from the Mary Jo and Glen Mente Endowment and the 4-H Foundation. This award is given only to those who demonstrate leadership in 4-H and in their local communities. I would like to express my congratulations to Alexa for receiving this award and my appreciation to her for her leadership.

For the last eight years, Alexa has been an active leader in 4-H. She served on the 4-H council in Boone County, served as club president, and received many state awards in citizenship. She also participated in the safety, swine, sheep, and self-determined 4-H project areas, and she was named the runner-up fair queen at the Boone County Fair.

4-H has enabled Alexa to be an active leader within her community. Alexa co-chaired six community improvement grants that benefitted both the local youth shelter and area farmers. She believes that 4-H has given her the talent and the skills to help others, which she finds to be enriching.

I commend Alexa Lingren for her service to 4-H and her community, and I know my colleagues in Congress will join me in congratulating Alexa for her achievement. It is an honor to represent Alexa in Congress, and I wish her the best of luck in the future.

Madam Speaker, I rise to recognize Bert Doran, a World War II Marine Corps veteran from Boone, Iowa, and to express my appreciation for his dedication and commitment to his country.

The Boone News Republican is currently running a series of articles that honors one Boone County veteran every Tuesday from Memorial Day to Veterans Day. Bert Doran was recognized on Tuesday, October 26. Below is the article in its entirety:

Boone County Veterans: Bert Doran

(By Greg Eckstrom)

``I was lucky I lived.''

The sentence came from Bert Doran, a Marine Corps veteran

who served in World War II under harsh fighting. He was

injured in Iwo Jima after three days of fighting in which

half of his company was killed. Doran, however, isn't exactly

one to go down without a fight.

It's that spirit that drove the 19\1/2\ year old who was

born in South Dakota and moved to Boone at age 7 to join the

military. Some guys he knew said they were going to do it,

and Doran decided he wanted to do it, too. The reason he

picked the Marine Corps as his branch of choice was a

decision explained just as easily.

``It's supposed to be an elite outfit, so it's what I

picked,'' he said.

United States Marine Corps, third division, ninth regiment,

third battalion, K company was where Doran ended up, and

after signing up he was sent to California for boot camp.

Boot camp was in San Diego, followed by training at a

portion of Camp Pendleton up in the hills, ``where all the

snakes were,'' Doran said.

Boot camp was, as a bit of an understatement, tough.

``Boot camp was some of the toughest training,'' he said.

``It was 8 weeks, and I had to stay an extra two weeks

because I couldn't swim.''

Tough was also a definition, also an understatement, that

fit Doran, though.

``I decided I was going to make it through it, so I did,''

he said. ``I lost a lot of weight after I went through boot

camp.''

Leaving Camp Pendleton, Doran was next sent overseas to

Guam for further training.

``It was supposed to be secured, but we had an eight day

push to the jungles to clean out what was left,'' he said.

``It was thick jungle. We had to use knives to chop

through.''

There were also plenty of snakes in the jungle . . .

although after time in the hills in Camp Pendleton, Doran was

used to this.

It was January of 1944 that Doran left Guam. Arriving at

Iwo Jima on Feb. 26, 1945, he was greeted with fierce

fighting.

``We were actually pinned down,'' he said. ``About half the

company had been killed. We had to wait for replacements. The

captain was killed the first day, my platoon lieutenant was

killed the first day. About 200 in the company. About half of

them were killed the first day.''

After three days of fighting, Doran was in a foxhole with

two other men when a mortar shell hit.

``It killed the one guy,'' he said. ``I don't know what

happened to the other one. I probably was temporarily knocked

out, and then I pushed up through . . . The guys from the

next foxhole came out and pulled me out, put a tourniquet on

my arm. Then I was carried out of there.''

The soil at Iwo Jima was composed nearly entirely of

volcanic ash.

``That's what that whole island was,'' Doran said. ``My

face was completely full of it.''

Details are fuzzy for Doran, as he was on morphine at the

time, but he remembers being shipped out on a hospital ship,

sent to Saipan, and then flown to the Hawaiian islands.

From there, after a month, he was sent to a hospital in

Oakland, Calif., and finally to the Philadelphia Naval

Hospital, where he stayed for 11 months.

``It was kind of a blur after I was wounded,'' he said.

The blast had put so much volcanic ash into him that he had

lost his eyesight. He said that at first, he could see a

little light, but after a surgery was attempted to correct

his vision, he could see nothing.

``They said my eyes were so full of that volcanic ash that

they couldn't see into them,'' he said. ``That's the first

thing I remembered at the hospital. One of their help was

rubbing my face. Trying to get that ash out. I imagine it

looked like a mask.''

For the man that got through boot camp with grit and

determination, however, his lost vision didn't seem to slow

him down. In his time at the hospital he learned Braille, and

even took a trip up to New York City with a group.

``They took us from there for a week up to New York to the

Institute for the Blind in New York City, and we were there

for a week,'' he said. ``And they took us out to the big

night clubs at night for eats and drinks. We met Guy Lombardo

at the Roosevelt Hotel.''

He also married his wife, who was from Ogden, during a

furlough. When he went back to Philadelphia Naval Hospital,

his wife came with him and got a job at the facility.

It was at the hospital that Doran was presented with the

Purple Heart for his service to his country.

After being discharged from the service, Doran received

training at the Veterans Hospital in Des Moines on how to

make rugs--a task he picked up quickly and enjoyed for years.

``I made rugs and that kind of stuff for 25 years,'' he

said. ``I've got to liking it.''

Doran also keeps in contact with the men of K company--

sending out Christmas cards to a list that has slowly been

dwindling as the years go on. These days, he sends out about

10-12 cards each year to men from the company.

Billie Ellis, who works for Boone County Public Health,

helps Doran out at home, and knowing him for 25 years she

describes him as a perfectionist.

``He was a perfectionist and he still is,'' she said. ``He

likes everything done right.''

Over the years, the ash has been taken from Doran's face,

although one piece next to his nose did develop into cancer.

``They told me right before the surgery that a lot of them

don't live through the surgery, so that didn't sound very

good,'' he said.

A lot of people don't live through the surgery, but even

fewer survive a mortar shell landing in their foxhole. Doran

went through the 11\1/2\ hour surgery 25 years ago without

problems. After all, having survived Iwo Jima, cancer is just

another challenge to overcome.

Now, looking back on his time in the service, Doran vividly

recalls stories of his service with sharp clarity. He claims

that the military taught him discipline, and he's proud of

joining a legacy of military service in his family--having

had a brother, John F. Doran, fight in the Battle of the

Bulge and his father serve in the Army during World War I.

These days, Doran said, the military is different. Soldiers

now use technologically advanced weapons. The soldiers that

are fighting, however, don't seem to have changed much. Ellis

has a son that just joined the Marine Corps. When he was seen

off, in addition to family members, Doran was there as well.

After all, Marines support each other--both in WWII and

today.

``He wished my son good luck,'' Ellis said. ``They always

talk about the Marines.''

I commend Bert Doran for his many years of loyalty and service to our great Nation. It is an immense honor to represent him in the United States Congress, and I wish him all the best in his future endeavors.

Madam Speaker, I rise to recognize Dean Briley, a World War II Navy veteran from Boone, Iowa, and to express my appreciation for his dedication and commitment to his country.

The Boone News Republican is currently running a series of articles that honors one Boone County veteran every Tuesday from Memorial Day to Veterans Day. Dean Briley was recognized on Tuesday, October 19. Below is the article in its entirety:

Boone County Veterans: Dean Briley

(By Greg Eckstrom)

Military service for the Briley family was a family affair.

Dean Briley, a Boone County native, along with his three

brothers, all found themselves serving their country overseas

during WWII, although each stationed in different areas.

For Briley, with the war already raging, he enlisted in the

United States Navy in 1942 as a petty officer third class. He

was sworn-in in Des Moines and was sent to Boot Camp at Great

Lakes, Ill., near Chicago. Boot camp in the winter in the

Midwest was, to say the least, a bit chilly.

``It was cold,'' Briley said flatly. ``We didn't have any

hot water. We were in a new barracks, and they hadn't gotten

hot water to it yet, so we shaved and everything in cold

water.''

Following boot camp, Briley and his wife were sent to

Arlington, Va., where they didn't have a place to stay, but

had jobs.

``The first place I went to was in Washington D.C. at the

Bureau of Naval Personnel, supervising naval and civilian

personnel,'' Briley said. ``When we went, they didn't have a

place for us, so we had to find our own lodging. I guess the

first couple of nights we stayed in the Red Cross place until

we found a place to live. We were figuring officers'

longevity pay. I was there a year and a half. My wife was

with me then. She worked in the Navy Department. In

Arlington, same place I did. We lived in Washington, D.C.''

From there, Briley went through amphibious training and was

assigned to LC1 Flotilla 28 staff. The flotilla consisted of

28 ships, with Briley stationed on one of the smallest. At

150 feet long and only 25 feet wide, it was the smallest

seagoing vessel that could cross the ocean by itself.

``I had never actually seen the ocean until then,'' Briley

said. ``It only drew four feet of water, it had a flat bottom

and it was like a cork out there.''

The small ship sailed from Norfolk, Va. to Bizerte, Tunisia

in a 150-ship convoy. The trip took 21 days, after detouring

for three days to avoid German submarines.

Once the ship arrived on land, Briley said they couldn't

have liberty in Bizerte since it was quarantined with black

plague, so the men were given a two-day pass to go to Tunis.

``We met up with a soldier that knew a family there and he

would give them some rations that included bacon,'' he said.

``We stayed the night with them and had bacon and eggs for

breakfast. That was a treat.''

Briley spent 1\1/2\ years in the Mediterranean Sea area,

with much of the time spent in port. The day-to-day tasks for

him included primarily making a news sheet for the men.

He recalls one particular time, while he was in Palermo,

that he had a chance to see the catacombs.

``We went down in the catacombs,'' he said. There were

bodies laying right out on shelves and stuff. I don't think

they show those anymore.''

Meanwhile, Briley had no communication with his brothers.

In fact, while he was headed overseas, one of his brothers

was headed back to the United States with an injury--one that

could have been much worse.

``He was in a foxhole when a bomb hit alongside him and

buried him, but his head went into his helmet and then after

they took care of the wounded up above, they dug him out and

he ended up with just some back injury,'' he said. ``They

were in on the front line for I think it was over 300 days.''

One interesting event for Briley also came after he and a

friend borrowed a Jeep while in Naples and ventured to Rome.

Although the two didn't do much inside the city, they did go

to the Vatican and managed to be in the right place at the

right time for a chance meeting with Pope Pius XII. He walked

up to Briley, said ``Hello American sailor,'' and blessed the

religious items that Briley had been holding. Briley also

kissed his ring.

``It was just luck,'' he said. ``It was a big room. Then he

comes out, just being friendly.''

When Briley returned from Europe, he was on leave before

returning to Norfolk, Va. To meet a ship to go through the

Panama Canal to the Pacific when the bombs were dropped on

Japan.

The news that the war had ended shortly after brought a

different feeling than excitement for Briley.

``It was more relief,'' he said. ``Actually, it's more for

the family than anything.''

I commend Dean Briley for his many years of loyalty and

service to our great nation. It is an immense honor to

represent him in the United States Congress, and I wish him

all the best in his future endeavors.

Madam Speaker, I rise to recognize Milo Deuel, a World War II Army veteran from Boone, Iowa, and to express my appreciation for his dedication and commitment to his country.

The Boone News Republican is currently running a series of articles that honors one Boone County veteran every Tuesday from Memorial Day to Veterans Day. Milo Deuel was recognized on Tuesday, October 12. Below is the article in its entirety:

Boone County Veterans: Milo Deuel

(By Greg Eckstrom)

Before going into the service, Milo Deuel had read of a

soldier who had been in the civil war and carried a little

Bible with him in his breast pocket. The soldier in the story

had gotten shot with a mini ball, and the Bible had ended up

saving his life.

So when Deuel joined the Army Enlisted Reserve Corps while

in junior college in Missouri, and was called to active duty,

he brought with him a small book given to him by his

Methodist minister, entitled ``Strength for Service to God

and Country.'' As his service brought him around the world,

he chronicled the places he had been on the back leaf of the

book, serving as a memory for the places he'd gone and the

things he'd seen.

Commonly, veterans have a difficult time recalling

experiences from war to non-veterans because it can be a

painful experience. Deuel is similar in this way, however his

little book provides him reminders with each neatly-printed

location and date on the back leaf.

``They won't say a thing about it,'' Deuel said. ``My wife

says I'm the same way, and the older I got, the more liberal

I got with what I did and what happened. But some things that

happened I don't really care to think about or talk about.''

Yet, with the bad comes the good--the camaraderie amongst

soldiers, the experience one gains by being a part of history

and the stories that come from service.

Deuel was sent to Camp Roberts in California in 1943, where

he was trained for desert warfare. He learned how to endure

high temperatures, how to get along with little water and how

to shoot, Deuel said. After his training, he was given a

short furlough to go home and say goodbye to his family

before heading back to the west coast and then overseas.

Deuel remembered well being stationed in the Guadalcanal

Islands and ``distinguishing himself,'' although not in a

heroic fashion. Heading home from a movie, he noticed

coconuts scattered on the ground around trees, and felt the

urge to cut one open and have a drink.

``I had never seen a coconut tree before in my life,'' he

said. ``I didn't know that when a coconut fell on the ground

and laid there several days or weeks, the milk fermented and

made a soap-like substance. I ended up in the base hospital

in Guadalcanal for 10 days drinking paregoric. It had a

terrible taste to it. After a while, about the third or

fourth day, it tasted pretty good.''

From Guadalcanal, he went to Munda, New Georgia, where he

``went on a few patrols.''

``I'm glad I didn't have to fight anybody, but that jungle

warfare really didn't appeal to me,'' Deuel said.

Neither did the late-night wake-ups from Japanese aircraft

in the area.

``They had a big air strip in there covered with white

coral,'' he said. ``The Japanese would send a lone plane

around midnight two or three times a week to keep us awake.

We called him `Midnight Charlie.' He'd come over, and the

anti-aircraft guns would open up. They never hit him, but

it'd keep us awake.''

After serving between 6-8 weeks in New Georgia, Deuel was

sent to New Zealand, which he described as ``a Godsend.''

``It was just like going from green hell to green heaven,''

he said. ``And they treated us like kings down there. One of

the great treats was to have fresh milk and ice cream, which

we hadn't seen for several weeks.''

It was during Deuel's four months in New Zealand that he

found himself moved to regimental supply--a position that saw

him distributing rations to the troops. Pleasing the troops

was his job, one that was made easy when the rations were

bigger.

``I was really popular then, which wasn't very often,'' he

joked.

He then went to Papua New Guinea, followed by a stint in

Luzon, where he saw his ``most exciting'' days of his service

in the Invasion of Luzon on Jan. 9, 1945.

Regimental supply was divided into two teams, and offloaded

from the troop ship in a bay to a landing craft loaded with

large drums that appeared to be filled with gasoline. As the

fourth or fifth wave to go in on Jan. 9, Deuel's unit was

shelled out and had to wait.

``The Japanese had some artillery guns that were hidden

back in the hills, and they would let go with those every now

and then. We couldn't make the beach, so we sat out in the

bay all day and then the following day, the 10th, we went in

with no problem at all.''

It was in Luzon that Deuel said he learned a powerful

lesson working with a Filipino crew.

``I found there you couldn't judge a man by his color,'' he

said. ``Whether he was black or brown or white, it was what

was in his heart. I made some good friends with the Filipino

people.''

Deuel recalls one conversation he had with the head

Filipino man he worked with--

Juan. In the town of Santa Maria, Deuel heard a jazz band

marching down the road playing an upbeat song--``Roll Out the

Barrel''--that he had heard from Camp Roberts. As the band

came within sight, Deuel saw it was a funeral procession--

escorting the caskets of a mother and child. Shocked, Deuel

asked Milo why they didn't play something more mournful.

``He said, `Milo, think about it. Do you think that when

you die you go to a better place?' I said, `I certainly hope

so.' He says, 'That's what we do. We're happy that they're

gone out of this d* * * mess that we're in. They're gone to a

better place.'''

Deuel saw promotions quickly in Luzon, going from a buck

private to a staff sergeant in four weeks. He was next sent

to Japan for six weeks as part of occupation troops after the

war had ended, where he had a chance to see ``how effective

our bombers had been. There were miles and miles of

nothing.'' After those six weeks, he received the news.

``Milo Deuel, pack your duffle, get on the next ship.

You're headed for home,'' he recalled.

He traveled back home highly decorated. All in all, he

received several awards, including a sharpshooter's badge, a

combat infantry badge, the Bronze Star and a presidential

citation medal. Upon arriving home, the biggest shock was the

guy waiting to greet him.

``My greatest surprise coming home, I didn't have a little

brother anymore,'' he said. ``That sucker had grown up after

four or five years since I had been home. He was as tall as I

was.''

Deuel remained in contact with many of the men he'd served

with. He'd seen strong friendships throughout his service,

and a wide variety of places, as he'd documented in his

little book, which returned home with him. In it, he had

filled two of the small pages in the back of the book--each

recounting memories of places he had been and things he had

seen.

A good friend from the service he'd lost contact with

entered his mind recently, prompting Deuel to look him up and

write a letter to the mayor of the man's town--Maiden, North

Carolina--to inquire about him. The mayor responded to let

Deuel know the man had passed away, but a letter soon

followed . . . from the man's daughter.

``She said, `Daddy would never tell me a thing about WWII.

Tell me what he did,' '' Deuel recalled.

So Deuel grabbed the book--the one that had stuck with him

all through his service--and flipped it open to the last two

pages. Looking through the dates, the memories came flooding

back, and he began writing. It might be difficult for him to

talk about his service, but he wanted to share with the girl

what her father had gone through.

``There were good days and bad days,'' Deuel said. ``So I

copied a lot of this stuff. Each date gave me a remembrance

of something that happened to us. So the poor thing knows

what her daddy did.''

I commend Milo Deuel for his many years of loyalty and service to our great nation. It is an immense honor to represent him in the United States Congress, and I wish him all the best in his future endeavors.