Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, today I rise in memory of Army Staff Sergeant (SSG) Nicholas J. Olivier who paid the ultimate sacrifice while defending our great nation on February 23, 2005, during Operation Iraqi Freedom III. SSG Olivier's final mission was to conduct a foot patrol in Baghdad, Iraq in order to find terrorist elements reported to be operating in the area. While on the patrol, enemy forces initiated a complex ambush with an improvised explosive device and small arms fire that resulted in the mortal wounding of SSG Olivier and the injury of several of his fellow soldiers.

SSG Olivier was described as a leader who made it a top priority to get the men under his command back home to their families and loved ones once their tour was complete.

SSG Olivier, of Jackson, MS, was assigned to B Company, 3rd Battalion, 156th Infantry Regiment, 256th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, V Corps, Pineville, LA. He was the 15th member of the 256th from Louisiana to lose his life in Iraq.

SSG Olivier is survived by his parents, William and Linda Olivier and his wife, Angelle. In a statement issued by the National Guard, Angelle Olivier said her husband was committed to Operation Iraqi Freedom III and his country because he felt it was necessary to ensure America's freedom and to fight to abolish terrorism.

SSG Olivier gave his life to protect the freedoms we all enjoy. His sacrifice will not be forgotten.

Mr. Speaker, today I rise in memory of Army Sergeant First Class (SFC) William C. Spillers who paid the ultimate sacrifice while defending our great nation on February 17, 2007, during Operation Iraqi Freedom III. SFC Spillers died of a non-combat related injury in Baghdad, Iraq.

SFC Spillers worked at the Joint Forces Headquarters in Jackson, MS. He was assigned to the 230th Finance Detachment, 15th Finance Battalion, 13th Finance Group, Jackson, MS. Twenty-one members of his unit were mobilized in May 2006. They arrived in Iraq in August 2006.

SFC Spillers, a Terry, MS native, was described by Major General Harold Cross as a model soldier who was always attentive to his duties, Adjutant General of the Mississippi National Guard. At the time of SFC Spillers's death, at least 47 soldiers or sailors with Mississippi ties had died in action since operations began in Iraq and Afghanistan.

SFC Spillers devoted his life as a full-time soldier in service to our nation. He is survived by his parents Robert E. Spillers and Sharon Johnson, his wife Kim, his daughter Hailey, and sons Daniel and Myles.

Mr. Speaker, today I rise to honor WWII Veteran Robert

``Bob'' Pitts who proudly served in the 150th Combat Engineer Battalion. Mr. Pitts joined the Army in 1943 and left his boyhood home in Jamaica Plain, Massachusetts for basic training at Fort Devens, Massachusetts. He was among a group of young men from New England who received special training in electrical engineering. Their small unit would distinguish themselves during fierce military campaigns including being in the first assault crossings of the Rhine River. They became one of the few small units to receive a Presidential Unit Citation.

Mr. Pitts, who rose to the rank of Tec 5, served as the battalion electrician, battalion photographer, and reconnaissance scout. It was during his time in Europe that Mr. Pitts began his duties as the battalion photographer. He often developed photographs in a makeshift darkroom which also served as his sleeping quarters.

In addition to taking photographs on and off the battlefield, Mr. Pitts would also go on dangerous reconnaissance missions. He was awarded the Bronze Star while serving on a mission with the battalion captain and two others. They came under small arms fire and then they encountered a German unit with tanks. His bravery that day earned him the Bronze Star. Mr. Pitts would also earn the Good Conduct Medal.

Eventually, this tight-knit unit would be divided up, but that did not keep them from staying in touch. Two years after they returned home from war, these young soldiers formed the 150th Combat Engineer Battalion Association. They held reunions for more than 60 years before their last one in 2005.

Mr. Pitts' son, Rick, says his father's engineering skills would serve him well when he returned to the civilian world. Mr. Pitts was eventually employed by MIT as an electronic engineer assistant. He worked on very early computers and later on ``Star Wars'' projects for the U.S. Department of Defense in Massachusetts, Hawaii and New Mexico.

Mr. Pitts, who is now 94, is a member of our greatest generation. It is an honor to recognize this great American veteran and citizen who leaves behind a legacy that will be remembered for generations to come. It is an honor to be among those who followed in his footsteps as a member of the 150th Combat Engineer Battalion.

Mr. Pitts was married to Eleanor M. Hathaway for 48 years. She died in 1998. They have three children; Robert (deceased), Nancy and Richard. He has one grandson, Robert.

Mr. Speaker, today I rise in memory of Army Sergeant Robert A. McNail who died while defending our great nation on February 11, 2005, when his Humvee struck another military vehicle in Iskandariyah, Iraq. SGT McNail was the sixth Mississippi National Guard soldier to give his life in Iraq and the second to die that year.

SGT McNail was a member of Detachment 1, Company B, 150th Engineer Battalion, out of Quitman, Mississippi. His unit was attached to the 155th Brigade Combat Team. In 2005, I was deployed as a Major to Iraq with the 155th Brigade as the Operations Officer of the 150th Engineer Battalion. It was an honor and a privilege to serve with SGT McNail.

SGT McNail was studying to be a nurse and was a civilian employee at the Naval Air Station in Meridian before he was deployed. His mother, Linda McNail, said her son was engaged to be married at the time of his death. She says he enjoyed fishing and camping.

SGT McNail's father, Marvin McNail, said his son followed in the footsteps of 16 family members who served in the military. He was the only member of his family to die in military service. At his funeral, family and friends remembered him for his faith in our Heavenly Father and his willingness to give his life to keep America safe.

SGT McNail, a Meridian resident, was awarded the Bronze Star and the Mississippi Medal of Valor by Major General Harold A. Cross, the state's Adjutant General.

SGT McNail is survived by his parents Robert and Linda McNail and son Edward.

Mr. Speaker, today I rise in memory of Army Sergeant First Class (SFC) Billy A. Sutton who died as a result of non- combat causes on February 7, 2012, while supporting Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan.

SFC Sutton was assigned to the Mississippi Army National Guard's 223rd Engineer Battalion, 168th Engineer Brigade, headquartered in West Point, Mississippi. In November, 2011, SFC Sutton was deployed for his third tour in the Middle East to Afghanistan with the Army National Guard's 288th Sapper Company out of Houston. He served as the Platoon Sergeant for Route Clearance Patrol (RCP) 2, 2nd Platoon. He nicknamed his platoon the Honey Badgers.

``SFC Sutton was gifted,'' Captain Brenton Montgomery, Commander of the 288th Sapper Company said in a quote released by the Department of the Army. ``Anyone who can take their hands and make a difference is truly gifted. He had that gift and he used it to make a difference in all our lives.''

The 42-year-old Mooreville, Mississippi native was described as an outstanding soldier and Platoon Sergeant. It is an honor to recognize the life of a soldier who devoted his life to keeping America safe.

Mr. Speaker, today I am humbled to rise in memory of Army Sergeant First Class Sean Cooley.

Sean was my friend, and on this day in 2005, he paid the ultimate sacrifice to protect our country. It was a privilege to serve with him during our deployment to Iraq and Operation Iraqi Freedom III.

SFC Cooley was assigned to the Mississippi Army National Guard's Company B, 150th Combat Engineer Battalion, headquartered in Lucedale, Mississippi.

SFC Cooley gave his life when an IED detonated near him on February 3, 2005, while on a combat mission in the Babil province, Iraq. SFC Cooley was the first 155th soldier from the Dixie Thunder Brigade to sacrifice his life in Iraq and was the 21st soldier with Mississippi ties to die in the war on terror.

SFC Cooley followed in the footsteps of both of his grandfathers by serving in the U.S. Navy. He joined the Seabees in 1991 and later joined the Mississippi National Guard in 1997. SFC Cooley was a platoon sergeant in B Company, 150th Engineer Battalion of the 155th Brigade Combat team that included 3,500 Mississippians.

SFC Cooley was a great NCO, a great leader, and a great soldier, both on and off the battlefield.

While serving in the Mississippi Guard, SFC Cooley obtained a degree in nursing and became an RN in 1996. His commitment to care for the needs of others will always be remembered, as remembered by Lieutenant Colonel Robinson, his commander, who said he was sick and down at one time during a training incident, and SFC Cooley gave him both medicine and water and made sure that he took care of him. SFC Cooley will forever be remembered for his random acts of kindness.

Sergeant First Class Cooley's mother, Kathryn, says her husband, Jerry; their son, Patrick; and Sergeant First Class Cooley's wife, Laura, could not be

more proud of his devotion to the military service and this Nation.

Sean Cooley embodied the characteristics that made him a great leader, soldier, and American.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of the legislation that would allow General James Mattis to be allowed to serve as our Secretary of Defense.

As Members of Congress, we are sworn to uphold the Constitution and defend our country against its enemies. In order to secure our national security, we must have a seamless transition from one administration to another when it comes to military leadership. I somehow wonder which other Cabinet appointees has the House questioned, and the answer is none.

Although this requires a waiver, there is a Senate confirmation process that determines whether or not General James Mattis is the right person. I wish he would have testified in front of our committee, but there is no requirement that he testify in front of our committee. That is why we have the Senate. It is their duty to vet the candidates for these positions. It is their duty to confirm the candidates for each of the Cabinet positions, and no other member who is trying to be on the Cabinet has to come before the House and testify. I do wish General Mattis did because he would have excelled like he has done in every other thing he has done in his life.

I have concerns about the legislation undermining civilian control, also; but I also, like Colonel Russell, think that there may not necessarily be the need for that. Even if there is, there is civilian control of the military. The President is Commander in Chief. The Secretary of Defense answers to the Commander in Chief, who is a civilian.

Some people say interservice rivalry may be the reason that they want him to stay out for 7 years. I can assure you that 30 years from today General Mattis will be as much a marine as he is today, and 7 years or 4 years or 10 years or 30 years will not prevent him from being a marine every day for the rest of his life as he was the days preceding it.

Passing this legislation ensures that our military will have a leader on the day the President is sworn in.

Like the Member who spoke before me-- General Grant served as Commander in Chief of the Union armies and later of all the Armies of the U.S. and then was President within 4 years of having that title. General Eisenhower served as Supreme Commander and then served as President of the United States, the ultimate civilian authority. General Washington was also our first President.

I ask that we pass this legislation and that we say yes to General Mattis.