Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, on rollcall Nos. 113 and 114, I was delayed and unable to vote. Had I been present I would have voted ``yea'' on both.

Mr. Speaker, on rollcall Nos. 115, 116 and 117, I was delayed and unable to vote. Had I been present I would have voted ``no'' on No. 115, ``no'' on No. 116, and ``aye'' on No. 117.

personal explanation

Mr. Speaker, on rollcall No. 73, I was delayed and unable to vote. Had I been present I would have voted ``aye.''

Mr. Speaker, on rollcall No. 74, I was delayed and unable to vote. Had I been present I would have voted ``yea.''

Madam Chair, on rollcall Nos. 75, 76 and 77, I was delayed and unable to vote. Had I been present I would have voted ``no'' on all three.

Mr. Speaker, on rollcall Nos. 78 and 79, I was delayed and unable to vote. Had I been present, I would have voted ``no'' on No. 78, and ``aye'' on No. 79.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of H.R. 3247, a bill I introduced on the life of Matthew P. Pathenos by designating the post office in Chesterfield, Missouri, as the Lance Corporal Matthew P. Pathenos Post Office Building.

A resident of Baldwin, Missouri, Lance Corporal Matthew Pathenos was part of the 3rd Battalion, 24th Marine Regiment, 4th Marine Division of the Marine Forces Reserve. On February 7, 2007, Lance Corporal Pathenos was killed during combat operations in the al Anbar province of Iraq.

Matthew was often described by family and friends as a friendly young man who always had a joke to tell and a smile on his face. Matthew decided to go join the military in order to follow his older brother into his country's

service with the hope of helping those who could not help themselves.

Matthew's then-girlfriend, Erin, calls Lance Corporal Pathenos her hero and wishes she might one day possess a fraction of his bravery and discipline.

As the father of three marines, one of whom has served in Iraq, it is a privilege to stand here today to honor one of our fallen marines. Matthew's commitment and dedication to his country is a shining example of how our military men and women are the finest our Nation has to offer.

His and his family's sacrifice should serve as a reminder to all that the freedom we enjoy in America is not free but the result of the tremendous bravery and selfless service of men and women willing to put themselves in harm's way for freedom's cause. Our Nation will be forever indebted to Lance Corporal Matthew Pathenos.

Mr. Speaker, I ask that my colleagues join me today in honoring Lance Corporal Matthew Pathenos. Vote ``yes'' on H.R. 3247.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of H.R. 3248, a bill I introduced to honor the life of Drew W. Weaver by designating the post office in Saint Charles, Missouri, as the ``Lance Corporal Drew W. Weaver Post Office Building.''

A resident of Saint Charles, Missouri, Lance Corporal Drew W. Weaver was part of the 3rd Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, 1st Marine Division, 1st Marine Expeditionary Force. On February 21, 2007, Lance Corporal Weaver died while conducting combat operations in the al Anbar province of Iraq. As Captain Mark C. Brown noted, Drew was ``known for his enthusiasm and his ability to motivate the people around him.''

Drew's contribution to his country was honored by his community when hundreds of people showed up to his memorial service and procession. A graduate of Saint Charles West High School, friends and family of Drew remember him as an energetic young man who was eager to serve his country. Ryan Hanson, his best friend and a fellow serviceman, said, ``Drew loved what he was doing and was proud of what he was doing in the Marine Corps.''

As the father of three marines, one of whom has served in Iraq, it is a privilege to stand here today to honor one of our fallen marines.

Drew's commitment and dedication to his country is a shining example of how our military men and women are the finest the Nation has to offer. His and his family's sacrifice should serve as a reminder to all of us that the freedom we enjoy as Americans is not free but the result of tremendous bravery and selfless service of men and women willing to put themselves in harm's way for freedom's cause.

As Reverend James Benz noted during Drew's funeral, ``I think we can learn from them that the freedom we enjoy in this country is precious, that it is special, and that it must be preserved sometimes at great personal cost.''

Our Nation will be forever indebted to Lance Corporal Drew Weaver. Mr.

Speaker, I ask that my colleagues join me today in honoring Lance Corporal Drew Weaver. Vote ``yes'' on H.R. 3248.

Mr. Speaker, on rollcall No. 22, I was detained briefly for the vote. If I'd been in Chamber I would have voted ``aye.''

Stated against:

Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

I think that perhaps before we give the report on the status of seapower, I would make the comment that if this sequestration goes through, which people are talking about, it gravely influences the ability of our country to protect itself, and it hollows out our force. As it is, if that were to go through, we would have the smallest Navy or a Navy smaller than we had in the year 1916.

However, this particular authorization bill has some good aspects. One of the things it does is support the construction of 10 new ships in the budget request. The bill also is going to require a competitive acquisition strategy for the main engine of the next-generation bomber. That's a place we've gotten in trouble before. It allows the retirement of six B-1 aircraft but still maintains the requirement for 36 aircraft for the next 2 years.

It provides the recommended force from the Air Force of the strategic airlift of 301 aircraft comprised of C-17s and C-5s. It also requires the GAO to conduct an annual review on the new tanker program which the military has just entered into.

I would be remiss if I didn't call our attention to a historic pattern that has occurred all through America's past. That is, in times of peace, we keep cutting defense and cutting defense, and then some war comes up and we don't have what we need, and we sacrifice a lot of lives and money. We also give ourselves fewer political possibilities because we are not prepared.

We are rapidly approaching that same mistake once again in our history with the danger of the sequestration. We've already taken almost a 10 percent cut in defense, $450 billion. As a Navy guy, what that means is 45 aircraft carriers. That's how much we've cut. We only have 11 in the Navy. You're not supposed to lose them or sink them. This would be the equivalent of cutting 45 aircraft carriers. That's before sequestration. We must be careful.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor and remember Mr. William Gibbs a veteran of World War II who passed into glory on 19 October 2011.

The youngest son of John and Maimi Gibbs, William Dale Gibbs was born on 21 June 1926 in Salem, Missouri, in the heart of the Ozarks. Like many in those years, Mr. Gibbs' parent found work hard to come by and eventually moved the family to St. Louis to find employment.

At the age 18, with World War II still raging, Mr. Gibbs enlisted in the United States Army and was assigned to the 82nd Airborne Division, 325th Glider Regiment. The 82nd was the Army's first Airborne Division. Mr. Gibbs and his unit played a lead role in blunting the German advance during the Battle of the Bulge. He and his unit saw heavy fighting, suffering heavy casualties, throughout World War II.

Mr. Gibbs saw and experienced many things during his service in Europe, but none seemed to impact him as much as the following . . .

``. . . Upon completion of their objectives, the division moved again towards the Rhine River and Cologne. From there, the order of duty was to push forward into the Rhineland, and then moved again towards Berlin, winding up in a town called Ludwigslust. Here they captured a concentration camp (Camp Wobbelin) which held several thousand prisoners, many were already dead and the remaining were in very poor condition. The survivors were so elated, they were out of control. Their weak mental conditions coupled with the language barrier made it very difficult to administer to their needs. Out of respect for the prisoners, General [James ``Jumpin' Jim''] Gavin ordered a proper burial of the dead prisoners in the center of town. A formal memorial and burial service was conducted by the 325th division Chaplin, Major [George B.] Wood. The German townspeople were forced to dig the graves and attend the service. There were approximately 10,000 Germans in attendance.

After the encounter at Concentration Camp Wobbelin, the unit moved ahead towards the Elbe River. They had great pleasure in liberating some POW camps along the way. The soldiers were reunited with some of the 82nd Airborne Division who had been POWs captured in Italy over a year before.''

According to his son, David, Mr. Gibbs retold this story many times over his life. It was during his earliest memory of this story that David first saw his father cry.

Like so many of his generation, at the end of the war, Mr. Gibbs returned home, married and went to work. After completing his education and finding employment with International Shoe Company, he married Shirley Mae Warfel and together they raised a family of three boys and a girl--though they experienced the loss of their first born to leukemia at age five.

The passing of William Dale Gibbs reminds me that all too soon we will lose the World War II generation to history. While we may be losing them, we should not lose their stories and the lessons they teach; one of which is there are, in fact, things for which we should fight, and if necessary, die to preserve and protect.

On behalf of a grateful nation, thank you Mr. Gibbs for your service and sacrifice in Europe; and for returning home and raising sons and a daughter who were so very proud to call you ``Dad''.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of H.R. 3246, a bill I introduced to honor the life of Peter J. Navarro by designating the post office in Ballwin, Missouri, as the Specialist Peter J. Navarro Post Office Building.

A resident of Wildwood, Missouri, Specialist Peter J. Navarro was part of Company A, 2nd Battalion, 70th Armor Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team and the 1st Armored Division. On December 13, 2005, Specialist Navarro was one of four soldiers killed when a roadside bomb detonated near their Humvee during combat operations in Taji, Iraq.

A graduate of Lafayette High School, Peter declined his acceptance at Truman State University so that he could join the Army right after his graduation. When Peter returned home for his younger brother's funeral, he was faced with the undeniable risks of serving his country. However, he returned to Iraq, telling friends and family that without him ``they would be a man short. They need me there.''

Peter was a dedicated soldier, willing to give the ultimate sacrifice to protect his country and the men and women who reside there. As Peter's father, Retired Chief Petty Officer Jose Navarro, said, ``He cared for the soldiers he worked with. He would do anything for his friends. And he told me he believed in what the mission was.''

As the father of three marines, I have watched my boys deploy to both Iraq and Afghanistan. As such, it's a privilege to stand here today to honor one of our fallen soldiers. Peter's commitment and dedication to his country is a shining example of how our military men and women are the finest our Nation has to offer. He and his family's sacrifice should serve as a reminder to all of us that the freedom we enjoy as Americans is not free, but it's the result of the tremendous bravery and selfless service of men and women willing to put themselves in harm's way for freedom's cause. Our Nation will be forever indebted to Specialist Peter Navarro.

Mr. Speaker, I ask that my colleagues join me today in honoring Peter. Vote ``yes'' on H.R. 3246.

Mr. Speaker, on rollcall No. 889, 890 and 891, I was delayed and unable to vote. Had I been present I would have voted ``yea'' on all three.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the St. Louis Ballet located in St. Louis, Missouri.

For over ten years, Gen Horiuchi has served as the artistic director of the St. Louis Ballet. His international reputation with major choreographers throughout the world has enabled the St. Louis Ballet to bring original productions to the St. Louis region.

The St. Louis Ballet has played a vital role in community development by facilitating culture and arts in the St. Louis area. The ballet has been involved in community outreach to foster children in offering free private lessons and to Senior Assisted Living facilities in making the art of ballet and ballet performances more accessible.

Ballet truly is an artistic skill that embodies the American spirit as much as it emboldens young people to push limits and succeed in whatever they chose to do. The St. Louis Ballet School does just that as it produces many fine dancers that demonstrate high degrees of teamwork, care for others, respect, and discipline. Mr. Horiuchi's ballet is constantly transitioning and evolving, allowing for greater expression and freedom to explore and to advance. It is traits like these that Americans are hungry for in this current time in our history.

I congratulate the St. Louis Ballet's exemplary example of the leadership St. Louis and in Missouri as a whole. I am pleased to honor them in their continued endeavor to bring art and culture to the St. Louis region.

Mr. Speaker, on rollcall No. 816 and 817, I was delayed and unable to vote. Had I been present, I would have voted ``aye'' on both.

Madam Chair, on rollcall Nos. 695 and 696, I was delayed and unable to vote. Had I been present I would have voted ``aye'' on both.