February 7, 2008 EXTENSIONS OF REMARKS, Vol. 154, Pt. 2 1799 RECOGNIZING THOMAS K. FLEM- Frankfurt Yellowjackets in 1925. They recall Bill was an enthusiastic educator for almost ING FOR HIS YEARS OF SERVICE how the G-men sailed to Super Bowl victory in 30 years. Along with his wife, Bill started TO THE NORTH RICHLAND 1986 under the powerful running game of Joe teaching in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, before HILLS, TEXAS COMMUNITY Morris, the pressure of Lawrence Taylor and they would move back to New Jersey to his near-perfection of quarterback Phil Simms. childhood roots, where he then taught at HON. MICHAEL C. BURGESS Football fans everywhere will also recall how Shore Regional High School, in West Long OF TEXAS the Giants won their second Super Bowl in a Branch. He was also an adored football and IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES dramatic 20–19 victory over the Buffalo Bills. track coach and a local advocate at the West In Super Bowl XLII, the Giants have once Side Community Center in Asbury Park. Thursday, February 7, 2008 again provided fans with another dramatic vic- During his days at Shore Regional, Bill Mr. BURGESS. Madam Speaker, I rise tory. This time it was against arguably one of would become a local Monmouth County Edu- today to recognize Thomas K. Fleming. Mr. the greatest offenses that the game has seen, cation Association president, working hard to Fleming, of North Richland Hills, Texas, after an undefeated veteran team who was widely protect teacher’s rights. When Bill retired from 13 years of service, has recently retired from expected to win their fourth championship of teaching 18 years ago, he would continue ad- S.C.O.R.E., the Service Corps of Retired Ex- the decade. Yet the Giants remained resilient. vocating for children in New Jersey outside of ecutives. Just like they overcame an early 0–2 start to the classroom. He became a full-time activist Mr. Fleming helped to establish the local their season, they overcame early mistakes to for the New Jersey Education Association, North Richland Hills chapter of S.C.O.R.E. in keep it close. And then when it mattered the where he worked to advance and protect the 1995. Under his leadership, S.C.O.R.E. has most, they came up with a perfect answer for rights, benefits, and interests of its members, offered small business seminars and one-on- the perfect Patriots: A frantic 12-play, 83-yard and promote a quality system of public edu- one counseling to owners and prospective drive, led by quarterback Eli Manning, that cation for all students. It was in this capacity owners of small businesses at the North Rich- featured a dazzling leaping catch by David that I had the honor of working closely with land Hills Public Library for more than a dec- Tyree and key plays by running back Brandon Bill. Together we worked to help New Jersey ade. Jacobs, as well as receivers Steve Smith and students achieve excellence. Under Mr. Fleming’s leadership, S.C.O.R.E. Plaxico Burress. Bill is survived by a son, William David has helped thousands of small business own- Because of their team effort, the Giants now Lewis and a daughter, Michele Lewis, as well ers in the North Richland Hills area by giving become the first NFC wild card team to win a as other loving extended family members. His them expert, no-cost, confidential counseling Super Bowl. I extend my heartfelt congratula- loving wife, Laura Oxley Lewis predeceased to improve the chances of their small business tions to the entire team who placed with such Bill, whom he lost almost 6 years ago to her success. The local economy owes many valor and heart. Especially to the recipient of own bout with cancer. thanks to Mr. Fleming’s guidance. the Most Valuable Player Award, quarterback Madam Speaker, Bill Lewis was a devoted While his time with S.C.O.R.E. is coming to Eli Manning who has shown tremendous advocate for children and public education. He a close, I am confident Mr. Fleming will con- growth and has matched the successes of his was a strong champion for New Jersey’s chil- tinue to enrich the city of North Richland Hills brother, Indianapolis Colts quarterback Peyton dren, working tirelessly to provide them with as a devoted resident. I am privileged to join Manning. better opportunities and life choices. My his family, friends, and coworkers in extending I also salute the co-owners, the Mara and thoughts and prayers are with his family and my sincere congratulations on his retirement. Tisch families and their coaches—Head friends during this trying time. Again, Madam Speaker, I am proud to rec- Coach Tom Coughlin, Offensive Coordinator f ognize Thomas K. Fleming for his diligent Kevin Gilbride, Defensive Coordinator Steve work as a dedicated serviceman to his local Spagnuolo, Special Teams Coordinator Tom REMEMBERING THE VICTIMS OF community. I am honored to acknowledge Quinn, and the rest of the coaching staff for GENOCIDE IN BOSNIA such a committed and altruistic citizen. It is their commitment, expertise and leadership. the servant leadership of Mr. Fleming, and Coughlin, a highly successful head coach at HON. JOHN W. OLVER those like him, which truly makes our nation Boston College and with the Jacksonville Jag- OF MASSACHUSETTS great. uars, and a former Giants assistant, was hired IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES f as the 16th head coach in Giants history. This Thursday, February 7, 2008 victory is Coughlin’s first appearance in a HONORING SUPER BOWL XLII Super Bowl as a head coach. Mr. OLVER. Madam Speaker, I rise today in CHAMPIONS THE NEW YORK GI- History will always have a special place for remembrance of the victims of genocide in ANTS Coughlin’s New York Football Giants. They Bosnia. I would particularly like to draw the at- are truly an inspirational team whose victory tention of this body to the atrocities per- HON. CHARLES B. RANGEL will live forever in Super Bowl lore. petrated by Serb forces against the Bosniak OF NEW YORK f and Croat populations in eastern Bosnia. East- IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES ern Bosnia became the site of a number of HONORING WILLIAM H. LEWIS JR. atrocities long before the name Srebrenica be- Thursday, February 7, 2008 came known worldwide. The aggression per- Mr. RANGEL. Madam Speaker, today I rise HON. FRANK PALLONE, JR. petrated against the newly independent and on behalf of the New York Delegation to con- OF NEW JERSEY sovereign Bosnia and the genocide of its gratulate the champions of the football world, IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES Bosniak population took one of its earliest and the New York Giants. They successfully de- most vicious forms with the attacks of Serb feated the perfect New England Patriots 17– Thursday, February 7, 2008 forces on eastern Bosnia in 1992. The multi- 14 in Super Bowl XLII in one of the biggest Mr. PALLONE. Madam Speaker, I would ethnic and multi-religious character of eastern upsets in Super Bowl history in Glendale, Ari- like to honor a friend and colleague William H. Bosnia was systematically destroyed begin- zona on February 3, 2008. Lewis, Jr. of Neptune, New Jersey who ning in April 1992. New Yorkers were first introduced to profes- passed away on Monday, January 28. Bill was The historic town of Visegrad epitomizes sional football and the New York Football Gi- a remarkable man who dedicated his life to what happened in eastern Bosnia in 1992. ants in my congressional district, sharing their public service. He will be greatly missed by his The assault on Visegrad started on April 6, games with the city’s baseball Giants in the family, his friends and the entire New Jersey 1992 when Serb military units began shelling Polo Grounds. From those magnificent days community he served. Visegrad and several of the nearby Bosnian on 155th Street and 8th Avenue until today, After a second valiant fight with cancer, Bill Muslim villages. With the takeover of the Giants have always brought us memorable died at the Jersey Shore University Medical Visegrad, Serb forces unleashed a campaign games. Deep-routed enthusiasts remember Center. Born in New York City on November of terror against the Bosniak and Croat popu- the famed Sneaker Game when the team, 27, 1939, he lived a fulfilling and diversified lation of Visegrad. Every day men, women playing in 9 degree weather, switched to bas- life in which he found great successes in so and children were killed on a famous bridge ketball shoes to increase traction in the icy turf many areas. on the Drina and their bodies were dumped

VerDate Mar 15 2010 11:48 Sep 29, 2010 Jkt 069102 PO 00000 Frm 00007 Fmt 0689 Sfmt 9920 E:\BR08\E07FE8.000 E07FE8 erowe on DSK5CLS3C1PROD with BOUND RECORD 1800 EXTENSIONS OF REMARKS, Vol. 154, Pt. 2 February 7, 2008 into the river. Many ofthe Bosniak men and might not have fully recovered from the Pearl Kenny Montoya, and New Mexico Department women were arrested and detained at various Harbor attack until much later. of Veterans Services Secretary John Garcia locations in the town. Serb soldiers raped After months of fighting and with his men for their continued insistence that we honor women and inflicted terror on civilians. Looting starving and sick, on April 9, 1942, the com- the Bataan veterans. and destruction of Bosniak and Croat property mander of the troops at Bataan reluctantly sur- Madam Speaker, we must never forget the occurred daily and mosques in Visegrad were rendered. Shortly thereafter, nearly 12,000 sacrifice of our soldiers, particularly during destroyed. American troops and 67,000 Filipino troops times of war. We are reminded daily of the As the journalist Ed Vulliamy described in were forced to march through tropical heat hardships and danger faced by the men and The Guardian: ‘‘For centuries, although wars and without food or water for days on end in women currently fighting in Afghanistan and had crisscrossed the Drina, Visegrad has re- what became known as the Bataan Death Iraq. Like the soldiers of Bataan, these brave mained a town two-thirds Bosnian Muslim and March. Many died during this time, and those troops fight for patriotism, for duty, and for one-third Bosnian Serb. The communities en- who survived were subject to three years of country. I hope my colleagues will join me to twined, few caring who was what. But in the mistreatment, malnutrition, sickness and cap- honor the sacrifice of the soldiers at Bataan by spring of 1992, a hurricane of violence was tivity before being rescued and released near awarding them the Congressional Gold Medal. unleashed by Bosnian Serbs against their the end of the war. f Muslim neighbors in Visegrad, with similar at- For the State of New Mexico, this chapter of tacks along the Drina valley and other parts of World War II is particularly near to our hearts. IN MEMORY OF MIMI SCHMIDT Bosnia. Visegrad is one of hundreds of forgot- New Mexico’s 200th and 515th Coast Artillery ten names . . . As elsewhere, the pogrom units served with significant honor during the HON. ELTON GALLEGLY was carried out on orders from the Bosnian battle of Bataan, earning the distinction of OF CALIFORNIA Serb leader Radovan Karaszic and his military being the ‘‘first to fire’’ on the enemy on De- IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES cember 8, 1941. Many of the Americans cap- counterpart General Ratko Mladic, both still Thursday, February 7, 2008 wanted for genocide.’’ By the end of 1992, the tured and held as prisoners of war were from Bosniak and Croat communities in Visegrad New Mexico, and of the 1,800 who left home Mr. GALLEGLY. Madam Speaker, I rise in were effectively ‘‘cleansed’’ through killings to fight, half did not return. Further, nearly a memory of Emilienne Desnoyers ‘‘Mimi’’ and deportations. Some survivors of the initial third of those did return home after their tor- Schmidt, with whom I enjoyed a warm per- attacks on eastern Bosnia found their way into tuous 3 years of captivity died within a year, sonal relationship for about 30 years. the three Bosnian government-held enclaves most often due to complications from health Mimi died in her sleep a couple of weeks and United Nations-declared ‘‘safe havens’’ of issues directly attributed to their time in the ago. She leaves behind a legacy of nurturing Srebrenica, Zepa and Gorazde. The tragic fate POW camps. a fine family of outstanding citizens while also of these ‘‘safe havens’’ is well known. The fate The 200th and 515th also are notable be- helping to nurture a growing community. Her of Visegrad and the pattern of genocidal vio- cause they largely consisted of Hispanic sol- son Dominic is a close family friend, as are lence was similar in other eastern Bosnian diers, a group that at the time was often sub- her grandchildren Brandon and Brianna. towns such as Bijeljina, Zvornik and Foca. ject to discrimination in the military due simply Mimi and her husband, Glen, moved to my As we prepare to mark another anniversary to their ethnicity. Despite these barriers, they hometown of Simi Valley, California, in 1962. of the beginning of genocidal violence in east- fought without hesitation, noting that they were Mimi was then pregnant with their seventh son ern Bosnia and as we prepare to commemo- as American as any other soldier who wore and Simi Valley was a rural community of apri- rate the 13th anniversary of Srebrenica, let us the uniform. They came from every corner of cot and walnut groves. remember the victims of Visegrad and other the State, from Farmington to Alamogordo, Others joined the Schmidts in moving to the Visegrads throughout Bosnia. from Deming to Raton, and from Clovis to Gal- valley and a cityhood drive was launched in f lup. 1966. Fifty-five citizens placed their names on Many years ago, my father Stewart Udall the ballot. Mimi was the only woman. That ef- INTRODUCTION OF LEGISLATION wrote a book called Majestic Journey chron- fort failed but three years later the citizens of TO AWARD THE CONGRESSIONAL icling the early explorations of North America the two communities of Simi Valley and Santa GOLD MEDAL in the sixteenth century. He described the vi- Susana voted to incorporate into the City of sion, the individualism, and the pioneering Simi Valley. HON. TOM UDALL spirit of early Hispanic explorers, and I believe Glen’s chairmanship of the incorporation OF NEW MEXICO that like these explorers, the actions of the Ba- study committee catapulted him into a four- IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES taan prisoners of war ‘‘resonate through the year term on the Ventura County Board of Su- annals of our history, and the imprint they left pervisors in 1970, which put his career as an Thursday, February 7, 2008 on our culture is both permanent and pro- aerospace engineer on hold. It also forced him Mr. UDALL of New Mexico. Madam Speak- found. They will add a special luster to our na- to take a pay cut. With seven boys to feed, er, I rise today to proudly introduce legislation tional story.’’ Mimi reentered the workforce. to award the Congressional Gold Medal to Every year, thousands of people participate Before commuting ‘‘over the hill’’ to work some of the most valiant and courageous sol- in the Bataan Memorial Death March at White each day, Mimi took the time to pack her sons diers who have ever fought for our Nation— Sand Missile Range in southern New Mexico. lunches, using a whole loaf of bread to do so. the troops who battled and were prisoners of The 26.2 mile march not only marks the his- She also helped form Cub Scout Pack 3621 war at Bataan during World War II. torical significance of the event, but reminds and was active in the St. Rose of Lima Catho- Nearly seven decades ago, the United us of how many in New Mexico underwent the lic Church’s bereavement ministry. States responded to the attacks on Pearl Har- ordeals at Bataan. In AIbuquerque, stone col- In 1979, with her family mostly grown, Mimi bor by declaring war—and more than 5,000 umns rise from the ground at the Bataan Me- again ran for the Simi Valley City Council. Not miles away in the Philippines, thousands of morial Park, each of them bearing both the getting elected did not diminish her passion for American soldiers, many of whom were from names of those who returned from Bataan and politics. She was a life member of the Simi my State of New Mexico, found themselves on those who did not. In Santa Fe, the Military Valley Republican Women’s Club, serving one the frontline of this global fight. For 4 months, Museum bears the name of Bataan, reminding term as its president, and helped organize its in the face of overwhelming odds and without all who enter of the costs of war and the sac- annual garden tour. In addition, she served as ready supplies or reinforcements, these troop rifice made by our soldiers. And all across the a poll worker at her neighborhood precinct for fought and died for their Nation. Their efforts country are similar memorials, keeping alive many years and volunteered as a docent at not only provided the U.S. with much needed the memory of those who went through years the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library. stories of heroism during a dire, dark time of of suffering at Bataan. She never forgot, however, that she was a the war, their sacrifice also substantively pro- I want to thank the New Mexico Hispanic mother and grandmother first. vided much needed time for U.S. and Allied Cultural Preservation League for their help on In addition to Dominic and his wife, Teresa, commanders to regroup, plan, and prepare for this legislation. Also, General Leo Marquez, and their children, Brandon and Brianna, Mimi the Pacific battle. Without these troops delay- General Edward Baca, General Melvyn is survived by her six other sons and their ing the momentum of the enemy, the U.S. Montano, General Gene Chavez, General families: David and Carol and their daughters,

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