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Extensions of Remarks E2155 HON. JOHN W. OLVER

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Extensions of Remarks E2155 HON. JOHN W. OLVER December 1, 2011 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — Extensions of Remarks E2155 Thanks to The Dwelling Place, Ms. McQuain I commend the Care Center on these efforts day to honor and recognize Mr. Royal for an was able to provide her son with a happy and and am confident that this national recognition exemplary life which is an inspiration to all, stable life. Although their lives were brutally can be a catalyst that allows it to help hun- Now therefore, I, HENRY C. ‘‘HANK’’ JOHN- cut short, their resilience and ability to over- dreds more in years to come. SON, Jr. do hereby proclaim November 20, come hardship will never be forgotten, and f 2011 as Mr. Tony Royal Day in the 4th Con- they will continue to inspire the many families gressional District of Georgia. that face similar challenges. ALAN GROSS Proclaimed, this 20th day of November, My congressional district is fortunate to 2011. have The Dwelling Place providing support to HON. JAMES A. HIMES f our community, so that families in crisis can OF CONNECTICUT HONORING JOHNNY CHANDLER establish new lives without fear and with the IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES potential and support for a bright future. Thursday, December 1, 2011 I ask my colleagues to join me in remem- HON. JEFF DENHAM bering Jane and William McQuain and in sa- Mr. HIMES. Mr. Speaker, for the last two OF CALIFORNIA luting the mission of The Dwelling Place and years, Alan Gross, a 62-year old international IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES development specialist and social worker, has its dedication to assisting the homeless. Thursday, December 1, 2011 f been incarcerated in a Cuban prison. Today marks the two-year anniversary of his impris- Mr. DENHAM. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to RECOGNITION OF THE COMMUNITY onment. Alan traveled to Cuba on behalf of honor Veterans of Foreign Wars Chowchilla ADOLESCENT AND EDUCATION USAID to help the country’s Jewish commu- Post 9896 Life Member Johnny Chandler who CENTER OF HOLYOKE, MASSA- nity expand its access to the Internet and es- served his country honorably in the United CHUSETTS tablish an Intranet. This was a humanitarian States Air Force. mission, a mission to help a small and peace- After graduating from Chowchilla High HON. JOHN W. OLVER ful community improve its access to and use School in 1998, Johnny Chandler enlisted in OF MASSACHUSETTS of the Internet. Alan’s presence and actions the United States Air Force. He completed his IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES posed no threat to the Cuban government. basic training at Lackland Air Force Base in And yet, Alan has been held in a maximum- Texas, and later completed Enlisted Aircrew Thursday, December 1, 2011 security military hospital facility in Cuba since Training at Sheppard Air Force Base in Texas. Mr. OLVER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to December 2009. He has been sentenced to After completing technical surveillance spe- recognize the invaluable contributions that the 15 years in prison, charged with ‘‘acts to un- cialty training in Mississippi, Washington, and Community Adolescent and Education, Care, dermine the integrity and independence’’ of Oklahoma, he was assigned to the Airborne Center, Inc. of Holyoke, Massachusetts makes Cuba. Alan’s appeal to the Cuban Supreme Air Control Squadron, one of the three oper- to the community by improving the lives of Court was denied on August 5, 2011, formally ational E–3 Sentry (AWACS) squadrons in the teen mothers and their children. ending his legal options for release. continental United States. The primary mission Among the Care Center’s core beliefs is that Mr. Speaker, today I rise and join my col- of the 965th was Operation Southern Watch in people living in poverty should be exposed to leagues in calling for the immediate and un- the skies over Southern Iraq. The mission’s the same intellectual stimulus as those who conditional release of Alan Gross. Alan Gross objectives were to search for, track, and report are financially well off and that they will thrive is not a criminal, he is a humanitarian aid enemy aircraft contacts to ground and air- if they receive it. The Center, therefore, works worker. Alan Gross is a man whose life work borne assets and intercept them if they ven- extremely hard to provide young mothers with has positively impacted people across the tured into the No-Fly Zone. While with the high level programming in education, the arts world, including in the West Bank, Gaza, Iraq, 965th, he participated in numerous Red Flag and humanities, and athletics. These pro- Afghanistan, Africa and Haiti. Alan Gross is a training missions, which are the Air Force’s grams have been incredibly effective with up husband, a father and a son who should be equivalent of the Navy’s Top Gun School. to 85 percent of graduates going on to college released and reunited with his family imme- Johnny returned to the United States about and many launching careers in social services, diately. a year later and was subsequently selected to government and medicine. f be one of the first Airborne Surveillance Tech- On November 2, 2011, First Lady Michelle nicians to participate in the resurrection of the Obama presented the Care Center with the HONORING TONY ROYAL old 960th World War II bomber squad. While prestigious National Arts and Humanities at the Base Exchange in Incirlik Air Force Youth Program Award for its innovative hu- HON. HENRY C. ‘‘HANK’’ JOHNSON, JR. Base in Turkey, Johnny watched the television manities courses. I have been a proud sup- OF GEORGIA monitors as the first airliner impacted the porter of the Center and its vital work, and I IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES World Trade Center on September 11, 2011. cannot think of a more deserving institution in While with the 960th, he completed two tours my district. Thursday, December 1, 2011 with the Operation Northern Watch in the Over 500 organizations from across the Mr. JOHNSON of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I Northern part of Iraq, guiding American and al- country were nominated for the award which, submit the following Proclamation: lied aircraft to targets and monitoring enemy administered by the President’s Committee on Whereas, reaching the age of 50 years is a air defenses and missile sites. He had over the Arts and Humanities, is considered to be remarkable milestone; and 1,000 flight hours on the E–3 Sentry including the highest honor for such programs in the na- Whereas, Mr. Tony Royal was born in Sa- 300 combat hours. In 2003, he was promoted tion. The Care Center is one of 12 after-school vannah, Georgia on November 20, 1961 and to Staff Sergeant and was selected for cross- and out-of-school programs to receive the is celebrating that milestone today; and training in the Air Force Combat Control. award and it was, in particular, recognized for Whereas, Mr. Royal has accomplished Johnny retired from the U.S. Air Force in its exceptional humanities programming. This much in his years, but the two things he is 2005 and enrolled in Oklahoma State Univer- included the Clemente Course in the Human- most proud of is being the husband of Leslie sity’s engineering program. He graduated in ities, a free college course focusing on moral and father of Antasha and Anthony; and May 2010 with a Bachelors of Science in philosophy, art history, literature, writing, and Whereas, he is a stellar businessman, a Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering. Dur- American history; Introduction to Humanities, a model citizen and a community partner who ing his academic career, Johnny used his en- college course offered in partnership with not only talks the talk, but walks the walk; and gineering expertise to design a multitude of Greenfield Community College; and Nautilus Whereas, Mr. Royal has been blessed with robotic unmanned aerial and ground systems. II, an annual anthology of poetry and art by a long, happy life, devoted to God, family and He recently accepted a position as an Aero- Center teen mothers. community; and space Engineer at the Naval Surface War The Care Center is dedicated to helping Whereas, Mr. Royal is celebrating his 50th Center where he will be working with high- young parents with low incomes obtain access birthday with his family and friends, his good powered lasers, rail guns, conventional weap- to an excellent education. Center Executive will has touched the lives of persons every- ons, and unmanned aircraft Director Anne Teschner and her dedicated where across the nation in particularly the Mr. Speaker, please join me in thanking Mr. staff, through their revolutionary programming, Fourth District of Georgia; and Johnny Chandler for his honorable service to have opened doors leading to successful fu- Whereas, the U.S. Representative of the our great country, and wishing him the best of tures for hundreds of teens and their children. Fourth District of Georgia has set aside this luck and health in his future endeavors. VerDate Mar 15 2010 04:36 Dec 02, 2011 Jkt 019060 PO 00000 Frm 00011 Fmt 0626 Sfmt 0634 E:\CR\FM\A01DE8.023 E01DEPT1 tjames on DSK6SPTVN1PROD with REMARKS E2156 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — Extensions of Remarks December 1, 2011 COMMENDING REP. GONZALEZ’S 67TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE ed to enable our valiant allies to finally col- CONGRESSIONAL LEADERSHIP BATTLE OF COLMAR POCKET lapse the Pocket. The first to arrive were the soldiers of Major General Norman D. Cota’s HON. GEOFF DAVIS 28th Infantry Division, which had fought hard HON. CHARLES B. RANGEL OF KENTUCKY in the Bulge. They arrived on January 19th, OF NEW YORK IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES taking over the 3rd Infantry Division’s sector in the Kaysersberg valley.
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