E2580 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — Extensions of Remarks December 13, 2007 shape of Texas. He has also become popular tion’s schools. These incidents have occurred Dingell VA Medical Center in Detroit. Mr. as a cornerstone for community service. all over the country. While some thought Col- Wheeler’s career is marked by numerous hos- After living in the U.S. for a while, he be- umbine was an aberration, it has become pital administration roles and a dedication to came frustrated with the fact that voter turnout clear that this is a serious and growing prob- our men and women who have served in the in American elections was so low. Because of lem in our country that must be addressed. Armed Forces. this, he hosted a voter registration drive at his It is important to point out that in the late Mr. Wheeler was born in Detroit and moved hotel. To encourage residents to participate, 80’s and early 90’s when overall crime was to Canton, Ohio, when he was a teenager. He he offered a free breakfast for registering. going down, youth and young adult arrest received a BS in business administration from Philippe is extremely active as this year’s rates were increasing. the University of Dayton and an MA in hospital president of the Humble Intercontinental Ro- We must ask ourselves why. What makes a administration from Xavier University in Cin- tary and has been named Rotarian of the Year 14-year old feel so disengaged from society cinnati. Mr. Wheeler began his career as a on occasion. He is especially fond of the Ro- that he wants to shoot others and himself? Hospital Administration Specialist in the U.S. tary’s student exchange program which in- When do we stop allowing the broad distribu- Air Force and has served in an impressive spired him as a high school student to move tion of firearms under cover of the 2nd number of VA Medical Centers, including Dur- to the United States. His life was forever Amendment right to bear arms? When do we ham, North Carolina; Portland, Oregon; Pres- changed by the impact of Rotary International start to recognize that youth with mental ill- cott, Arizona; Coatesville, Pennsylvania; and he takes great pride in giving back to the nesses must be treated as at-risk? Where is Cleveland, Ohio; and Dayton, Ohio. Prior to organization. the breakdown in the moral fabric that used to assuming the position of Director of the John With a heart as big as Texas, Philippe has hold our society together? Dingell VAMC, Mr. Wheeler was the Medical been a Good Samaritan for many years to America is looking to Congress to come up Center Director of the VAMC Battle Creek, many people. After Hurricane Rita hit East with comprehensive solutions. We must begin Michigan. Additionally, Mr. Wheeler has con- Texas, Philippe opened his conference room to deal with this problem on three levels: in ducted seminars in postgraduate education in for storm evacuees, fed them and provided the community, within our families and on an management principles, strategic planning, mattresses for them to sleep on. individual level. and quality assurance for the VA, Duke Uni- Philippe is one of the first people to volun- As adults, we must take a greater interest in versity, and the American College of Health teer his assistance and resources if a local the lives of our children. When I was a child, Care Executives. nonprofit organization needs help. He has col- not only were my parents looking out for me, Undoubtedly, Mr. Wheeler was more than lected thousands of toys for Toys for Tots. He but the entire neighborhood served as my sur- prepared when he began his tenure at the is a major sponsor of the annual tradition rogate mothers and fathers. If I was out in the John Dingell VAMC in 2001. There, he over- known as Fill the Bus which encourages resi- street doing something I wasn’t supposed to, sees all operations of the 108 bed primary, dents to donate school supplies for children. not only would I get chastised by my parents, secondary, and tertiary care medical center He gave out free breakfast and one-night but everyone in the community would get on which provides acute medical, surgical, psy- stays at this hotel for those that donated sup- my case. At the time it may have seemed chiatric, and other inpatient care as well as plies. The event literally fills a school bus with harsh, but I now realize it was done out of both primary and specialized outpatient serv- supplies for children at Humble ISD. love. ices, including substance abuse, among oth- His largest contribution to Humble ISD was We must take the same approach with our ers. His job necessitates flexibility and strong a $100,000 grant in hotel services. The grant children today. Many of the children who com- decisionmaking abilities. saves the district money on lodging, catering mitted these heinous acts showed signs of Mr. Wheeler is a patriot and a role model for and other services which allows more school emotional disturbance prior to the incident. I us all. His colleagues and associates know resources to be spent on education instead of have to wonder if we as adults and even their him as an approachable, humorous, and very expenses. There are far too many examples peers in school were paying closer attention, hard-working Director. I am proud to call him of Philippe’s humble generosity and philan- could these tragedies have been prevented. a friend. The John Dingell VAMC has been thropy to list. His personal impact in the com- It is time for us as members of Congress to lucky to have him for these past 6 years. munity has touched thousands of lives and take a serious look at this issue and determine Madam Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join residents in Kingwood, Humble and the sur- how we can provide support to parents, teach- me in honoring Mr. Wheeler for his dedication rounding areas. We are forever grateful for his ers and our communities as a whole in ending to the VA and to the men and women who efforts. the rampant youth violence that has become have served our country. I wish him well as he Today, I salute Philippe Cras for his con- so prevalent in our society. moves on to new adventures. tributions to the community, warm hospitality and for making the eternal flame of the Amer- f f ican Dream burn brighter each day. His life is PERSONAL EXPLANATION RECOGNIZING LCPL JOSHUA an inspiration to us all to challenge ourselves BLEILL to be better citizens for the sake of our com- HON. BILL SHUSTER munities. And that’s just the way it is. OF PENNSYLVANIA HON. MIKE PENCE IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES f OF INDIANA Thursday, December 13, 2007 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES YOUTH VIOLENCE Mr. SHUSTER. Madam Speaker, on rollcall Thursday, December 13, 2007 HON. STEPHANIE TUBBS JONES No. 1155, on the motion to suspend the rules Mr. PENCE. Madam Speaker, I rise today to OF OHIO and pass H.R. 3985, the Over-the-Road Bus recognize Lance Corporal Joshua Bleill, a vet- IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES Transportation Accessibility Act, I was not eran of the Iraq War, a fine Marine and a present. Had I been present, I would have Thursday, December 13, 2007 bright light to many of us. I have had the privi- voted ‘‘yes.’’ lege of meeting this impressive young man Mrs. JONES of Ohio. Madam Speaker, we f and I am honored to enter the following poem are at a critical juncture in our nation as we at- CELEBRATING THE RETIREMENT written by Burt Caswell of the Capitol Guide tempt to find solutions to the growing scourge Service into the CONGRESSIONAL RECORD. of youth violence. In October of this year a OF MICHAEL K. WHEELER FROM A BRIGHT LIGHT student shot four others and eventually himself THE JOHN DINGELL VA MEDICAL at SuccessTech Academy in my congressional CENTER, DETROIT, MICHIGAN A... A Bright Light! district in Cleveland. Earlier this year Seung- Shining, ever into that night! Hui Cho, a Virginia Tech student who in April HON. JOHN D. DINGELL Day and Night . killed 32 students and faculty before shooting OF MICHIGAN A... himself to death. And most recently, a teen- IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES A Shining Star! ager with an assault rifle opens fire on holiday Thursday, December 13, 2007 A hero, who will go far! shoppers in a department store in middle Who with his fine heart, stands way above America. Mr. DINGELL. Madam Speaker, I rise today par! Over the past ten years more than 60 in honor of Michael K. Wheeler, who is retiring Who to our world . shooting incidents have occurred in our na- on January 3, 2008, as Director of the John So shows what is right! VerDate Aug 31 2005 07:26 Dec 14, 2007 Jkt 069060 PO 00000 Frm 00020 Fmt 0626 Sfmt 0634 E:\CR\FM\K13DE8.009 E13DEPT1 bajohnson on PROD1PC71 with REMARKS December 13, 2007 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — Extensions of Remarks E2581 About life, and sacrifice . in courage’s ment for this show of tolerance and religious Indian police arrested human-rights activ- light! freedom. ist Jaswant Singh Khalra after he exposed Touching all hearts, and souls . as left, There are only about 15,000 Sikhs in Paki- their policy of mass cremation of Sikhs, in this night...his heart burning stan. When is India, with its 22 million Sikhs, which over 50,000 Sikhs have been arrested, bright, burning bold! tortured, and murdered, and then their bod- going to recognize the same act? It has been A Marine’s, Marine! ies were declared unidentified and secretly A hero, who once upon battlefields of honor on the books for almost a century.