[JPRT, 111th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]




                             John P. Murtha

                       LATE A REPRESENTATIVE FROM

                              PENNSYLVANIA


 
                           MEMORIAL ADDRESSES

                           AND OTHER TRIBUTES



                          HON. JOHN P. MURTHA


                               1932-2010

                          HON. JOHN P. MURTHA


                                           

             [GRAPHIC(S) NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]













                               Memorial Addresses and

                                   Other Tributes

                        HELD IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                                     AND SENATE

                                OF THE UNITED STATES

                           TOGETHER WITH MEMORIAL SERVICES

                                     IN HONOR OF

                                   JOHN P. MURTHA

                Late a Representative from Pennsylvania

                     One Hundred Eleventh Congress

                             Second Session






                        U.S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE

                               WASHINGTON: 2010







                            Compiled under the direction

                                       of the

                             Joint Committee on Printing

















                                      CONTENTS
             Biography.............................................
                                                                      v
             Proceedings in the House of Representatives:
                Tributes by Representatives:
                    Altmire, Jason, of Pennsylvania................
                                                                     22
                    Baca, Joe, of California.......................
                                                                     41
                    Bishop, Sanford., Jr., of Georgia..............
                                                                     32
                    Brady, Robert A., of Pennsylvania..............
                                                                     69
                    Braley, Bruce L., of Iowa......................
                                                                     57
                    Brown, Corrine, of Florida.....................
                                                                     61
                    Capuano, Michael E., of Massachusetts..........
                                                                     62
                    Carney, Christopher P., of Pennsylvania........
                                                                     25
                    Cohen, Steve, of Tennessee.....................
                                                                     67
                    Dahlkemper, Kathleen A., of Pennsylvania.......
                                                                     27
                    DeLauro, Rosa L., of Connecticut...............
                                                                     68
                    Doyle, Michael F., of Pennsylvania.............
                                                                     17
                    Driehaus, Steve, of Ohio.......................
                                                                     63
                    Edwards, Donna F., of Maryland.................
                                                                     59
                    Farr, Sam, of California.......................
                                                                     42
                    Frelinghuysen, Rodney P., of New Jersey........
                                                                     14
                    Harman, Jane, of California....................
                                                                     37
                    Hinchey, Maurice D., of New York...............
                                                                     31
                    Hirono, Mazie K., of Hawaii....................
                                                                     38
                    Holden, Tim, of Pennsylvania...................
                                                                     16
                    Holt, Rush D., of New Jersey...................
                                                                     33
                    Jackson Lee, Sheila, of Texas..................
                                                                 10, 77
                    Johnson, Eddie Bernice, of Texas...............
                                                                     75
                    Jones, Walter B., of North Carolina............
                                                                     59
                    Kanjorski, Paul E., of Pennsylvania 
                     ...................................
                                                            3, 5, 6, 15
                    Kaptur, Marcy, of Ohio.........................
                                                                     51
                    Kildee, Dale E., of Michigan...................
                                                                     73
                    Kilpatrick, Carolyn C., of Michigan............
                                                                     29
                    King, Steve, of Iowa...........................
                                                                     10
                    Kingston, Jack, of Georgia.....................
                                                                     12
                    Larson, John B., of Connecticut................
                                                                 22, 75
                    Lee, Barbara, of California....................
                                                                     35
                    Lewis, Jerry, of California....................
                                                                     40
                    Lipinski, Daniel, of Illinois..................
                                                                     34
                    Lowey, Nita M., of New York....................
                                                                     55
                    Maloney, Carolyn B., of New York...............
                                                                     72
                    McCarthy, Carolyn, of New York.................
                                                                     74
                    McCollum, Betty, of Minnesota..................
                                                                     36
                    Mollohan, Alan B., of West Virginia............
                                                                     70
                    Moran, James P., of Virginia...................
                                                                     49
                    Murphy, Patrick J., of Pennsylvania............
                                                                     26
                    Obey, David R., of Wisconsin...................
                                                                     19
                    Pascrell, Bill, Jr., of New Jersey.............
                                                                     34
                    Pelosi, Nancy, of California...................
                                                                     45
                    Pitts, Joseph R., of Pennsylvania..............
                                                                      5
                    Quigley, Mike, of Illinois.....................
                                                                     42
                    Rahall, Nick J., II, of West Virginia..........
                                                                     47
                    Rangel, Charles B., of New York................
                                                                     72
                    Rothman, Steven R., of New Jersey..............
                                                                     56
                    Shuster, Bill, of Pennsylvania.................
                                                                     69
                    Skelton, Ike, of Missouri......................
                                                                     39
                    Stupak, Bart, of Michigan......................
                                                                     64
                    Thompson, Glenn, of Pennsylvania...............
                                                                      8
                    Visclosky, Peter J., of Indiana................
                                                                     21
                    Wasserman Schultz, Debbie, of Florida..........
                                                                     40
                    Welch, Peter, of Vermont.......................
                                                                     65
                    Young, C.W. Bill, of Florida...................
                                                                     11
             Proceedings in the Senate:
                Tributes by Senators:
                    Dodd, Christopher J., of Connecticut...........
                                                                     80
                    Reid, Harry, of Nevada.........................
                                                                     79
             Memorial Services:
                Statuary Hall, U.S. Capitol........................
                                                                    100
                Westmont Presbyterian Church.......................
                                                                     83
                                      BIOGRAPHY

                  PENNSYLVANIA'S LONGEST SERVING MEMBER OF CONGRESS
               U.S. Representative John P. ``Jack'' Murtha dedicated 
             his life to serving his country both in the military and 
             in the Halls of Congress. He had a long and distinguished 
             37-year career in the U.S. Marine Corps, retiring from the 
             Marine Corps Reserve as a colonel in 1990.
               He served the people of Pennsylvania's 12th 
             Congressional District from 1974 until his death in 2010. 
             At the time of his death, Congressman Murtha was the 
             eighth most senior Member of the 435-Member U.S. House of 
             Representatives. Of the nearly 10,600 men and women who 
             have served in the U.S. House of Representatives since 
             1789, only 61 have served longer than him. On February 6, 
             2010, he became the longest serving Member of Congress 
             from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
               When he was a young boy, Congressman Murtha's great-
             grandmother, Mary Bell, told him, ``We are put on this 
             Earth to make a difference.'' He lived by that motto every 
             day of his life.
               He had two childhood career goals and was successful in 
             achieving both: he wanted to become a colonel in the 
             Marine Corps and a Member of Congress.
                           EARLY LIFE AND MILITARY SERVICE
               John Patrick Murtha, Jr., was born on June 17, 1932, in 
             New Martinsville, WV. Early in his life he and his family 
             moved to Pennsylvania. He grew up in Westmoreland County 
             where he completed the requirements to become an Eagle 
             Scout and where he worked as a newspaper delivery boy and 
             at a gas station. He graduated from Ramsay High School in 
             Mount Pleasant and later attended the Kiskiminetas Springs 
             School and Washington and Jefferson College, where he 
             played football.
               During the Korean war, he decided to interrupt his 
             college education and enlist in the Marine Corps out of 
             deep patriotism and love for his country. In boot camp he 
             earned the American Spirit Honor Medal, an award given to 
             fewer than 1 in 10,000 recruits. He was selected after 
             basic training to become a junior drill instructor at 
             Parris Island and in early 1953 was selected to attend 
             Officer Candidate School at Quantico, VA. He was then 
             assigned to the Second Marine Division, Camp Lejeune, NC. 
             His unit was assigned to go to Korea, but the armistice 
             was signed before his unit deployed. He was released from 
             active duty in February 1955 and joined the Marine Corps 
             Reserves.
               On June 10, 1955, in Alexandria, VA, John Murtha married 
             the former Joyce Bell, who was from Richlands, NC. They 
             met while he was stationed at Camp Lejeune.
               Mr. and Mrs. Murtha settled in Johnstown, PA. In August 
             1956, Mr. Murtha opened the Johnstown Minute Car Wash.
               He was promoted to captain in 1956, and in 1959 he 
             assumed command of the 34th Special Infantry Company, 
             Marine Corps Reserves, in Johnstown.
               He attended the University of Pittsburgh on the GI bill, 
             and graduated in 1962 with a degree in economics. He later 
             did graduate work in economics and political science at 
             the Indiana University of Pennsylvania.
               In 1966, he was promoted to major and volunteered for 
             active duty for service in Vietnam. For the next 12 months 
             he served as the S-2 intelligence officer for the 1st 
             Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division. 
             During his tour of duty he was awarded the Bronze Star 
             with Combat V, two Purple Hearts, and the Vietnamese Cross 
             of Gallantry. He returned home from Vietnam in late 1967 
             and rejoined the Reserves.
               He was promoted to lieutenant colonel in 1970 and 
             colonel in 1974. Upon his retirement from the Marine Corps 
             Reserve in 1990, he was awarded the Navy Distinguished 
             Service Medal by the commandant of the U.S. Marine Corps.
                ENTRY INTO POLITICS AND SERVICE IN THE PENNSYLVANIA 
                                  GENERAL ASSEMBLY
               In 1968, Mr. Murtha was recruited by Democratic Party 
             officials to run for the U.S. House of Representatives 
             against popular incumbent Republican John Saylor. While 
             Mr. Murtha was unsuccessful in his first race, he was 
             elected to the Pennsylvania House of Representatives on 
             May 20, 1969, in a special election to fill the remainder 
             of the term of Representative Edward W. McNally who died 
             in office. State Representative Murtha was reelected in 
             1970 and 1972. He represented Pennsylvania's 72d District, 
             which at the time included the city of Johnstown, some of 
             its suburbs, and a portion of Westmoreland County.
               As a State representative, Mr. Murtha was influential in 
             the passage of Act 120, a law that expanded training 
             requirements for municipal police officers in the 
             Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. A strong proponent of 
             protecting and cleaning up the environment, Representative 
             Murtha supported legislation that required operators of 
             abandoned surface mines to remove environmental hazards 
             and to plant vegetation to prevent erosion. These 
             measures, while unpopular in his district, helped to clean 
             up Pennsylvania's waterways. He also focused on 
             legislation that helped the steel industry. Believing that 
             if people were old enough to fight for their country they 
             were also old enough to vote, he voted in favor of the 
             26th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which 
             standardized the voting age at 18.
                      WORK IN THE U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
               After the unexpected death of Congressman Saylor in 
             1973, Representative Murtha was nominated by the 
             Democratic Party to run in a special election to represent 
             Pennsylvania's 12th Congressional District. On February 5, 
             1974, he won the special election by just 122 votes. The 
             Speaker, Carl Albert, was out of the country, so Thomas P. 
             ``Tip'' O'Neill, the majority leader, administered the 
             oath. Tip O'Neill eventually became Speaker himself and 
             was also Congressman Murtha's mentor. In fall 1974, 
             Congressman Murtha was reelected to a full term by over 
             25,000 votes.
               Congressman Murtha served on the House Armed Services 
             Committee from March 1974 to January 1975, the House 
             Committee on Standards of Official Conduct from January 
             1979 to January 1981, and the House Appropriations 
             Committee from January 1975 until his death in February 
             2010. As a member of the House Appropriations Committee, 
             he served on the Subcommittee on Military Construction, 
             Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies from January 1975 
             to January 1979; the Subcommittee on the Interior, 
             Environment, and Related Agencies from January 1975 to 
             January 2005; the Subcommittee on the Legislative Branch 
             from January 1977 to January 1979, from January 1981 to 
             January 1995, and again from January 1999 to January 2001; 
             and the Subcommittee on Defense from January 1979 until 
             his death. He became chairman of the Defense 
             Appropriations Subcommittee in January 1989 and served in 
             that role until January 1995 when he became the 
             subcommittee's ranking member. He once again became 
             chairman in January 2007 and would serve in that capacity 
             until his death.
               After helping the Democrats regain control of the House 
             of Representatives in 2006, Congressman Murtha made an 
             unsuccessful bid to become House majority leader.
               One of the pivotal moments of Congressman Murtha's 
             congressional career was his response to the catastrophic 
             Johnstown flood of 1977. After President Carter declared 
             the region a Federal disaster area, the Pennsylvania 
             National Guard was mobilized and placed under Congressman 
             Murtha's direction. He then worked with Speaker O'Neill 
             and Congress to pass legislation that gave the Federal 
             Government authority to rebuild damaged public facilities 
             and to provide grants and loans to property owners for 
             repairs and construction. He rolled up his sleeves, 
             personally cleared mud, and surveyed the damage. He 
             assured that aid got to those that needed it most, and 
             found temporary housing for those whose homes had become 
             uninhabitable. In the aftermath of the flood, Congressman 
             Murtha made it his mission to provide necessary Federal 
             aid to assist the region and to work to prevent jobs from 
             leaving the area.
               As Congressman from the 12th Congressional District of 
             Pennsylvania from 1974 to 2010, Congressman Murtha at 
             various times represented all or parts of Allegheny, 
             Armstrong, Cambria, Clarion, Fayette, Greene, Indiana, 
             Jefferson, Somerset, Washington, and Westmoreland 
             Counties.
                                        JOBS
               Congressman Murtha worked hard to bring tens of 
             thousands of family-sustaining jobs to western 
             Pennsylvania. After the widespread and devastating loss of 
             coal and steel jobs that were the lifeblood of the area, 
             he pushed the region in a new direction. He was intent on 
             diversifying the economy by attracting health care, 
             defense, medical research, tourism, and high-tech jobs 
             that would insulate the region from future economic 
             downturns. His efforts transformed communities and brought 
             much needed jobs to the 12th Congressional District.
               He cofounded the Congressional Steel Caucus in 1979 to 
             preserve what remained of America's steel industry by 
             fighting subsidized steel imports. Throughout his career 
             he supported legislation that funded alternative energy 
             technology including wind energy, fuel cell technology, 
             and a coal-based jet fuel.
               Congressman Murtha strongly supported the United Mine 
             Workers of America (UMWA) Career Center in Washington, PA. 
             The center has aided coal miners who have lost their jobs 
             by providing access to job training and counseling.
               He played a major role in heritage preservation and 
             tourism efforts throughout Pennsylvania. He created a 
             heritage region that became a model for the National 
             Heritage Area Program, which today includes both the 
             Rivers of Steel and Path of Progress in southwestern 
             Pennsylvania. He secured funding to preserve heritage 
             sites such as Fort Necessity, Frank Lloyd Wright's 
             Fallingwater, the Johnstown Flood Museum, the Johnstown 
             Flood National Memorial, and the Allegheny Portage 
             National Historic Site. He also authored legislation 
             establishing the Flight 93 National Memorial in Somerset 
             County, PA.
               Throughout his career, Congressman Murtha sought funding 
             to improve the region's infrastructure in an effort to 
             attract and retain jobs. Believing that it was essential 
             for business growth, he constantly sought funding to 
             improve and modernize western Pennsylvania's sewage and 
             water systems. He was a staunch advocate of the continued 
             replacement, repair, and upkeep of the Monongahela River 
             locks and dams. Through the Army Corps of Engineers, he 
             directed over $600 million to the system. In order to 
             facilitate economic development, he directed funding to 
             multiple area highway projects, and he supported the 
             establishment of industrial and tech parks throughout 
             western Pennsylvania.
                           MILITARY AND DEFENSE LEADERSHIP
               Congressman Murtha was highly respected for his 
             comprehensive knowledge of military and national security 
             issues. He was a trusted adviser to Presidents of both 
             parties and was one of the most effective advocates for 
             America's national defense. In his position as the 
             chairman of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on 
             Defense, he oversaw appropriations for the Department of 
             Defense, which included the Air Force, Army, Marine Corps, 
             and Navy, as well as the intelligence community.
               As the first Vietnam war combat veteran elected to 
             Congress and a career reservist, he had firsthand 
             knowledge and experience that enabled him to be a 
             recognized expert in the Congress on defense issues.
               Congressman Murtha used his position as the House's most 
             senior defense appropriator to fight for America's men and 
             women in uniform. He was known for his hands-on approach, 
             routinely visiting military bases to hear directly about 
             equipment, training, housing, health care, and other 
             services available to our troops and their families. He 
             regularly visited wounded troops at Walter Reed Army 
             Medical Center and Bethesda Naval Hospital. He routinely 
             visited combat zones to assess the needs of our troops and 
             to gauge the progress of wars and conflicts from those who 
             know it best--the troops themselves.
               Congressman Murtha worked tirelessly to ensure that our 
             troops had every advantage possible when put in harm's 
             way, including protective equipment and weapon systems 
             that are both reliable and state of the art. He fought to 
             strengthen body armor, to improve efficiencies at military 
             depots, and to provide our troops with the crucial 
             equipment necessary to respond to biological and chemical 
             warfare.
               In a 2009 trip to Fort Benning, Congressman Murtha heard 
             from a group of noncommissioned officers that the Army 
             uniform in use in Afghanistan was not providing adequate 
             camouflage. In his next appropriations bill, he required 
             that the Department of Defense study the current uniform 
             and determine if a different camouflage pattern would be 
             more suitable. Because of Congressman Murtha's efforts, an 
             improved camouflage pattern became the standard in 
             Afghanistan.
               Knowing that quality personnel are our military's 
             backbone, he aggressively advocated increased pay, 
             pensions, improved health care and quality-of-life 
             amenities and recognized they were the keys to retaining 
             well-trained personnel.
                              FOREIGN POLICY LEADERSHIP
               Congressman Murtha traveled around the world leading 
             congressional and Presidential fact-finding missions, 
             meeting with foreign leaders, monitoring international 
             elections, and representing the U.S. Congress abroad.
               In 1975 President Ford asked Congressman Murtha to be 
             part of the first congressional fact-finding mission to 
             Vietnam after U.S. forces had been withdrawn. He later 
             returned in 1978 to acquire information on Americans 
             missing in action from the Vietnamese and to bring back 
             the remains of those who had been found.
               In 1982 and 1983, Speaker Tip O'Neill sent Congressman 
             Murtha to Beirut, Lebanon, to assess President Reagan's 
             decision to deploy U.S. Marines in the midst of civil 
             unrest. Upon returning, he warned that our troops were in 
             a vulnerable position and that the force was inadequate to 
             accomplish the mission outlined by the State Department. 
             He argued for the withdrawal of the Marines from Beirut.
               Congressman Murtha was part of a congressional 
             delegation that visited the Soviet Union in 1984 shortly 
             before Mikhail Gorbachev rose to power. The delegation 
             reinforced the openness of the United States to pending 
             economic and military changes. He later worked to provide 
             funding that was essential to long-term global stability 
             by decommissioning nuclear equipment and destroying 
             warheads.
               President Reagan named Congressman Murtha and Senator 
             Dick Lugar as cochairmen of a 20-member Presidential 
             delegation to monitor the Philippine elections of 1986. 
             The delegation personally observed voting fraud and 
             manipulation and determined that the election had been 
             stolen by the Marcos regime. After the delegation 
             convinced President Reagan to delay certifying the 
             election, Ferdinand Marcos fled the country and Corazon 
             ``Cory'' Aquino became president.
               Congressman Murtha served as chairman or cochairman of 
             four separate presidential election-monitoring delegations 
             to El Salvador. He was one of the strongest and most 
             influential supporters of a democratic El Salvador when 
             Communist insurgents threatened to overrun the 
             democratically elected government.
               In 1989, President George H.W. Bush named Congressman 
             Murtha chairman of the U.S. delegation to monitor the 
             elections in Panama. It quickly became clear that the 
             election was fraudulent and that Panama's military 
             dictator, Manuel Noriega, had removed the constitutionally 
             elected president and held onto power by declaring his 
             party the election winner. At President Bush's urging, 
             Congressman Murtha traveled to Panama on several more 
             occasions and met secretly with the ``defeated'' 
             candidates. He helped facilitate messages between them and 
             the Bush administration regarding support for an American 
             intervention. He later inspected the buildup of U.S. 
             forces that invaded in December 1989 and deposed Noriega.
               Congressman Murtha played a key role in the defeat of 
             the Soviet Union in Afghanistan during the 1980s. He 
             worked with Congressman Charlie Wilson on the Defense 
             Appropriations Subcommittee to secretly provide funding 
             for the CIA to supply arms to the Afghan fighters. Stinger 
             missiles, provided through this funding, were successful 
             in shooting down Soviet helicopters and aircraft and 
             turned the tide for the Afghan resistance.
               During the Persian Gulf war, Congressman Murtha, as a 
             moderate Democrat, was vital in attracting swing votes 
             that assured passage of a House resolution supporting the 
             U.N. resolution on the conflict. He made two trips to the 
             gulf region to assess the situation and troop morale, and 
             was invited numerous times by President George H.W. Bush 
             to the White House to be briefed and to provide advice.
               When President George H.W. Bush ordered 25,000 U.S. 
             troops to Somalia in December 1992, Congressman Murtha 
             opposed the decision. He believed the deployment signaled 
             a major shift in military policy and that troops would not 
             be able to be redeployed easily. He traveled to Somalia on 
             three inspection trips, which he found to be invaluable in 
             assessing the situation. In July 1993, he wrote President 
             Clinton a letter recommending a phased withdrawal of our 
             troops. Although his advice was not heeded, history proved 
             him right.
               From 1996 through 1998, Congressman Murtha made several 
             trips to Bosnia to inspect the U.N. forces. In September 
             1996, President Clinton asked him to cochair a U.S. 
             delegation overseeing the first post-war election and to 
             certify that the election was fair and that the Bosnian 
             Muslims, Croats, and Serbs were able to openly 
             participate. He also traveled to Bosnia with President 
             Clinton for Christmas in 1997 and 1998.
               Congressman Murtha voted to give President George W. 
             Bush authorization to use military force against Iraq in 
             October 2002, a decision he would later come to deeply 
             regret. He inspected the buildup of U.S. troops in the 
             gulf region weeks before the invasion and 5 months later 
             in August 2003. He found severe shortages of body armor, 
             electronic jammers, and spare parts for vehicles. He wrote 
             to President Bush in September 2003 warning that, ``We 
             have severely miscalculated the magnitude of the effort we 
             are facing,'' and said that he agreed with an assessment 
             by former Deputy Secretary of Defense Dr. John Hamre, that 
             we had a ``narrow window of opportunity available to 
             deliver progress in terms of economic infrastructure, 
             security, and basic service improvements.'' He received a 
             reply 7 months later from the Department of Defense 
             saying, ``We have made substantial progress in the very 
             ways that you suggest.''
               After voicing his concerns and suggestions directly to 
             the Bush administration with no substantive response, he 
             made the decision to publicly argue for the redeployment 
             of U.S. forces from Iraq on November 17, 2005. Since then, 
             he became one of Congress' most outspoken critics of the 
             war in Iraq, convinced that the conflict could only be 
             solved politically, diplomatically, and economically by 
             the Iraqis, not the American military. His stance and 
             beliefs validated those who had already been opposed to 
             the war and also helped to change public opinion. These 
             efforts ultimately led to major policy changes in Iraq. 
             Overall, he made eight visits to Iraq over the course of 
             the war.
               He was the author of ``From Vietnam to 9/11: On the 
             Front Lines of National Security.'' This autobiography 
             told the story of his involvement with international 
             affairs and the lessons he learned from those experiences.
                              VETERAN ISSUE LEADERSHIP
               As the first Vietnam combat veteran to be elected to 
             Congress, Congressman Murtha deeply understood the need to 
             take care of America's veterans. Throughout his career he 
             often spoke with veterans, veterans groups, and family 
             members of veterans to ensure that they were treated 
             fairly and with honor and respect.
               In 2000, Congressman Murtha visited Gettysburg 
             battlefield. As a result of the visit, he recognized the 
             deplorable state of maintenance and care of the priceless 
             artifacts from the battle which included weapons, battle 
             flags, and uniforms. Over the next decade he ensured 
             funding was added to numerous interior appropriations 
             bills to establish a new and modern visitor center and to 
             preserve priceless artifacts. These efforts helped 
             refurbish the Gettysburg cyclorama, store artifacts in a 
             climate-controlled facility, and restore the battlefield 
             to its original state.
               In 2001, Congressman Murtha visited the Normandy 
             battlefield and cemetery in France. He found that the 
             existing visitor center was inadequate to accommodate the 
             millions of guests that visited each year, and that it 
             neither conveyed how important the battle was to 
             liberating Europe nor the enormous sacrifice made by 
             Allied forces. Congressman Murtha worked with Congressman 
             David Obey and Congressman David Hobson to provide funding 
             for a new interactive visitor center, which was dedicated 
             in June 2007.
               In 2003, he worked to create the ``Helmets to Hardhats'' 
             Program, an initiative that works to connect transitioning 
             active-duty and reserve-component soldiers with the 
             construction industry. The program is designed to help 
             those with military experience get hired in civilian 
             construction trades that are facing critical labor 
             shortages.
               Concerned with the mental health of our troops and 
             veterans, Congressman Murtha helped develop the Defense 
             and Veterans Head Injury Program which supports research 
             and tracks those with head injuries to better evaluate 
             various treatment methods. He earmarked over $1.4 billion 
             for traumatic brain injury and psychological health 
             research and counseling. He worked to establish long-term 
             treatment facilities for veterans facing severe mental 
             illnesses across the country.
               He also worked to start a partnership between Conemaugh 
             Health System in Johnstown and Walter Reed Army Medical 
             Center. He successfully obtained over $30 million for 
             their work in neuroscience and pain research, which is 
             revolutionizing the military's treatment and management of 
             pain.
               In 2008, Congressman Murtha worked to include provisions 
             for the GI bill for the 21st century in a supplemental 
             defense appropriations bill. The legislation increased GI 
             bill benefits to all members of the military, including 
             members of the Reserve and National Guard, who have served 
             on active duty for at least 3 months since September 11, 
             2001.
                               HEALTH CARE LEADERSHIP
               During his time in office, Congressman Murtha expanded 
             medical research and improved access to preventative 
             medicine and quality health care.
               In 1990, Congressman Murtha worked with Congressman Bill 
             Young of Florida to create the Department of Defense 
             Marrow Donor Program, which later became the National 
             Marrow Donor Program.
               In 1991, he, along with Senator Jay Rockefeller of West 
             Virginia, introduced the Coal Industry Retiree Health 
             Benefit Act, also known as the Coal Act. This bill, which 
             was ultimately incorporated into the Energy Policy Act of 
             1992, established the United Mine Workers of America 
             (UMWA) 1992 Benefit Plan. The plan provides health 
             benefits to retired and disabled miners and their spouses. 
             After the establishment of the benefit plan, Congressman 
             Murtha fought for the continued solvency of the fund when 
             it was in danger of bankruptcy.
               He was also a staunch supporter of the Black Lung 
             Benefits Program. He helped pass the legislation that 
             enabled miners who worked underground for 25 years to 
             automatically qualify for black lung benefits. He also 
             directed funding for research on lung disease and the 
             development of an artificial lung to help miners suffering 
             with black lung disease, and pressed for passage of 
             legislation to make dust monitors in mines tamperproof.
               In 1992, Congressman Murtha helped create the 
             Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs (CDMRP) 
             within the Department of Defense to manage funding for the 
             research of diseases and illnesses prevalent in the 
             military. This program developed into a unique partnership 
             between Congress, the military, and the public, in which 
             doctors, scientists, and health advocates collaborate on 
             innovative ideas and high-impact research.
               The first program funded through the CDMRP was the 
             breast cancer peer-reviewed research program. In the early 
             1990s, a group of military spouses came to Congressman 
             Murtha and told him that the military health care system 
             was paying no attention to the disease. At the time, even 
             mammograms were not being offered at many of our military 
             hospitals. As the chairman of the Defense Appropriations 
             Subcommittee, Congressman Murtha put $25 million into the 
             Pentagon budget for breast cancer research that year. When 
             the Secretary of Defense called to ask what he should do 
             with this money, Congressman Murtha's response was simple, 
             ``Offer mammograms.'' This initial funding was so 
             successful that the following year Congressman Murtha put 
             $210 million into the program. Under his leadership, 
             Congress has earmarked over $2.5 billion for the 
             Department of Defense peer-reviewed breast cancer research 
             program. These funds have enabled over 5,500 proposals 
             from scientists and doctors across the Nation to receive 
             funding for innovative projects that have made a 
             significant impact on the detection and treatment of the 
             disease.
               In 1993, Congressman Murtha helped create TRICARE, a 
             nationwide-managed military health care program. The 
             beneficiaries of this program include active duty military 
             personnel, military retirees, their dependents, and some 
             members of the Reserves.
               In 2003, the Air Force Surgeon General informed 
             Congressman Murtha that 144,000 Air Force personnel and 
             members of their family had diabetes. Determined to 
             reverse the diabetes epidemic that affected the military, 
             he provided funding for diabetes prevention, education, 
             and outreach programs.
               He fought for a patient's bill of rights, prescription 
             drug benefits, and increased Medicare benefits. When 
             Pennsylvania's Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) 
             was slated to be eliminated by Federal regulations, he 
             convinced the Clinton administration to be more flexible 
             and ultimately saved the program. When Medicare refused to 
             pay for preventive health care such as mammograms and flu 
             shots, he directed funding to pay for these procedures.
               In 2009, Congressman Murtha supported the Affordable 
             Health Care for America Act believing that every American 
             should have access to quality affordable health care.
                              ENVIRONMENTAL LEADERSHIP
               Since his election in 1974, Congressman Murtha worked to 
             clean up the environment and reduce pollution. As a member 
             of the Appropriations Subcommittee on the Interior, he 
             traveled to various national parks throughout the country 
             and promoted the well-being of America's natural treasures 
             and wildlife. Locally, he understood that clean water was 
             important for safety, the environment, and business 
             growth.
               Congressman Murtha led the fight to maintain funding for 
             the Abandoned Mine Reclamation Fund, which has provided 
             millions of dollars to Pennsylvania to reclaim abandoned 
             mine hazards, including mine fires, subsidence under 
             communities, open pits and shafts, high walls and coal 
             refuse piles. He was instrumental in creating the 
             Appalachian Clean Streams Initiative, which provided 
             millions of dollars of funding dedicated to cleaning up 
             abandoned mine drainage. Also, he was integral in creating 
             the Oven Run Project, which improved water quality and 
             returned fish and other aquatic life to previously dead 
             sections of the Stonycreek River outside of Johnstown.
               Congressman Murtha worked tirelessly to revitalize 
             brownfields, providing money to clean up abandoned 
             industrial sites and attract new businesses to these 
             properties.
               Congressman Murtha created the Kiski Basin Initiative to 
             bring in Forest Service money for community tree planting 
             and pushed to make the Kiski Basin Pennsylvania's first 
             Forest Legacy area. He also worked to protect native trees 
             by pursuing funds to control invasive species such as 
             Japanese knotweed.
               In 2005, Congressman Murtha helped to attract Gamesa, a 
             Spanish windmill manufacturer, to Ebensburg through an 
             initiative to develop wind power at remote military bases. 
             Gamesa's windmills are found throughout southwestern 
             Pennsylvania, creating clean, renewable energy. 
             Congressman Murtha was also instrumental in creating the 
             National Defense Center for Environmental Excellence, part 
             of Concurrent Technologies Corporation in Johnstown, which 
             helps manufacturers reduce environmental impact by 
             identifying more environmentally friendly materials, 
             coatings, or manufacturing methods.
               Congressman Murtha worked with Speaker Nancy Pelosi and 
             other Members of Congress to ensure that Fort Baker and 
             the Presidio in the San Francisco area transitioned from 
             military installations to protected land in the National 
             Park system.
               To protect the environment from the negative effects of 
             global climate change, Congressman Murtha was an early 
             supporter of carbon capture and sequestration technology. 
             In 2009 he worked with other Members of Congress to ensure 
             that a bill he originally cosponsored, the Carbon Capture 
             and Storage Early Deployment Act, was incorporated into 
             the American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009, which 
             was passed by the House.
                            OTHER LEGISLATIVE PRIORITIES
               In 1998, in the wake of the unsuccessful prosecution of 
             House colleague and friend Joseph McDade, and due to 
             numerous published examples of Federal prosecutorial 
             misconduct, Congressman Murtha took on the Department of 
             Justice to require its prosecutors to abide by State 
             ethics rules. Congressman Murtha introduced an amendment 
             that reversed the 1989 ``Thornburgh Memo,'' and codified 
             that Federal prosecutors must abide by the ethics rules of 
             jurisdiction in which they practice. After many Members of 
             Congress cited examples of prosecutorial misconduct, the 
             amendment passed resoundingly.
               A staunch advocate of law enforcement personnel, 
             Congressman Murtha worked to ensure that police 
             departments throughout Pennsylvania received Federal 
             funding for necessary equipment and training.
               Concerned about the future viability of Social Security 
             and the retirement savings of Americans, he authored 
             legislation allowing children to have a Roth IRA so that 
             family members and friends can contribute to a child's 
             nest egg from day one while receiving a tax credit.
               As a strong supporter of Second Amendment rights, 
             Congressman Murtha ensured that the Civilian Marksmanship 
             Program, a program that provides marksmanship training, 
             sponsors shooting competitions, and provides sales of M-1 
             rifles to qualified individuals, received Federal funding. 
             The program promotes firearms safety training and rifle 
             practice for all qualified U.S. citizens through a network 
             of affiliated shooting clubs across the United States.
               He also supported changing the way in which the Social 
             Security COLA was calculated, so that it more accurately 
             reflects the needs of seniors. Congressman Murtha voted 
             for every minimum wage increase during his tenure in 
             Congress and voted against the North America Free Trade 
             Agreement (NAFTA) in order to try to preserve 
             manufacturing jobs in his district. He also voted for the 
             Family Medical Leave Act to ensure that workers could take 
             time off for illness, to take care of a sick family 
             member, or for the birth of a child without fear of losing 
             their jobs.
                PERSONAL LIFE, CIVIC INVOLVEMENT, HONORS, AND FAMILY
               When not at work, Congressman Murtha enjoyed nature, 
             gardening, fishing, and playing golf. He was an avid 
             reader, enjoyed crossword puzzles, and watched sports. He 
             cared deeply about the quality of life in his community 
             and was a strong supporter of civic organizations and the 
             arts. He also gave guest lectures for students at area 
             colleges and universities.
               He was a member of the Marine Corps League, the Veterans 
             of Foreign Wars, the American Legion, and the Military 
             Order of the Purple Heart. He was also a life member of 
             the National Rifle Association and was awarded the coveted 
             Kentucky Rifle.
               In 2006, Congressman Murtha received the prestigious 
             John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Award. He has received 
             countless awards including the Department of the Navy 
             Distinguished Public Service Award; the National Breast 
             Cancer Coalition Leadership Award; the Congressional Medal 
             of Honor Society's National Patriots Award; the Spirit of 
             Hope Award from the United Service Organization (USO); the 
             Edmund S. Muskie Distinguished Public Service Award; the 
             highest honor from the Marine Corps League, the Iron Mike 
             Award; and Pennsylvania's two highest honors, the 
             Distinguished Service Medal and the Meritorious Service 
             Medal. In 2009, he was inducted in the Pennsylvania 
             Department of Military and Veterans Hall of Fame. He was 
             named Pennsylvania Chamber of Business and Industry's 
             Government Leader of the Year and Pittsburgh's Riverperson 
             of the Year. He has received honorary degrees from the 
             Indiana University of Pennsylvania, Mount Aloyisus 
             College, Northeastern University, Saint Francis 
             University, Seton Hill University, Suffolk University, the 
             U.S. Army War College, Washington & Jefferson College, and 
             Waynesburg University.
               He died on February 8, 2010, from complications of 
             gallbladder surgery, and is buried in Grandview Cemetery 
             in Johnstown, PA.
               Congressman Murtha is survived by his wife Joyce; his 
             daughter Donna; his twin sons, John and Patrick; their 
             wives, Kathy and Lynn; his grandchildren, Jack, Anne, and 
             Clayton; his two brothers, Robert ``Kit'' and Jim; and 
             many nieces and nephews and their families. He is preceded 
             in death by his parents, John, Sr. and Mary Ray, and his 
             brother Charles.
?

                                           

                                 MEMORIAL ADDRESSES

                                         AND

                                   OTHER TRIBUTES

                                         FOR

                                   JOHN P. MURTHA
                     Proceedings in the House of Representatives
                                               Friday, February 5, 2010
               Mr. KANJORSKI. Madam Speaker, on behalf of 
             Representative Jason Altmire, Representative Robert A. 
             Brady, Representative Christopher P. Carney, 
             Representative Kathleen A. Dahlkemper, Representative 
             Charles W. Dent, Representative Michael F. Doyle, 
             Representative Chaka Fattah, Representative Tim Holden, 
             Representative Tim Murphy, Representative Todd Russell 
             Platts, Representative Allyson Y. Schwartz, Representative 
             Joe Sestak, Representative Bill Shuster, Representative 
             Glenn Thompson, and myself, we rise today to acknowledge 
             and celebrate a milestone in the Commonwealth of 
             Pennsylvania.
               Thirty-six years ago today, our colleague, 
             Representative John ``Jack'' P. Murtha, was elected to the 
             U.S. House of Representatives to fill the seat vacated by 
             the death of former Representative John P. Saylor.
               Tomorrow, he surpasses the career of our former 
             colleague, Representative Joseph M. McDade, and officially 
             becomes the longest serving Member of Congress ever from 
             the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
               Jack has dedicated his life to serving our country both 
             in the military and in the Halls of Congress. A former 
             Marine, he became the first Vietnam war combat veteran 
             elected to the U.S. Congress.
               When he arrived here in 1974, he quickly attracted the 
             attention of then-majority leader, and future Speaker, Tip 
             O'Neill, who became Jack's mentor. Tip taught him that 
             ``all politics is local,'' which has enabled him to become 
             an effective advocate for his own congressional district 
             and for initiatives throughout our State.
               Jack's contributions to Pennsylvania are endless. When 
             Pennsylvania's Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) 
             was slated to be eliminated by Federal regulations, Jack 
             convinced the Clinton administration to be more flexible 
             and ultimately saved the program. When our steel industry 
             was in crisis, he convinced the Reagan administration to 
             impose higher tariffs on foreign steel, giving domestic 
             producers an edge. When the Philadelphia Shipyard was 
             threatened with closure, he secured funding to keep ship 
             production going. When the U.S. Army was forming Stryker 
             Brigades, Jack helped convince Army leaders to field one 
             within the Pennsylvania National Guard, creating the first 
             and only brigade of its kind in the Reserve component. 
             When the National Park Service wanted to construct a new 
             museum and visitor center at Gettysburg, he secured 
             funding to make the project possible. When a decades-long 
             mine fire threatened the residents of Centralia, PA, Jack 
             worked to secure funding to buy the town and relocate the 
             residents. When the health care benefits of retired miners 
             were in trouble, he twice secured funding to help save 
             their benefits from termination. When Flight 93 crashed in 
             Stonycreek Township, PA, Jack was there the next day to 
             survey the scene and later introduced legislation, which 
             was enacted, establishing a national memorial to honor the 
             passengers and crew. When he found out that diabetes was 
             becoming an epidemic in the military and throughout 
             Pennsylvania, Jack secured over $150 million for research, 
             prevention, education, and outreach programs.
               As the dean of our congressional delegation, Jack 
             exemplifies the hard work and dedication seen throughout 
             our Commonwealth. He has always been there when 
             Pennsylvania needed him. Jack is emblematic of the hard-
             working Pennsylvanians that he has represented for 36 
             years, as well as those that each of us represent. He has 
             led our delegation with passion and perseverance. . . .
                                              Tuesday, February 9, 2010
                                       PRAYER
               Chaplain Phillip Lee, Marine Forces Reserve, New 
             Orleans, LA, offered the following prayer:
               Almighty God, Supreme Judge of the world, thank You for 
             our military members, for the security they provide to our 
             Nation and the hope they bring to hurting places on 
             distant shores. Give each one clear ears, sharp eyes, a 
             keen mind and a heart full of courage to accomplish the 
             mission they are assigned. Heal them when they are 
             injured; sustain their families and friends as they too 
             endure war's tragedies and tensions caused by spiritual 
             wickedness in high places and the darkness of this world.
               Today help us to silence the roaring lions and charging 
             bears who seek to rule the globe with terrorism. Empower 
             us by every righteous means to foster peace on Earth and 
             good will to all. Guide those entering this room today to 
             be faithful, and full of faith, while performing their 
             duties on behalf of the American people. And as weariness 
             tugs at the soul, may each person mount up as on the wings 
             of an eagle.
               We ask that You give particular comfort to the family of 
             John Murtha today, former Marine and citizen Congressman 
             for 19 terms who passed away yesterday.
               By Your grace, anchor us now in the Rock who leads us to 
             be holy, reconciling us to Your purposes and ways. Remind 
             us never to forget that we are Americans promoting 
             freedom, responsible for our actions, and dedicated to the 
             principles that make us free; free indeed. Keep us 
             trusting in You, God, and then the United States of 
             America.
               We ask You all this, Supreme and Eternal Commander in 
             Chief, because Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and 
             the glory forever. Semper Fi. Amen.
                                              Monday, February 22, 2010
               MOMENT OF SILENCE IN MEMORY OF REPRESENTATIVE JOHN P. 
                               MURTHA OF PENNSYLVANIA
               Mr. KANJORSKI. As most Members of this Chamber know, we 
             recently lost a dear friend and colleague. Congressman 
             Jack Murtha passed away on February 8 after complications 
             from gallbladder surgery.
               Jack recently became the longest serving Member of 
             Congress from Pennsylvania ever. Jack was dedicated to his 
             country, our military troops, and the people of 
             Pennsylvania that he represented for 36 years. He will be 
             greatly missed by our delegation, our State, and the 
             entire Nation.
               On Wednesday, there will be a special order following 
             votes in memory of Jack Murtha. Anyone wishing to speak 
             may contact my office for that privilege.
               In closing, I respectfully request a moment of silence 
             in memory of our dear friend, Jack Murtha.
               I yield to the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Pitts).

               Mr. PITTS. Madam Speaker, I first got to know Jack as a 
             freshman legislator in the Pennsylvania House of 1973-
             1974, where he and I served together until he was elected 
             to Congress in 1974. We were both Vietnam veterans--the 
             only two in the State house, so we had something in common 
             that we chatted about.
               Jack served his community in western Pennsylvania as 
             both the State and Federal Representative for nearly four 
             decades, and he will be missed by his hometown of 
             Johnstown and residents of the 12th Congressional 
             District.
               He served his country as a Marine drill instructor. As 
             an officer, he remained in the Reserves after leaving 
             full-time service in 1955. He volunteered to return to 
             full-time service in 1967, and he served honorably in 
             Vietnam, earning a Bronze Star with Valor and two Purple 
             Hearts.
               Even after being elected to the U.S. House of 
             Representatives, Representative Murtha continued his 
             service in the Reserves, finally retiring as a colonel in 
             1990. Just a few weeks ago, he became the longest serving 
             Pennsylvania Member of the House of Representatives.
               He will be dearly missed by his wife of 54 years and his 
             children and grandchildren that he leaves behind. I join 
             with my colleagues in the Pennsylvania delegation to 
             extend our condolences to his family and friends.
               Tonight, we honor his service.

               The SPEAKER. Will all Members please rise for a moment 
             of silence.

               Mr. KANJORSKI. Madam Speaker, I offer a privileged 
             resolution and ask for its immediate consideration.
               The Clerk read the resolution, as follows:
                                    H. Res. 1084
               Resolved, That the House has heard with profound sorrow 
             of the death of the Honorable John P. Murtha, a 
             Representative from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
               Resolved, That the Clerk communicate these resolutions 
             to the Senate and transmit a copy thereof to the family of 
             the deceased.
               Resolved, That when the House adjourns today, it adjourn 
             as a further mark of respect to the memory of the 
             deceased.

               The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gentleman from Pennsylvania 
             is recognized for 1 hour.

               Mr. KANJORSKI. Madam Speaker and colleagues, it is with 
             great sadness as well as a great deal of honor that I rise 
             this evening to commemorate and to celebrate the life of 
             our friend and colleague, Congressman John Murtha of 
             Pennsylvania's 12th District.
               As we mourn the loss of Jack Murtha and remember his 
             life, I pass along my thoughts and prayers to his family 
             and friends. Just days before his passing, Jack became the 
             longest serving Member of Congress ever from Pennsylvania.
               I am privileged to have had the opportunity to work 
             closely with Jack during our time together in Congress, 
             and I am honored to have called him my friend. I thought 
             the other day, upon returning from Pittsburgh and the 
             funeral in Johnstown, that Jack and I had spent more than 
             5,000 days together, and more than 2 or 3 hours each day, 
             during our service in Congress together. That is probably 
             longer than most husbands and wives spend together. And 
             maybe that accounts for the fact that I feel such a loss.
               I looked up to Jack for his dedication to our country 
             and our military troops, his strength to work in a 
             bipartisan way, and his passion for his work and the 
             Pennsylvanians he represented. Throughout his career in 
             public service, Jack has been a symbol of the hard-working 
             Pennsylvanians throughout the Commonwealth.
               Jack dedicated his life to serving our country both in 
             the military, in the Halls of Congress, and the State 
             legislature of Pennsylvania. A former Marine, he became 
             the first Vietnam combat veteran elected to the U.S. 
             Congress.
               When he arrived here in 1974, he quickly attracted the 
             attention of then-majority leader and future Speaker Tip 
             O'Neill, who became Jack's mentor. Tip taught him that all 
             politics is local, which enabled him to become an 
             effective advocate for his own congressional district and 
             for initiatives throughout our State.
               Jack's contributions to Pennsylvania are endless. When 
             Pennsylvania's Children's Health Insurance Program, CHIP, 
             was slated to be eliminated by Federal regulations, Jack 
             convinced the Clinton administration to be more flexible, 
             and ultimately saved the program. When our steel industry 
             was in crisis, he convinced the Reagan administration to 
             impose higher tariffs on foreign steel, giving domestic 
             producers an edge.
               When the Philadelphia Shipyard was threatened with 
             closure, he secured funding to keep ship production going. 
             When the U.S. Army was forming the Stryker Brigades, Jack 
             helped convince Army leaders to field one within the 
             Pennsylvania National Guard, creating the first and only 
             brigade of its kind in the Reserve component. When the 
             National Park Service wanted to construct a new museum and 
             visitors center at Gettysburg, he secured funding to make 
             the project possible.
               When a decades-long mine fire threatened the residents 
             of Centralia, PA, Jack worked to secure funding to buy the 
             town and relocate the residents. When the health care 
             benefits of retired miners were in trouble, he twice 
             secured funding to help save their benefits from 
             termination.
               When Flight 93 crashed in Stonycreek Township, PA, Jack 
             was there the next day to survey the scene, and later 
             introduced legislation which was enacted establishing a 
             national memorial in honor of the passengers and crew.
               When he found out that diabetes was becoming an epidemic 
             in the military and throughout Pennsylvania, Jack secured 
             over $150 million for research, prevention, education, and 
             outreach programs.
               Jack led our Pennsylvania delegation for 36 years with 
             passion and dedication. The legacy that he has left will 
             surely live on as a symbol of the great work that one man 
             can do, and is something that we can all strive to 
             achieve. The Pennsylvania delegation is honored to pay 
             tribute to his life this evening and say goodbye to a dear 
             friend and colleague.
               Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from 
             Pennsylvania (Mr. Thompson).

               Mr. THOMPSON of Pennsylvania. Madam Speaker, I thank my 
             good friend, Mr. Kanjorski, for yielding and this 
             opportunity to take time to remember and to recognize the 
             life and public service of Congressman John Murtha.
               As a freshman, and being here 14 months, I had the 
             opportunity to just get to know the Congressman when I 
             joined this Chamber a little over a year ago. And I will 
             say that although Congressman Murtha was the dean of the 
             delegation, and someone who had been here almost four 
             decades, he reached out to an individual who was a 
             freshman, a rookie. Whenever I saw Congressman Murtha, he 
             was always quick to ask how things were going, how people 
             were treating me, and was there anything he could do for 
             me. He had that bipartisan approach. He was first and 
             foremost from Pennsylvania, as opposed to identifying 
             himself as part of a party.
               As I had gotten to know Congressman Murtha we had some 
             common ties. I found out he had such a sense of public 
             service. As Mr. Kanjorski mentioned, he certainly will be 
             missed by the people of Cambria County and throughout his 
             entire congressional district. And his sense of public 
             service I believe really grew out of his experiences in 
             scouting. Congressman Murtha was an Eagle Scout. And 
             within scouting, learned those principles of leadership 
             and citizenship and service, went on to serve as a 
             decorated war hero in the U.S. Marines, and continued that 
             service right up until 1990, retiring as a colonel.
               And today, we remember Congressman Murtha in his public 
             service as he went on to be the longest serving Member in 
             the U.S. House of Representatives from Pennsylvania.
               All of our prayers go out to Congressman Murtha's wife 
             and his family as we take this time to pause and give 
             thanks and honor the life of Congressman John Murtha.
             APPOINTMENT OF MEMBERS TO THE COMMITTEE TO ATTEND FUNERAL 
                        OF THE LATE HONORABLE JOHN P. MURTHA
               The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the order of the 
             House of January 6, 2009, the Speaker on February 16, 
             2010, appointed the following Members of the House to the 
             Committee To Attend the Funeral of the Late Honorable John 
             P. Murtha:
               The gentleman from Pennsylvania, Mr. Kanjorski
               The gentlewoman from California, Ms. Pelosi
               The members of the Pennsylvania delegation:
               Mr. Holden
               Mr. Doyle
               Mr. Fattah
               Mr. Pitts
               Mr. Brady
               Mr. Platts
               Mr. Shuster
               Mr. Gerlach
               Mr. Tim Murphy
               Mr. Dent
               Ms. Schwartz
               Mr. Altmire
               Mr. Carney
               Mr. Patrick J. Murphy
               Mr. Sestak
               Mrs. Dahlkemper
               Mr. Thompson
               Other Members in attendance:
               Mr. Larson (CT)
               Mr. Becerra
               Mr. Crowley
               Ms. Wasserman Schultz
               Mr. Rangel
               Mr. Dicks
               Ms. Kaptur
               Mr. Levin
               Mr. Mollohan
               Ms. Slaughter
               Mr. Taylor
               Mr. Andrews
               Mr. Moran (VA)
               Mr. Bishop (GA)
               Ms. Corrine Brown (FL)
               Ms. Eshoo
               Mr. Kennedy
               Mr. Berry
               Ms. Kilpatrick (MI)
               Mr. Kucinich
               Mrs. McCarthy
               Mr. Pascrell
               Mr. Reyes
               Mr. Rothman
               Mr. Capuano
               Mr. Holt
               Mr. Weiner
               Mr. Ryan (OH)
               Ms. Matsui
               Mr. Cohen
               Mr. Courtney

               Ms. JACKSON LEE of Texas. I would like to thank my dear 
             friend, Mr. Kanjorski, for offering a privileged 
             resolution.
               My simple words are that this House was privileged to 
             have a man like John Murtha walk these halls and this 
             floor. I know that as he is honored on Wednesday night 
             with a special order, we will gather to celebrate and 
             commemorate a life well lived not only for his family, but 
             for his country and for the people that he loved and the 
             military that he served and respected. . . .

               Mr. KING of Iowa. Mr. Speaker, I move that the House do 
             now adjourn.
               The motion was agreed to; accordingly (at 10 o'clock and 
             12 minutes p.m.), under its previous order and pursuant to 
             House Resolution 1084, the House adjourned until tomorrow, 
             Tuesday, February 23, 2010, at 10:30 a.m., for morning-
             hour debate, as a further mark of respect to the memory of 
             the late Honorable John P. Murtha.
                                           Wednesday, February 24, 2010
               The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the 
             House, the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Young) is 
             recognized for 5 minutes.

               Mr. YOUNG of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I rise this evening 
             to speak to the memory of one of my close friends, one of 
             my colleagues, my partner, and a man with whom I have 
             spent so many hours, so many days and for so many years as 
             we've worked together on the national defense 
             appropriations bill, and I'm speaking of the late Chairman 
             Jack Murtha.
               In keeping with his legislative management style, I'll 
             be brief because, as we presented our defense 
             appropriations bills, the last meeting that we would have 
             somewhere in the Chamber here would be, ``Hey, look, this 
             is a good bill. It's not controversial. Let's pass it 
             quick. We ought to be able to get it done in 8 or 10 
             minutes,'' which we normally did.
               Jack was a good leader, a good chairman. When we had 
             discussions on the hundreds and hundreds of issues in that 
             bill, his concern always was what is best to keep America 
             safe, and what is best to give our soldiers the tools that 
             they need, the technology that they need to do their job, 
             to carry out their mission, and to protect themselves 
             while they're doing that.
               I expressed my condolences and my sadness to his wife, 
             Joyce, and their children. I know of the sadness that they 
             experienced here a couple of weeks ago as Jack left the 
             Congress, left the family, and left this life. I really 
             was saddened and regretted and felt extremely bad that I 
             was not able to attend his funeral, but Beverly and I had 
             a tragic event of our own during that same period.
               I wanted to mention that Beverly, my wife, knew Jack 
             Murtha very well because we would oftentimes be at the 
             same military hospital with him visiting troops, wounded 
             troops and their families. I remember the first day that 
             my wife ever ran into Jack Murtha at Walter Reed Hospital. 
             She had been talking with the wife of a soldier who had 
             serious physical problems, and the family had financial 
             problems.
               She said, ``Hey, Mr. Murtha, give me your wallet.'' And 
             Jack Murtha took out his wallet and handed it to her, and 
             she took out all of the money and handed it to the 
             soldier's wife and then gave Jack back his empty wallet. 
             And so she also had a special relationship.
               But we were not able to attend Jack's funeral. During 
             that same period of time, my son Billy and his wife, 
             Ashley, had become pregnant some time ago, and everybody 
             was excited about that. Then one day, they picked us up at 
             the airport coming back from Washington, and we had lunch 
             together. They announced that they had just been to the 
             doctor, and we were going to have twin granddaughters. You 
             talk about being excited and cheers and tears. But that 
             was not to be. Twenty weeks into the pregnancy, something 
             happened. Things went wrong. The two little girls, Taylor 
             Ann and Riley Grace, were born alive and lived only a 
             couple of hours until their little hearts quit beating.
               So we were going through that same grief at about the 
             same time that Joyce and her family were going through the 
             grief of losing Jack Murtha.
               I lost a friend. Congress lost a powerful legislator. He 
             didn't speak on the floor very often. He was never 
             boisterous. You never saw him--well, seldom--shouting and 
             waving his arms, but he knew what was going on. And he 
             affected what was happening in the legislation.
               Some of our colleagues used to joke that he would sit 
             back in this corner while I sat back in that corner so 
             that between the two of us, we could watch everything that 
             was happening in the House Chamber at any given time. 
             Well, there might have been something to that, but it was 
             a good relationship.
               So again, I express my condolences. My own sadness of 
             losing this friend, of losing this great American. Mr. 
             Speaker, I think Jack has left an emptiness that probably 
             will not be filled for a long time, if ever. And I think 
             those on the House floor, as we proceed with 
             appropriations bills in the future, will recognize that 
             without Jack Murtha here, things are a lot different.
               God bless the family.

               The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the 
             House, the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Kingston) is 
             recognized for 5 minutes.

               Mr. KINGSTON. Mr. Speaker, I rise as a friend and mourn 
             and share the loss not just to the Murtha family and the 
             State of Pennsylvania, but to the entire Nation, and 
             certainly every man and woman wearing a uniform.
               I was proud to know Jack Murtha, proud to serve in the 
             U.S. Congress with Jack Murtha. He was a bipartisan guy. 
             He was a knowledgeable guy. He was a hard-working guy.
               The military budget in appropriations is over $500 
             billion. It is a very thick bill. You have to know 
             airplanes from submarines, from tanks to battleships. Jack 
             Murtha knew that, and he would study it very deeply.
               Jack Murtha, though, beyond being a professional 
             Congressman, taught this Chamber many things.
               For one thing, I learned as a guy who came up through 
             some partisan battles and some nonpartisan battles that 
             the Murtha-McDade relationship almost cast a certain 
             circle around the State of Pennsylvania that made it a 
             special place, that the Pennsylvania delegation had 
             something that the other States did not have, and that was 
             two great leaders--Republican and Democrat--who kind of 
             set the tone not just for the entire State but for the 
             rest of us to see how things could be. And indeed, the 
             Pennsylvania delegation has still had great fellowship 
             because of that legacy.
               It was also reflected in his relationship with Bill 
             Young. I can't tell you what a joy it has been for all 
             Members of Congress who come and often see the battles 
             that are so epitomized on the talk shows and the name 
             calling and so forth, and you think that is Congress. And 
             then you go into a committee room and you see Bill Young 
             and Jack Murtha working together, not always agreeing but 
             always affectionate and always having great respect for 
             what the other one had to say.
               And indeed, I can tell you as somebody who served here 
             18 years, sometimes you couldn't tell who was chairman. 
             They were that close and that united and that focused on 
             what was best for the troops. What a great relationship. 
             And again, what a great example for the rest of us.
               Jack Murtha was an old-school guy. He liked to have his 
             bill done in a hurry. In fact, the chairman, Mr. Obey, is 
             there, and he knows while it was one of the largest bills, 
             it was also one of the fastest bills to be passed so many 
             times. Jack Murtha knew exactly where he wanted to go long 
             before the hearing started.
               I remember I had an amendment that had to do with 
             electronic verification of Social Security numbers for 
             people working on Federal contracts. The chairman didn't 
             like it. And I remember Mr. Murtha--I submitted it, I 
             worked the committee, the subcommittee very carefully, and 
             he said, ``Kingston, we're not going to do that.'' That 
             was it. That was my hearing. And when he said that, you 
             knew that was it. The curtain was closed. The case was 
             over.
               And this same chairman could turn around and say to you, 
             ``You've got a problem in Hinesville, Georgia.'' Little 
             old Hinesville, GA, a speck on the map, that because it's 
             the home of Fort Stewart, the Third Infantry was expecting 
             two more brigades, went out and built a lot of roads and 
             schools and infrastructure in preparation for another 
             brigade.
               And then the Pentagon made a turn and decided not to 
             send it to them. And who stood up for Hinesville, GA? Jack 
             Murtha. Who did I go to and say, ``Look, if we're going to 
             make this happen, we've got to do something to help these 
             people because the Pentagon has done them wrong. They 
             stood tall for the military but now the military has let 
             them down. We're not going to let that happen.'' And Jack 
             Murtha pulled through. Not just on that issue but time and 
             time again.
               Jack Murtha loved the United States of America. Jack 
             Murtha loved the military. Jack Murtha loved the soldiers. 
             He stood up not just for them, but for their families over 
             and over again.
               Congress has lost a great leader, as has the State and 
             the United States of America. But the American soldiers 
             have lost a true friend and a passionate guy who would do 
             anything for the men and women in uniform.
               I say God bless Jack Murtha and his memory and 
             everything he has done for the United States of America.

               The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the 
             House, the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Frelinghuysen) 
             is recognized for 5 minutes.

               Mr. FRELINGHUYSEN. Mr. Speaker, I echo the sentiments of 
             my colleagues here today and want to add my voice in 
             tribute to Jack Murtha--our colleague, my chairman, and my 
             friend.
               For nearly his entire adult life, Jack Murtha selflessly 
             served his beloved Nation--first in uniform as a decorated 
             combat Marine and later as an elected Representative from 
             my neighboring State of Pennsylvania.
               We all know by now that he was the first Vietnam war 
             combat veteran elected to Congress. And while many of us 
             followed him to Congress, he rose to become chairman of 
             the House Appropriations Committee's Subcommittee on 
             Defense. I've had the honor of serving with him on the 
             subcommittee for over 10 years.
               In our dealings over the years, Jack and I did not 
             always agree on policy decisions. But I always respected 
             his undeniable dedication and his refreshing candor.
               And there is no doubt that he cared most deeply about 
             the men and women of America's military and their 
             families. He understood their challenges and their 
             anxieties. And what he did not understand, he actively 
             sought to learn in trips to Defense Department facilities, 
             forward operating bases, and military medical centers 
             across the world.
               He served our men and women in uniform diligently and 
             daily in countless ways. He worked each week to improve 
             their quality of life.
               Mr. Speaker, Jack Murtha loved Congress. He loved 
             Pennsylvania, he loved his constituents, he loved the 
             military, and he loved all of these things with a passion 
             that exceeded the most ardent enthusiast.
               But fundamentally, Jack Murtha was a Marine--with all of 
             the distinguishing attributes and characteristics that 
             brings. As a former member of the U.S. Army, I recall the 
             statement of one Army general, ``There are only two kinds 
             of people who understand Marines: Marines and the enemy. 
             Everyone else has a secondhand opinion.''
               My secondhand opinion is that I am honored to have 
             served with Jack Murtha. I will never forget his enduring 
             friendship. May the tributes and prayers of so many of our 
             colleagues this afternoon here today be a source of 
             strength to his wife, Joyce, and to his family.
               Semper Fi, Jack Murtha.

               The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under the Speaker's announced 
             policy of January 6, 2009, the gentleman from Pennsylvania 
             (Mr. Kanjorski) is recognized for 60 minutes as the 
             designee of the majority leader.

               Mr. KANJORSKI. Mr. Speaker and colleagues, I rise today 
             to honor our friend and one of the outstanding Members of 
             this House, Jack Murtha, who represented Pennsylvania's 
             12th District, and to remember his devotion to his work in 
             this Congress, his strength of character, and his hard-
             fought efforts for his district in Pennsylvania and our 
             country.
               Additionally, I feel privileged to have called Jack my 
             friend, and I know that many other Members in this Chamber 
             feel the same way.
               As first votes were called this week and Members 
             gathered on the House floor, it was very apparent to most 
             of us that someone was missing. I walked in on Monday 
             almost expecting to see Jack seated in the far chair in 
             the Pennsylvania corner as I had seen since I had first 
             joined Congress 25 years ago.
               While Jack is no longer with us, his spirit will live in 
             this Chamber and in the Halls of Congress. For now, the 
             chair will remain empty, as he could never be replaced.
               Jack left us too soon. But his legacy will surely live 
             as a symbol of the great work that one man can do and is 
             something that we can all strive to achieve. He will be 
             sorely missed by all of his fellow colleagues, his 
             friends, and definitely, the Pennsylvania delegation.
               Mr. Chairman, I'd like to yield to the gentleman from 
             Pennsylvania (Mr. Holden).

               Mr. HOLDEN. I thank my friend from Pennsylvania for 
             yielding.
               Mr. Speaker, today we pay tribute to our departed friend 
             and colleague, Jack Murtha. Over 17 years ago, I heard 
             Jack say that his great-grandmother told him he was put on 
             this Earth to make a difference--and boy did he make a 
             difference.
               He loved his country and served it with distinction at 
             many levels. He served in the U.S. Marine Corps stateside 
             during the Korean war. When the Vietnam war broke out, he 
             volunteered to go back and served in Vietnam and received 
             two Purple Hearts.
               He was the first Vietnam combat veteran elected to the 
             U.S. Congress. He was the longest serving Member in the 
             history of the Congress from Pennsylvania to serve in the 
             House of Representatives, and as Mr. Young mentioned 
             during his remarks, he never forgot the men and women in 
             uniform and made sure that they had the tools to do the 
             job that they do so well. And our returning veterans as 
             well, he was always at the forefront of making sure they 
             had the proper care and treatment and visited them so many 
             times at our military hospitals.
               But he also cared so much about all of us. Everybody in 
             this body has an example where Jack helped them. And he 
             helped me so many times over the years, but there is just 
             one that I want to share with everyone today.
               After the redistricting of 2000 and after the 2002 
             election, I found myself serving in a district that was 60 
             percent new to me, and I inherited one of the best medical 
             facilities in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania--and 
             actually in the entire country--the Penn State Milton 
             Hershey Medical Center. After meeting with the leaders at 
             the Penn State Milton facility and seeing the quality of 
             care that they provide, he said, ``There's one thing that 
             we're missing. We're missing a cancer research and 
             treatment institute. People that we serve, when they are 
             diagnosed, all too often have to go to Philadelphia or 
             Pittsburgh or Baltimore for care. We need to have a 
             facility for literally millions of central Pennsylvanians, 
             and we, Penn State, are willing to put up more than our 
             fair share or more than the majority of the cost, but we 
             are about $35 million short of getting there.''
               I went to see Jack. I brought him to Hershey. He looked 
             around at the quality of care that was provided, made an 
             agreement and said, ``It won't happen in 1 year or 2 
             years, but it will happen. We, the Federal Government, 
             will be a partner and the people of central Pennsylvania 
             no longer will have to travel to Philadelphia or 
             Pittsburgh or Baltimore.''
               I am proud to say today that as a result of Jack's 
             efforts and his desire to help me, we have the best 
             quality cancer care in central Pennsylvania. All of us 
             could cite incidents like that where Jack cared about 
             Members and did things to affect the quality of life for 
             their constituents.
               Our thoughts and prayers continue to go to Joyce, Donna, 
             Patrick, and John and so many of Jack's former and current 
             staffers that are with us today.
               Jack, we miss you dearly.

               Mr. KANJORSKI. Mr. Speaker, I would like to introduce 
             Mr. Mike Doyle. Before he speaks a word, he was 
             commissioned as the jokester of the Pennsylvania corner 
             purposely to keep Jack in his good spirits during his 
             presence there.

               Mr. DOYLE. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
               I rise to honor the memory of my mentor and my dear 
             friend, Congressman Jack Murtha. This is a tough day for 
             all of us in the Pennsylvania delegation. Our State has 
             lost its 800-pound gorilla and our dear, dear friend.
               Jack Murtha personified the people of western 
             Pennsylvania, tough, hard working, salt of the Earth. He 
             loved his family. They always came first, his beautiful 
             wife, Joyce, to whom he was married for over 50 years, his 
             three children, and his grandchildren. Family always came 
             first to Jack Murtha.
               He loved his country, and he most especially loved the 
             men and women who wore the uniform of the United States of 
             America. He was their champion. There wasn't any Member in 
             this body who fought harder for those troops than Jack 
             Murtha.
               He loved this institution too. I remember he especially 
             was helpful to new Members. When I got elected in 1994, 
             Jack took me under his wing and one day he sat me right 
             back there in the Pennsylvania corner, right next to his 
             chair, and he said, ``I am going to give you two pieces of 
             advice.'' He says, ``Number one, sit here on the floor and 
             learn the rules and the procedure, because if you master 
             the rules and the procedure of the House, someday you're 
             going to get a chance to offer a bill, and the people that 
             understand the rules will always win.''
               He said, ``Number two, find out what you are passionate 
             about and be the best person you can be in that field. Be 
             the person that other people come to and ask for advice on 
             that issue.''
               I never forgot that advice. Sixteen years later, every 
             day, we still come over to that corner, and those of us 
             who were smart enough would come over there to seek Jack's 
             counsel. He didn't just do it for the members of the 
             Pennsylvania delegation, he did it for anyone who was 
             smart enough to come back there and introduce themselves 
             to Jack and seek his counsel. It didn't matter what their 
             party affiliation was either.
               Much has been said about Jack's ability to work across 
             the aisle. He truly did. When he chaired the Defense 
             Appropriations Committee, it didn't matter to him what 
             your party was. What mattered to him was that you had 
             something that was going to be good for the troops and 
             good for the country, and if you had a good idea, Jack was 
             willing to help you turn that idea into reality.
               When you think about the appropriation bills and how 
             long it takes us sometimes to pass bills and how long that 
             we go sometimes without passing bills and have to throw 
             them in an omnibus at the end of the year, there was 
             always one bill that we never had a problem passing. I 
             can't remember in the 16 years that I have been here in 
             the House of Representatives it ever taking more than 10 
             minutes to pass the defense appropriations bill. Jack just 
             had it all worked out from the beginning, and he worked it 
             out with both sides. That was the beauty of it.
               You know, it was said that when Jack wasn't in the 
             majority anymore and not the chairman of the committee, it 
             was hard to tell who was the chairman of the committee, 
             because Jack and his good friend Bill Young worked 
             together as a team. They were both the chairs of the 
             committee every year, regardless of what party was in 
             control. It was his dear friend, and it was a pleasure to 
             see those two work.
               To sit on these opposite ends, we hear so much rancor in 
             America today about the division in our country and the 
             division here in the House of Representatives, how 
             Democrats and Republicans can't work together. These two 
             gentlemen worked together their entire careers. They were 
             an example for the rest of us to follow.
               Jack Murtha is not with us anymore. It's hard to imagine 
             coming to the Pennsylvania corner, and I think the 
             toughest thing for all of us this week was to stand in 
             that corner and see that chair empty and know that our 
             friend wasn't coming in. It's going to take us a while for 
             that to sink in that it's really happened, but one thing 
             lives on. Jack would want us to move forward. Jack 
             wouldn't want us to spend a lot of time dwelling about him 
             or how we feel because he is gone.
               Jack would want us to get back to work. He would want to 
             make sure that we were working for this country and for 
             our districts. He always told every Member that came over 
             there, vote your district first. Regardless of what 
             anybody tells you on this floor, you vote your district. I 
             watched Jack Murtha chase some of the leadership of our 
             party back from Pennsylvania corner when they were trying 
             to make some of our members not vote their districts. Jack 
             made sure that didn't happen.
               Jack, we're going to miss you. You've been a great 
             teacher. To those of us in the Pennsylvania delegation, 
             you were a great friend, to many of us a father figure. We 
             stand here today to honor your memory and to pledge to you 
             that we will continue to work hard in your memory and make 
             sure that the people of western Pennsylvania and the great 
             State of Pennsylvania continue the tradition that you set 
             for all of us, the example that you set for this 
             delegation.
               To his family, our deepest sympathies. Jack Murtha, 
             Godspeed, God bless.

               Mr. KANJORSKI. Mr. Speaker, Jack's chairman as chairman 
             of the Appropriations Committee, David Obey.

               Mr. OBEY. Mr. Speaker, this is a very human institution, 
             and it's affected very much by our personal relationships 
             with one another. Very frankly, for the first 20 years 
             that Jack and I served on the Appropriations Committee, we 
             were often adversaries. There were some issues on which we 
             differed. He was, as has already been said, very much old 
             school, and I was more of a reformer.
               In fact, when I ran for the chairmanship of the 
             committee against a senior member of the committee, Jack 
             managed the campaign of my opponent and, unfortunately, he 
             did a pretty good job. After I was elected, we had an 
             arm's-length relationship for a couple of years.
               But if you care about your country, and you care about 
             this institution, you swallow your differences and you 
             learn to work with everybody. Jack and I soon had 
             developed a solid working relationship, and we became 
             allies on a host of issues. One of the most important was 
             our view of the war in Iraq and how to get out of it; and 
             another was our concern about the dubiousness of our 
             continued involvement in Afghanistan if we didn't have a 
             better ally in that government to rely upon.
               We often talked together, and we traveled together. We 
             went to the Middle East together. We shared something 
             special as well in a different place on this globe. A few 
             years ago, he and I and Dave Hobson and our staffs became 
             concerned about the visitors center at Normandy. It was 
             really pretty much of a crackerbox affair, and it was not 
             at all fitting to the history of that place. So we 
             determined that there ought to be a new visitors center at 
             Normandy. With the three of us working together with our 
             staffs, that visitors center was built.
               Today, if you visit it--and it's truly beautiful--there 
             is a little plaque behind that visitors center in front of 
             a small tree with the names of Murtha, Obey and Hobson on 
             it. I know I am proud of that, and I know Jack was proud 
             of that. I think it symbolizes what happens in this place. 
             Two people who started out as adversaries became 
             reasonably good friends, never fully agreeing, because no 
             two people in this place ever agree on everything, but we 
             had a solid working relationship.
               I learned one thing about Jack a long time ago. He had 
             the courage of his convictions, and he fought hard every 
             way he knew how for those convictions, and he cared deeply 
             about the welfare of the men and women who serve in the 
             Armed Forces and defend this country's freedom.
               I am proud that at Normandy there is that little note of 
             the three of us having gotten together, all for one 
             purpose, to honor the people who did so much on those 
             beaches to build and preserve America's freedom and the 
             freedom of the world.

               Mr. KANJORSKI. Mr. Speaker, I would now like to yield to 
             the gentleman from Indiana (Mr. Visclosky).

               Mr. VISCLOSKY. I thank the gentleman for yielding.
               I would like to take a bit of a different tack because I 
             met Chairman Murtha for the first time in 1977 when I was 
             an associate staff member on Appropriations. My Member and 
             my mentor, Adam Benjamin, Jr., was a member of the 
             Appropriations Committee that year. Mr. Murtha, Mr. 
             Carney, Mr. Benjamin and others were instrumental in that 
             year, not only in that appropriations process, but in also 
             establishing the Steel Caucus, because they were very 
             concerned about people who worked in their district.
               What I took away as a staffer from that relationship 
             with Mr. Murtha is the fact that he always treated me and 
             every other staff he came into contact with with respect. 
             He always heard what I had to say and what other staff had 
             to say, whether, as Mr. Obey implied, he always agreed 
             with you or not, and he always treated you very 
             professionally.
               I had no conception during those 6 years working as a 
             staff member that the time would come that I would serve 
             as a colleague on the committee with Mr. Murtha, would 
             serve on the subcommittee, and would be blessed enough to 
             call him a friend. He was a friend to every person he 
             encountered. He was a good friend to the people he 
             represented, because he was most concerned with those who 
             worked hard, who needed a job or who needed a hand up.
               Our country is much richer because of that attitude that 
             Mr. Murtha carried with him every day, and the world is 
             certainly a much better place than it would have been had 
             he not walked among us.
               The fact is, as far as his activities on the defense 
             subcommittee, and my Member was a former Marine as well, I 
             was always struck that while some people are very focused 
             on weapons systems, Mr. Murtha, while never losing sight 
             of the big picture, was most concerned about that 
             individual man or woman who was in the field, who was 
             risking their life and who was serving our country. As he 
             would suggest, operation and maintenance, how you train, 
             how you provide for their safety, how you equip that 
             person and their family and those children was the most 
             important thing for him.
               He taught me many valuable life lessons. I am a better 
             person, and we are all better people because of Mr. 
             Murtha. He will be greatly missed, and I deeply appreciate 
             the gentleman from Pennsylvania for this opportunity.

               Mr. KANJORSKI. Mr. Speaker, I now yield time to the 
             gentleman from western Pennsylvania, one of Jack's 
             prodigies, Jason Altmire.

               Mr. ALTMIRE. I thank the gentleman from Pennsylvania and 
             I thank everyone who has spoken tonight.
               I want to talk about western Pennsylvania and what Jack 
             meant to western Pennsylvania, his home region and my home 
             region.
               A lot has been said over the past few weeks, and 
             certainly tonight, about the impact that this ``giant of 
             the Congress'' made on this institution, that he made on 
             this country, and certainly the impact that he had on the 
             American military, and there is nobody here that supported 
             them more than Jack Murtha.
               I wanted to talk about the impact he had on his home 
             region. I am fortunate enough to represent a district that 
             is intertwined, due to gerrymandering, with Mr. Murtha's 
             district, the district that he represented for so many 
             years. I was born in a hospital that is in the district 
             that he represented. I grew up in a town that is in the 
             district that he represented. And I can tell you that we 
             have lost a giant in this Congress and we have lost a 
             giant in this country, but we've also lost a giant in 
             western Pennsylvania. He will not be forgotten in his home 
             region.
               It should not be forgotten that Jack Murtha, as a member 
             of the Appropriations Committee, over the course of his 
             career put $1.5 billion into breast cancer research. He 
             put nearly $1 billion into diabetes research as a member 
             of the Appropriations Committee. I don't think that there 
             is anybody in this Congress who has a record that can 
             match what he has done in promoting health and promoting 
             wellness--yes, in our military, but also across all 
             segments of society. And again, this is somebody, as 
             Congressman Doyle talked of earlier, that epitomizes the 
             work ethic that represents western Pennsylvania and the 
             constituency that we represent.
               I am fortunate to have known Mr. Murtha. I count him as 
             a true champion of the region that I grew up in and 
             somebody who will never be forgotten. There will never be 
             his like again in western Pennsylvania, in the Congress, 
             or in the country.
               I thank the gentleman from Pennsylvania for the time.

               Mr. KANJORSKI. I would now like to yield to part of our 
             leadership, Mr. Larson.

               Mr. LARSON of Connecticut. I want to thank the 
             gentleman, the dean of the Pennsylvania delegation, for 
             having this opportunity for Members to speak about a great 
             American and someone who was so near and dear to all of 
             us.
               I want to commend Mike Doyle, Bob Brady, Paul Kanjorski, 
             the entire delegation for last week making sure that, 
             aside from the formal services held for Mr. Murtha in 
             Johnstown, PA, there was an opportunity for an Irish wake 
             afterward. Jack, I know, would have been very proud of 
             that. I am sure he got quite a chuckle with Tip O'Neill up 
             in a higher place at the coming together of so many 
             Members and regaling with so many stories of Jack Murtha.
               America has lost a great patriot. The Congress has lost 
             one of its giants, one of the most knowledgeable Members 
             on national defense ever to serve here, whose service 
             spanned almost four decades, and seven Presidents and 
             Members from both Chambers and on both sides of the aisle.
               Our hearts go out to Joyce and the family. We in this 
             body have lost a person who makes the very essence and 
             fabric of being here so rich and rewarding; it was evident 
             in listening to our colleagues, listening to Rodney and 
             Bill and Jack Kingston talk about Mr. Murtha. His death is 
             a reminder to us all that our time here and all that we 
             hope to accomplish is fleeting. As he would say, make the 
             most of it while you're here; become an expert in a field; 
             but most of all, stand up for what you believe.
               Jack reminded me in so many ways of my grandfather, with 
             that shock of white hair and piercing blue eyes and his 
             way of questioning, but also his incredible Irish wit. He 
             loved Congress. He was the epitome of what so often is 
             talked about in terms of bipartisan cooperation and was so 
             often demonstrated between him and Bill Young or Dave 
             Hobson. When he gave his word, he kept it.
               He was a Member's Member, ever cognizant of what he 
             could do to help you. And while he was a tough questioner 
             and firm in his convictions, he had an incredible heart 
             and a deep love of history. He loved to talk about Tip 
             O'Neill and the good ol' days here.
               I was fortunate to travel overseas with Mr. Murtha four 
             times. Sometimes I thought I drew the short straw in the 
             Pennsylvania corner because Jack, when he took a trip, it 
             was all work; up at 6, he was in bed by 7. There were no 
             PowerPoints, and he looked people dead in the eye. And he 
             always made sure that he spoke to the enlisted men because 
             he cared most about them. He was a decorated hero, with 
             two Purple Hearts and a Bronze Star in Vietnam, the first 
             combat veteran from that conflict to be elected to the 
             U.S. Congress.
               Personally, a young man from East Hartford, my hometown, 
             was wounded in Fallujah. He was in bad shape. He was sent 
             back here, and his brother who was fighting alongside him, 
             a fellow Marine, was back there. Jack Murtha got on the 
             phone and made sure that those brothers were united at 
             Bethesda along with their parents.
               I remember him counseling a father and his teenage son 
             over at Ramstein Hospital in Germany. They had just lost a 
             son. I don't know where Jack got the strength or that 
             reservoir of courage to comfort and console the father and 
             son, but he did, in almost Father O'Malley quality.
               He cared so deeply about the troops that serve this 
             great Nation. And as Bill Young pointed out, he and Bill 
             made more trips out to Bethesda and Walter Reed with no 
             publicity. They did it out of duty and honor and respect 
             for those who serve.
               He wrote a book, and on these flights I was privileged 
             as he would go through it with me. His favorite book of 
             all time was ``War and Peace.'' He cared as deeply about 
             peace as he did about making sure that we protected our 
             troops when they're in the field and took care of them 
             when they came home.
               He will ever stand out in the minds of Americans for 
             speaking out against the war in Iraq, an issue that he 
             struggled deeply with. But as so many great Americans on 
             this floor and in this Chamber and around this Nation, he 
             found that profile in courage to stand up and speak out.
               Democrats, I dare say, would not be in the majority if 
             it were not for Jack Murtha leading the way and speaking 
             out, because he is a soldier's soldier. And he was 
             respected on both sides of the aisle, as you've heard this 
             evening. But as one commentator said, ``When Jack Murtha 
             speaks, he speaks for America,'' and he did.
               How proud he was to receive the John F. Kennedy Profile 
             in Courage Award. But his life was not only about speaking 
             out; it was about the day-to-day work, the belief that he 
             had in the men and women who serve and the people that he 
             was sworn to serve from his district, and about the men 
             and women who work here. He loved this institution. God, 
             how everyone liked to come over to the corner. It seemed 
             as though people were going over there to hear 
             confessions, seek advice and, most often, to check in on 
             how their projects were doing. He did it with wit, 
             determination, and guile, and a deep love and abiding 
             respect for his country.
               For me personally, one of the great honors of being a 
             Member of the U.S. Congress will always be to say I had 
             the opportunity to serve with Jack Murtha, a great 
             American.
               God bless you, Jack. God bless Joyce and your family.

               Mr. KANJORSKI. Thank you very much, Mr. Larson.
               I now yield to the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. 
             Carney).

               Mr. CARNEY. Thank you, Mr. Kanjorski, the new dean. I 
             know that is probably a hard title to accept now under 
             these circumstances.
               It's interesting, I was listening to Mr. Larson speak, 
             and I wish that every American had the opportunity to be 
             in Johnstown on Monday night last to be part of the wake 
             we had because it was truly a celebration of a man who 
             deserves to be celebrated, but it was very striking in the 
             bipartisanship that was displayed there. Friends on both 
             sides of the aisle came to honor the man who was--and the 
             word is not overused in this case--a giant, who knew how 
             to fight for what he believed in, but also knew the art of 
             the possible.
               One thing Jack taught me a long time ago is that we are 
             judged on this Earth not by what we don't do, but what we 
             do. That is how I think we all have to proceed as Members 
             of Congress in this body that we are privileged to be 
             elected to serve. And here is a man who fought for 
             everything he believed in.
               Back in 2006, a number of us had the privilege of 
             meeting Jack. He became our mentor when we came into power 
             as the majority party again. It was his leadership, his 
             tutelage, and his guidance that got us here. The fact of 
             the matter is, when you came to Jack with a problem, 
             especially one that dealt with the troops, he was going to 
             take care of it.
               Before my tenure here in Congress I was a professor at 
             Penn State, and I had a student who was deployed to Iraq 
             in the first wave of the invasion. He came back from Iraq 
             and told me that when we were there, we had to go through 
             Iraqi junkyards to find scrap metal to lob onto our trucks 
             for more protection. When I told Jack that story, that 
             kind Irish face of his hardened, those blue eyes didn't 
             twinkle quite as much, and that grin firmed up. He said, 
             ``By God, we're going to fix that.'' And by God, he fixed 
             that.
               Jack, we are going to miss you. We are going to look 
             back in that corner. We are going to know that we are not 
             whole just yet, but we will remember the lessons you 
             taught us and the leadership you provided.
               Godspeed, soldier.

               Mr. KANJORSKI. Mr. Speaker, I recognize the gentleman 
             from Pennsylvania (Mr. Patrick J. Murphy).

               Mr. PATRICK J. MURPHY of Pennsylvania. I thank the 
             gentleman from Pennsylvania and now the dean of the 
             delegation.
               I want to echo the comments of my classmate, Congressman 
             Chris Carney, also from Pennsylvania. When we came in 
             together, he was really our mentor, and he was a great 
             man. I thought it was fitting, when we heard earlier 
             Republicans talking about the honor to serve with a great 
             patriot like Jack Murtha, the fact that he always reached 
             across the aisle. The pallbearers at his service last week 
             were both Democrats and Republicans. They were coming 
             together to be those pallbearers in that final service.
               In that service last week, we heard how Mrs. Bell told a 
             young Jack Patrick Murtha that one person can make a 
             difference, that one person can change the world. Whether 
             it was in the Marine Corps, in the Congress of the United 
             States, or within the Murtha family, Jack Patrick Murtha 
             certainly did make quite a difference.
               In the military, he was proud of his over three decades 
             in the Corps. He was proud that he was the first combat 
             Marine to serve in the U.S. Congress. He was proud when he 
             had given a knife to a current commandant of the Marine 
             Corps, General Conway. General Conway talked in the 
             service last week about still having that knife. He was 
             also proud to go down the street at the Walter Reed 
             Military Hospital to see the men and women, our country's 
             heroes, when they came back. When they gave it all on the 
             battlefield and they came home, he was there for them.
               As for his time in the Congress, he was proud of the 
             family that made up ``team Murtha''--the folks who served 
             with great honor and distinction, not just to the 
             constituents of the 12th Congressional District of 
             Pennsylvania, but also to the citizens of the United 
             States of America.
               I am a person who often says that budgets are moral 
             documents. If you want to see someone's priorities, you 
             look at his budget, whether it's a family's budget or a 
             country's budget. Well, the fact is that Jack Murtha made 
             sure that our troops had everything that they needed. If 
             our warfighters were going to put their lives on the line, 
             if they were going to be willing to take a bullet to keep 
             our families and our country safe, Jack Murtha did not 
             want a fair fight. Jack Murtha wanted to make sure that 
             our troops had a tactical and a technical advantage on 
             that battlefield. Jack Murtha also wanted to make sure 
             that the Congress of the United States and our country's 
             policymakers also had the right war policy for those 
             troops.
               As John Larson said earlier, when Jack Murtha spoke 
             about calling for a timeline to bring our troops home from 
             Iraq, it sent shock waves, not just across our country but 
             around the world, that he was going to stand up for 
             principle and do the right thing. That is the kind of 
             Marine, that is the kind of leader that Jack Murtha was. 
             It was no surprise to many of us who had watched him 
             throughout the years when he was awarded John Kennedy's 
             Profile in Courage Award. He was so proud of that award 
             because he knew what that award represented--the fact that 
             he, a guy who had grown up in Johnstown, PA, had finally 
             made a difference.
               Last, we all know Jack to be the family man that he was. 
             The fact is he was most proud of his wife, Joyce, of his 
             kids, and of his grandchildren. He'd be here at the 
             Capitol so early, by 6 in the morning at least. Then when 
             we'd have late votes, at about 7 or 7:30, you could see 
             him fidgeting. We used to joke with him.
               You'd hear Bob Ray ask, ``What's the matter? Does Joyce 
             have pork chops going on? You know, why do you want to 
             rush out of here?''
               He'd say, ``I've got to get home.''
               He wanted to make sure that he was home so he could be 
             there with his family to have a meal.
               I believe that John Patrick Murtha and his service that 
             he gave to our country as a Marine, as the chairman, and 
             as a family man is a testament to his life's work, which 
             is that one man can make a difference.
               God bless you, Jack Murtha.

               Mr. KANJORSKI. Thank you, Mr. Murphy.
               Mr. Speaker, I yield to the last of the Pennsylvania 
             delegation, Representative Dahlkemper of Erie.

               Mrs. DAHLKEMPER. I thank the gentleman, our new dean of 
             the delegation.
               I join my fellow Pennsylvania members and all of those 
             who are here tonight to honor Jack Murtha. I am deeply 
             honored and equally saddened to stand here in tribute to 
             our colleague and to my friend, the late Jack Murtha. I am 
             the youngest--or the newest member, I should say. I am not 
             the youngest. I am the newest member of the Pennsylvania 
             delegation. I've been here just 14 months.
               Yet, from the first day that I stepped onto this floor, 
             Jack Murtha was a friend, a mentor. He welcomed me into 
             the corner, the famous Pennsylvania corner which I had 
             heard so much about. He welcomed me graciously, sharing 
             his wisdom, his intellect, his wit, his humor.
               He would say, ``Hey, kid. How ya doing?''
               Jack and I, I think, quickly developed a very special 
             relationship. I saw him sort of as my father on the floor, 
             the person I could turn to. He was a mentor, always 
             offering me that advice. Jack Murtha made sure that, as a 
             new Member, I knew my constituents had to come first, that 
             you represent the people who brought you here in every 
             vote.
               He was enormously helpful to all of us here. Certainly, 
             if I had a question or a concern or an issue in my 
             district, I'd first turn to Jack Murtha and get his advice 
             on how I should proceed.
               In November, I am so grateful that I was given the 
             privilege to travel with Jack Murtha to Afghanistan over 
             the Thanksgiving work period. We went to visit our troops 
             abroad. To be with him and to see how he interacted with 
             our troops was just a wonderful experience to be a part 
             of. In seeing his questioning of those in charge, I 
             learned a lot from him over that trip--how to do a CODEL, 
             how to do it right and how to come back with the 
             information that you need. There was no better person to 
             really take that journey with than Jack Murtha.
               His mere presence in Afghanistan and everywhere we went 
             on that trip commanded respect from everyone we 
             encountered, and his keen insight and understandings of 
             the needs of our troops, I think, was appreciated by 
             everyone. All of those whom he touched there knew that he 
             had one interest, and that was to take care of those who 
             were there serving our country.
               Jack Murtha was a true patriot. He loved his country, 
             and he believed in the value of public service. His 
             passing is a great loss for the United States of America. 
             It is a great loss for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. 
             It is a great loss to his district. It is a great loss to 
             all of us who served with him in the House. I am grateful 
             to have served with him.
               God bless Jack Murtha. God bless his family--his wife, 
             Joyce, his children, and his grandchildren.

               Mr. KANJORSKI. Thank you, Mrs. Dahlkemper.
               Now we will hear from the gentlewoman from Michigan (Ms. 
             Kilpatrick).

               Ms. KILPATRICK of Michigan. Mr. Speaker, I, too, come to 
             pay homage to a giant--to our leader, our chairman, the 
             epitome of a public servant. All of us feel like he was 
             our best friend.
               As the newest member of the Defense Appropriations 
             Committee, I was in awe as I watched the chairman yield, 
             educate, speak, and do what he did so that all of the 
             members on our subcommittee, on both sides of the aisle, 
             could participate in the process.
               Chairman Murtha held 32 hearings before we even got to 
             the appropriations bill last year. I was at every one of 
             them. To watch him and to watch the prestige and the honor 
             that he received as well as gave to those who came before 
             our subcommittee was astounding. Chairman Murtha welcomed 
             me into the group. It is a prestigious group. In my 32 
             years of public service, there has been none like it.
               I honor you, Jack Murtha, for your wisdom, your courage. 
             It has already been said--and I akin myself to all of my 
             colleagues who have come before me, but the redundancy 
             needs to be said over and over again--that our country has 
             lost a giant. This institution will never be the same. We 
             will strive to carry the torch and passion of Jack Murtha, 
             those of us on the committee, on the full committee, and 
             in this Congress on both sides of the aisle.
               We love you, Jack Murtha. I pledge to you, as I do my 
             work here in the U.S. House of Representatives, it is 
             because of you and others like you who showed me and 
             helped me to become that defense protege, if you will, who 
             will speak out, who will protect our men and women in 
             uniform and our entire United States of America. So rest 
             in peace, my great warrior.
               To his family--to his children and grandchildren--know 
             that you have a friend in all of us. We have adopted you 
             into our family. Let us speak and serve and reach and grow 
             and build a new United States of America as Jack Murtha 
             has held us to do.
               God bless you, Jack. We will never forget you.
               [The prepared remarks of Ms. Kilpatrick of Michigan 
             follow:]
               Warrior. Statesman. Husband. Father. Legislator. 
             Chairman John P. Murtha was the epitome of the best of 
             what our Nation's military and this Congress does. As one 
             of the seven people in the history of our country selected 
             to chair the House Defense Appropriations Subcommittee, 
             Chairman Murtha comes from a family with a long and 
             stellar line of service to our country. Chairman Murtha's 
             great-grandfather served in the Civil War. His father and 
             three uncles served in World War II. Chairman Murtha, 
             along with his brothers, served in our Nation's military. 
             Of course, we all know that Chairman Murtha went in as an 
             enlisted man in the U.S. Marine Corps, serving as a drill 
             sergeant at Parris Island, SC, the home to many of our 
             Marines. In 1966, Chairman Murtha volunteered for active 
             duty in the Marine Corps, joining his brothers in combat. 
             Chairman Murtha earned two Purple Hearts, a Bronze Star 
             and the Vietnamese Cross for Gallantry in Vietnam. 
             Chairman Murtha served in the Marine Corps in the 
             Reserves, and retired as a colonel.
               Chairman Murtha, after active duty in Vietnam, became 
             active in politics and was elected to Pennsylvania's House 
             of Representatives. When Chairman Murtha was elected to 
             Congress in 1974, he was the first Vietnam era combat 
             veteran elected to Congress. Chairman Murtha was a 
             dedicated and devoted servant to the people of 
             Pennsylvania's 12th Congressional District. We all know 
             Chairman Murtha.
               What many people do not know is how Chairman Jack Murtha 
             fought for pay raises for all members of America's 
             military. How Chairman Murtha demanded accountability from 
             all our Presidents on the number of contractors in Iraq 
             and Afghanistan. What many people do not know is how 
             Chairman Murtha took a young Member of Congress aside and 
             taught her or him how to get things done. What many people 
             do not know is that Chairman Murtha was feared, and also 
             respected; Chairman Murtha was intimidating and also 
             loved. There is a reason that just over my shoulder, on 
             the House floor, a flag hangs in respect, love, and 
             admiration in the seat that Chairman Murtha called home 
             for more than three decades.
               Chairman Murtha's respect went far beyond the confines 
             of the House Appropriations Committee on Defense. When our 
             Nation's warriors go to fight for us, they deserve nothing 
             but the best in return. That was Chairman Murtha's goal 
             for the men and women of our Nation's military. Chairman 
             Murtha, very simply, made things happen. You know what? 
             Most of the things that Chairman Murtha made happen never 
             made the pages of the newspaper. They were not in a sound 
             bite on television or on radio. But each and every Member 
             who walks these Halls know that Congress is a lot emptier 
             and things will not be done as quickly or as well since 
             the loss of Chairman Murtha. I do not believe that it is 
             an understatement when I say that the reason why our 
             troops in Iraq are coming home today is because Chairman 
             Murtha, warrior, statesman, and lover of his men and women 
             in combat, said ``enough.''
               Chairman Murtha knew defeat and victory. Chairman Murtha 
             loved the institution of Congress, he loved his family, he 
             loved his Marines, he loved his servicemembers of our 
             Nation's military, and those individuals who volunteer to 
             put themselves in harm's way to defend our Constitution. 
             Chairman Murtha defended our Constitution as a Marine in 
             combat in Vietnam. Chairman Murtha defended our 
             Constitution as a Member of Congress. Chairman Murtha will 
             continue to guide the spirits and souls of us all as we 
             work to solve the problems of America. Because that is 
             what Chairman Murtha did--solve problems.
               Chairman John Patrick Murtha, rest in peace. To his wife 
             and family, know that we will always honor and cherish his 
             memory, and we thank you for sharing him with us for more 
             than three decades. The heart of a lion that once roamed 
             the Halls of Congress is lost, and I will miss his kind 
             heart, his vivacious spirit, and his intelligence forever.

               Mr. KANJORSKI. Thank you very much, Ms. Kilpatrick.
               Now we will hear from the gentleman from New York (Mr. 
             Hinchey).

               Mr. HINCHEY. Well, thank you very much.
               I just want to express my deep sense of sadness for the 
             loss of a very dear friend, someone for whom I had a great 
             deal of respect and admiration. I know that sense is not 
             unique. It is shared and expressed by a great many other 
             people. Of course, the reasons for that are the 
             interactions that he had with so many people. It is the 
             involvement that he had and the way in which he provided 
             leadership and direction for a great many. I knew him for 
             a little more than 17 years but not very closely until the 
             last year and a half or so, and that was because I now 
             serve on the subcommittee that he chaired, the 
             Subcommittee on Defense.
               I felt a great sense of admiration for him, for the 
             focus that he had on the work that he had to do and for 
             the way in which he did it so very effectively. I could 
             understand why, because that was the simple nature of the 
             man, and it was the kind of thing that he had done all his 
             life.
               He served in the military, and was a great exemplary of 
             strength, and honor, and courage, and he had done the same 
             thing during his tenure here in the House of 
             Representatives. He served with strength, and honor, and 
             courage. He did a great many things for the district that 
             he represented, a great many things for Pennsylvania, but 
             also a great many things for many places across this 
             country. I know that he did a great many things in helping 
             me.
               So, again, I want to express my deep sense of gratitude 
             for Jack Murtha, my deep respect for him and this deep, 
             unexpected sadness in his leaving us. I had thought that 
             he would be here for a long time. Nevertheless, we will 
             continue to have the strength that we have had as a result 
             of our interactions with him. We will be much more 
             effective, much more knowledgeable, and there will be a 
             continuation of positive things done here. A lot of those 
             positive things will be as a direct result of the 
             leadership and of the examples set by Jack Murtha.
               Thank you, Jack, for everything that you've done.

               Mr. KANJORSKI. Thank you very much, Mr. Hinchey.
               Now we will hear from the gentleman from Georgia.

               Mr. BISHOP of Georgia. I thank the gentleman for 
             yielding and for allowing me to participate in this 
             tribute to our great friend.
               The poet wrote that the lives of great men all remind us 
             that we can make our lives sublime, and departing, leave 
             behind footprints on the sands of time.
               Jack Murtha was a great man, and he, indeed, left 
             indelible footprints. He left footprints on his beloved 
             district in Pennsylvania with all of the projects and all 
             of the things that he did for his constituents there over 
             the 36 years of service he gave.
               He left footprints on the Department of Defense and on 
             the men and women who served in our military and their 
             families with all of the care and concern that he put into 
             making sure that they had everything that was needed to 
             carry out their missions and that they got what they 
             needed when they returned home.
               He left a footprint on this institution with the 
             leadership and the example that he set for all of us as a 
             bipartisan collegial Representative. To watch the 
             interaction between Mr. Murtha and Mr. Young and to be 
             able to feel and to see the genuine friendship and mutual 
             respect that they had for each other was a lesson every 
             day in the collegiality and the civility that Members of 
             this institution should carry in the traditions of this 
             institution.
               Jack Murtha made and left indelible footprints on the 
             United States of America. He made an impression on all of 
             us, on his family, Joyce, who was a mentor to my wife in 
             the Congressional Club as Jack was a mentor to me in this 
             House. I can remember my very first trip to Murtha's 
             corner, seeking sage advice, and I can remember the last 
             trip on his last day on the floor 1,000 visits later.
               Jack made a lasting impression on us. He was a friend. 
             He was a mentor. He was a Member's Member. The world is 
             better because Jack Murtha was here. This institution and 
             our country are better because Jack Murtha was here.
               Someone said you make your living by what you get; you 
             make your life by what you give. Jack Murtha indeed made a 
             life and he made our lives better for his service.
               Thank you, Jack. Thank you to the Murtha family. Thank 
             you, God, for allowing us to know, love, and share the 
             life of this very exceptional and remarkable man.

               Mr. KANJORSKI. Mr. Speaker, I yield now to the gentleman 
             from New Jersey (Mr. Holt).

               Mr. HOLT. We will miss Jack Murtha. Strong willed, plain 
             spoken, fearless, dedicated, patriotic, honorable, and 
             remarkably generous with his time, his wisdom, and his 
             advice. We will not see the like of him again.
               The descendant of veterans of the American War for 
             Independence and the Civil War, he was the champion of the 
             Marine, the soldier, the sailor, the flyer. And to me 
             personally he was magnanimous.
               When the Speaker created the Select Intelligence 
             Oversight Panel as part of the Appropriations Committee 
             and asked me to take the chair, Jack Murtha embraced the 
             panel and gave it strength, even though it might have 
             appeared to lessen his authority. Of course, nothing ever 
             diminished the authority of Jack Murtha. He embodied 
             authority. More than magnanimous, he was kind and sharing.
               We express our sympathy to the family, friends, and all 
             of those who Jack Murtha championed who don't know what he 
             did for them and what he did for America. What a loss.

               Mr. KANJORSKI. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman 
             from New Jersey (Mr. Pascrell).

               Mr. PASCRELL. We who worked with Jack Murtha day in and 
             day out really appreciated his deep respect for this 
             institution.
               In a time when we see the demise of institutional 
             respect and ritual, he enjoyed the ritual of this House, 
             just as he enjoyed the ritual of serving his country as a 
             Marine. He enjoyed the ritual of marriage. He was 
             honorable, he was devoted, and he was faithful; a faithful 
             brother who served his country and asked nothing in 
             return. Man, that is different in this city.
               Jack and I, 7 years ago came together in two different 
             paths in order to respond to our soldiers, our brothers 
             and sisters, our aunts and uncles, our fathers and mothers 
             who were coming back from Iraq and Afghanistan with the 
             signature injury of those two wars: traumatic brain 
             injury. No contusion, no blood, misdiagnosed, never 
             diagnosed. And post-traumatic stress disorder. It was part 
             of my official family. I knew it first hand. And Jack 
             said, ``Why don't we bring the civilian research and the 
             military research together?'' So we set out. Can you 
             imagine going into a war without having ready how we would 
             help those soldiers coming back? Jack couldn't. And he did 
             something about it.
               When you go to Walter Reed Hospital, a hospital that was 
             supposed to be closed, if you remember, 4 years ago, and 
             you see the state of the art, he did not give up on those 
             soldiers, many of whom would be dead if it were not for 
             what he did in getting the resources so that the state-of-
             the-art treatment for our soldiers would be there.
               To his friends on both sides of the aisle, let us 
             remember when Jack would come to the microphone, and it 
             wasn't often, but he came to the microphone during 
             appropriations time, and he would say many times to me, 
             ``Billy, watch how quick I'm there and I'll be gone.'' And 
             you would think the chairman would want to give a 
             dissertation. But he had done his homework. There were no 
             speeches that weren't necessary. He did not mention 
             platitudes. It was honor, duty, and then a nonpretentious 
             exit.
               Good friend, you are not gone. We will remember you and 
             we love you.

               Mr. KANJORSKI. I yield to the gentleman from Illinois 
             (Mr. Lipinski).

               Mr. LIPINSKI. I thank the gentleman from Pennsylvania 
             for yielding.
               I know a lot of people have talked about Jack Murtha as 
             a giant, and I really think that this institution probably 
             will not see another man like Jack Murtha in many ways.
               But I think what stands out most to me and what has come 
             through here is that Jack Murtha had a heart of gold. He 
             really cared about people. He cared about the men and 
             women in our Armed Forces. He cared about his colleagues. 
             And he cared about his constituents greatly, especially in 
             his hometown of Johnstown, PA.
               I didn't get to meet Jack Murtha until I was elected in 
             2004, but I feel like I really started to get to know him 
             before that. In 2000 I started dating Judy, who is now my 
             wife, and she is from Johnstown. Her family is still in 
             Johnstown. So I would go to visit Judy's family in 
             Johnstown and I would hear people talk about Jack Murtha. 
             I would see what Jack Murtha did for his district. And I 
             knew that his constituents, especially the people of 
             Johnstown, loved Jack Murtha.
               When I was elected, I would often go say hello to Jack 
             over in the Pennsylvania corner, just come over to say 
             hello, and so many times he would give me that smile and 
             he'd tap his colleague next to him on the shoulder and 
             say, ``This guy married a gal from Johnstown.'' And I 
             always felt a very close connection to Jack because of 
             that.
               I feel very blessed to have had the opportunity in these 
             5 years to get to know Jack Murtha and what he did for 
             Johnstown. I certainly saw people suffer through floods, 
             economic turmoil, and he really cared about the people, 
             and doing all he could for them meant a lot to him.
               I will miss Jack and what he meant to so many of us. I 
             think that Jack loved his job because he knew it gave him 
             a great opportunity to do what he really believed, and 
             that is take care of people, to help people out. This job 
             gave him the opportunity to do that, and he did it 
             throughout all of his life. Because of that I will greatly 
             miss Jack Murtha.
               God bless Jack Murtha, Joyce, and his entire family.

               Mr. KANJORSKI. Madam Speaker, we have the Speaker who 
             will be arriving and, as I understand it, we have 
             additional Members who will make requests to speak for 5 
             minutes.

               Ms. LEE of California. Madam Speaker I rise to remember 
             my friend and our dear colleague Congressman John Murtha.
               I was deeply saddened when I learned of Congressman 
             Murtha's death. I share the sentiments of my colleagues on 
             the floor today, and my heart goes out to the entire 
             Murtha family for their loss.
               The people of Pennsylvania and of this entire country 
             have lost a good and faithful servant with the passing of 
             Congressman John Murtha.
               For nearly half a century, whether it was on the 
             battlefield as a Marine, the Pennsylvania State 
             Legislature or on Capitol Hill, John Murtha always led 
             with distinction and honor.
               As a veteran of the Vietnam war, Congressman Murtha 
             served this country courageously and was a staunch 
             advocate for our men and women in uniform.
               In the House of Representatives he was a true leader, 
             and a man of conviction, who was always willing to share a 
             word of wisdom.
               He had the courage to call for a withdrawal of U.S. 
             troops from Iraq long before it was popular to do so and I 
             will always be grateful for his willingness to take such a 
             difficult stand.
               We have lost a friend and colleague, and our country has 
             lost a great public servant and statesman. Congressman 
             John Murtha will be deeply missed.
               My thoughts and prayers are with his wife Joyce, his 
             daughter Donna, his twin sons Pat and John and his three 
             grandchildren: Jack, Anne and Clayton.
               It is our charge to ensure that his memory and legacy 
             lives on, and that we continue his fierce dedication, 
             loyalty, and love for the brave men and women of the Armed 
             Forces.

               Ms. McCOLLUM. Madam Speaker, I and the following members 
             rise in recognition of the late U.S. Representative John 
             Murtha's lifelong dedication to members of our armed 
             services: Representative Bruce Braley, Representative Tim 
             Walz, Representative Keith Ellison, Representative James 
             Oberstar, Representative Leonard Boswell, Representative 
             David Loebsack, Representative Collin Peterson, and 
             Representative Tom Latham.
               Chairman John Murtha was a passionate legislator and 
             decorated former Marine who never stopped fighting for our 
             men and women in uniform. In 1974, Murtha, then an officer 
             in the Marine Reserves, became the first Vietnam war 
             combat veteran elected to the House of Representatives. As 
             chairman of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on 
             Defense, Congressman Murtha was a tireless advocate for 
             our troops, military families, and our veterans on Capitol 
             Hill. At a time when we are mourning his passing, it is 
             important to recognize Chairman Murtha's work to ensure 
             that veterans receive support. The undersigned members 
             would like to call attention to the work he did to secure 
             the benefits promised and earned by 22,000 National Guard 
             and Reserve personnel in our States.
               In January 2007, the Department of Defense authorized 
             the Post-Deployment Mobilization Respite Absence (PDMRA) 
             Program, which provides additional pay when a soldier 
             deploys more frequently than DOD policy requires. For the 
             2 years since the authorization of PDMRA, the Pentagon's 
             implementation of the program has been slow and 
             incomplete. As a result, thousands of National Guard and 
             Reserve members who have served multiple and extended 
             tours in Iraq and Afghanistan did not receive the pay to 
             which they are entitled. This problem has affected 
             National Guard and Reserve personnel in every State across 
             the Nation. Members organized to bring attention to this 
             problem and to find a resolution. The undersigned Members 
             have sent letters to the Pentagon, organized events, and 
             met with armed services personnel for years and asked for 
             the chairman's assistance and leadership.
               Chairman Murtha heard our request and took action. He 
             made phone calls directly to Defense Secretary Robert 
             Gates and Army Secretary Pete Geren. He included language 
             to remedy the delay in the fiscal year 2010 defense 
             appropriations bill, and in numerous letters to the 
             Department of Defense since 2007 Congressman Murtha 
             supported his colleagues in making it clear that further 
             delay in resolving this issue was unacceptable to our 
             members of the armed services. Because of Chairman 
             Murtha's support, the Department of Defense issued Army 
             policy guidance for cash reimbursements for PDMRA for 
             Reserve and National Guard personnel, which represents a 
             crucial step in finally resolving this issue.
               The late Congressman John Murtha has shown throughout 
             his time in the military and in Congress that he is a 
             dedicated leader on fighting on behalf of military 
             families.

               Ms. HARMAN. Madam Speaker, Jack Murtha was a paradox: a 
             big man with an impressive war record who never wavered 
             from his commitment to the wounded, the disadvantaged, and 
             always challenged those who, in his strong opinion, 
             underestimated the economic and human costs of war. He was 
             a politician who constantly spoke his mind, and never 
             worried about ruffling feathers. That's rare in today's 
             Washington. Jack reached out to his colleagues--not just 
             those who sat near him in the Pennsylvania corner on the 
             House floor, but to others whom he respected. The people 
             of California's 36th District and I are lucky to have been 
             one of those he looked out for. I remember his visit about 
             a decade ago to the Los Angeles Air Force Base Space and 
             Missile Systems Center (SMC), located in my congressional 
             district. Of course he cared about SMC's mission of 
             development and acquisition of our Nation's defense 
             satellites. He also wanted to know about the people of 
             SMC. He met with the generals and staff about how things 
             were going, and whether funding was on track, but he also 
             took the time to speak at a townhall-style meeting with 
             the workforce where he thanked them for their service and 
             to check on their well-being. They will miss him. So will 
             I. I hope Joyce and his family are comforted by how big 
             the big man's impact was.

               Ms. HIRONO. Madam Speaker, I join with my colleagues in 
             the House to express my deep sadness at the passing of one 
             of the most extraordinary Members to serve in the U.S. 
             House of Representatives. Jack Murtha will be missed as a 
             courageous statesman, a respected colleague, an effective 
             legislator, a dedicated representative of his constituents 
             in Pennsylvania, a true friend to those who wear the 
             uniform of the U.S. armed services, a treasured friend, 
             and most important, as a beloved husband, father, and 
             grandfather.
               Many of you served with Jack Murtha for decades; as a 
             sophomore Member of Congress, I only had the privilege of 
             serving with Jack for a little over 3 years. Despite the 
             fact that he was one of the most senior and powerful 
             Members of our body, Jack was interested in the needs of 
             my district and helped me to secure funding to clean up 
             sites in Hawaii impacted by Department of Defense 
             activities.
               Congressman Murtha's decades of dedicated service in the 
             U.S. Marine Corps and Reserve and his service in Vietnam 
             gave him an appreciation of the sacrifices made by the men 
             and women who serve in the Armed Forces. Nothing was more 
             important to him than the well-being of servicemembers and 
             their families. And he and his beloved Joyce regularly 
             went to visit the wounded at Walter Reed and other 
             hospitals.
               Despite his years of service in the military and his 
             longtime record as an advocate for the military, Jack did 
             not hesitate to speak his conscience. Despite his initial 
             support for the war in Iraq, he became disillusioned with 
             the conduct of the war and called for the withdrawal of 
             our troops. This took great courage and, in my view, 
             speaks to the inherent honor of this fine man.
               It is still hard to believe that Jack is gone. He had 
             such a dynamic presence that it feels as if he is still 
             here with us--sitting in his corner holding court. In his 
             book, ``From Vietnam to 9/11,'' Jack wrote, ``Ever since I 
             was a young boy, I had two goals in life--I wanted to be a 
             colonel in the Marine Corps and a Member of Congress.'' He 
             achieved those goals and so much more.
               I send my deepest sympathy to Jack's partner of 54 
             years, Joyce Murtha; to his daughter Donna; his sons Pat 
             and John; and his grandchildren. I join all my colleagues 
             in giving thanks for Jack's life of service and 
             accomplishment. Mahalo nui loa, Jack.

               Mr. SKELTON. Madam Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute 
             to my friend and colleague Congressman John Murtha of 
             Pennsylvania. It is with a heavy heart that I say goodbye 
             to a friend of more than 30 years.
               Jack Murtha arrived in Washington to serve in this House 
             in 1974, just a few years before I had the honor to join 
             this distinguished body.
               Jack Murtha and I had a lot in common, in our love for 
             the troops and for our country. We didn't always agree, 
             but you always knew that his heart was in every fight he 
             took on. People listened to his counsel. He had 
             conviction. He inspired respect.
               The kind of respect that Jack Murtha had in this House 
             doesn't come automatically. No one has it when they take 
             the oath of office for the first time. It has to be 
             earned.
               Jack Murtha was no nonsense. Like President Truman, he 
             didn't suffer fools. You knew where he stood, and if you 
             were lucky, you had him in your corner. He was a fighter, 
             for his country and for the people of Pennsylvania.
               Jack Murtha was a leader. He loved our country. He loved 
             the men and women of the Armed Forces, and especially the 
             U.S. Marine Corps, of which he wore the uniform and served 
             with great distinction.
               He also loved the Congress, and understood its 
             indispensable role as a coequal branch of our Federal 
             Government. Anyone watching the House floor could see his 
             leadership in action, as he held court with other Members 
             in the back corner. A master legislator, he built 
             relationships, mentored other Members, and conducted the 
             business that runs this institution and plays a big part 
             in running this country.
               With the passing of Jack Murtha, we have lost one of the 
             giants of the House. I salute his dedicated service to our 
             country--as a Marine, as a businessman and community 
             leader, and as a Member of Congress.
               Jack Murtha will be deeply missed. My condolences go to 
             his wife Joyce, his children Donna, Pat, and John, and 
             also to the people of Pennsylvania he cared about so much 
             and represented so well.

               Ms. WASSERMAN SCHULTZ. Madam Speaker, first, let me 
             thank Congressman Kanjorski for reserving this special 
             order today to honor the life, legacy, and service of our 
             friend and colleague John Murtha.
               Our Nation has lost a gifted lawmaker, a devoted public 
             servant and a true patriot. In 1974, Jack became the first 
             Vietnam war combat veteran elected to Congress. His spirit 
             emboldened and his resolve hardened by his service on the 
             battlefield, he became a tireless advocate for the people 
             of Pennsylvania and all Americans.
               We all know so well that he never lost his courage and 
             his dedication to our Nation's security, our troops, or 
             their families. Even after his election, he continued to 
             serve in the Marine Corps Reserves until 1990 as a 
             colonel, receiving the Navy's Distinguished Service Medal.
               From my first day here, Jack was always a mentor and a 
             friend. When I was first appointed as a cardinal on the 
             Appropriations Committee, Jack was right there with sage 
             advice and a helping hand. His no-nonsense exterior 
             contained a fiery soul and fierce intelligence the equal 
             of which this body has seldom known. Our Nation is surely 
             better for his service to it and a grateful country 
             grieves its loss.
               Our thoughts and prayers are with his wife Joyce, their 
             children, and extended family during this time.

               Mr. LEWIS of California. Madam Speaker, Jack Murtha and 
             I served together in this institution for over 30 years. 
             We disagreed at times over policy and politics, but I am 
             proud to say that Jack was my friend.
               Throughout my time in Congress, I have never seen a more 
             valiant defender of the men and women of our Armed Forces 
             than Jack, nor a more steadfast advocate for our country's 
             unequaled national defense.
               Years ago, when I was convinced that we should push 
             forward quickly with development of the Predator UAV, Jack 
             listened to my reasons and helped me push through the 
             funding that has produced one of our most valuable weapons 
             in the war on terror.
               When I became chairman of the Defense Appropriations 
             Subcommittee, I counted on Jack Murtha to be a partner 
             rather than an adversary when the welfare of our military 
             was on the line. When we urged that the F-22 Program be 
             reined in to ensure it was thoroughly tested, Jack was by 
             my side and helped win the day and make that a better 
             airplane.
               Just weeks ago, Jack and I traveled together to 
             Afghanistan. We were under tight timelines that were 
             influenced by the situation on the ground. Although the 
             travel was hard and the schedule was arduous, Jack 
             maintained the energy and dedication of a man half his 
             age. His unwavering purpose was to learn as much as he 
             could, gain as much insight from our commanders as 
             possible, and see for himself the challenges our country 
             faces in that region.
               He was a true patriot, and his passing is a cause for 
             great sadness. This Congress will be a much lesser place 
             without him.
               My wife Arlene and I offer our most sincere condolences 
             to his family, and also to his second family--his 
             congressional staff and the members and staff of the 
             Appropriations Committee.

               Mr. BACA. Madam Speaker, I rise today in recognition of 
             a dear friend and colleague, loving father and 
             grandfather, and a true American patriot, Representative 
             John Murtha.
               John served proudly when called to action in the Vietnam 
             war, and his valor was recognized with the Bronze Star, 
             and not one, but two Purple Heart awards.
               In all, John spent an astounding 37 years of his life in 
             active and reserve duty service in the Marine Corps.
               In 1974, John heeded another call to duty, and began a 
             life of public service here in the House of 
             Representatives.
               John served his constituents in Western Pennsylvania for 
             an impressive 19 terms.
               In Congress, he was respected for his political 
             prowess--and his tireless passion to support America's men 
             and women serving in uniform.
               John Murtha was a man who measured our Nation's strength 
             not only by military might, but also in the well-being of 
             our people; and I am proud to have served with him in this 
             body.
               The thoughts and prayers of my wife Barbara and I go out 
             to Joyce and all of John's family during this difficult 
             time.

               Mr. QUIGLEY. Madam Speaker, I rise today in honor of 
             Congressman John Murtha, who passed away on February 8, 
             2010. Representative Murtha was an exemplary leader and an 
             American patriot.
               Born into an Irish-American family, John left college in 
             1952 to join the Marine Corps. Here he would begin his 
             course in leadership, becoming a Marine Corps drill 
             instructor. His military career not only led him to 
             receive a degree from the University of Pittsburgh, but 
             also placed him on the front lines of service in the 
             Vietnam war. During this time, he was awarded the Bronze 
             Star with Valor device, two Purple Hearts, and the 
             Vietnamese Cross of Gallantry.
               In 1974 John was elected to the U.S. House of 
             Representatives and had an extraordinary 36-year career, 
             obtaining the distinction of Pennsylvania's longest 
             serving Congressman 2 days before he passed. A fiercely 
             independent-minded public servant, John strived for 
             bipartisan solutions to our Nation's struggles. He had no 
             fear of partisan attacks and as the chairman of the House 
             Appropriations Defense Subcommittee he courageously spoke 
             out against the Iraq war. His fearless calls for the 
             withdrawal of American forces in Iraq, in the face of 
             strong partisan confrontations, earned him the John F. 
             Kennedy Profile in Courage Award.
               I thank John for his service to our Nation. I extend my 
             deepest sympathies to John's wife Joyce, his children 
             Donna Sue, John, and Patrick, and his grandchildren in 
             this difficult time. John was a tremendous public servant 
             who exemplified the spirit of America. He will be greatly 
             missed.

               The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mrs. Halvorson). Under a 
             previous order of the House, the gentleman from California 
             (Mr. Farr) is recognized for 5 minutes.

               Mr. FARR. I live in Carmel, CA, and when the phone rang 
             and I heard that Jack Murtha had died, I couldn't believe 
             it. I broke into tears. I just couldn't believe it. It was 
             like when I heard my father had died. What I did at that 
             moment was the same thing I did when my dad died. I sat 
             down and I wrote a letter to Jack Murtha. Here it is:

               Dear Jack, I can't believe you're gone. Gone from the 
             Pennsylvania corner, from your chair where we would all 
             come to see you; each checking in during floor sessions on 
             your opinion on military issues and Pennsylvania politics. 
             And we talked about our issues, about base closure 
             progress, about programs that were working and programs 
             that had problems. Always thanking you for your help. 
             Thanking you for your earmarks. I'll never forget what you 
             did with your earmark for breast cancer research, for 
             child care centers at military bases, for military 
             education. More than anything else, you were concerned 
             about the welfare of our troops and especially their 
             families.
               Remember when you got me to go to Walter Reed Hospital 
             and Bethesda Naval Hospital to visit the war wounded and 
             how we worked to get golf carts for disabled soldiers by 
             insisting that each of the 177 golf courses operated by 
             the services have carts for the disabled?
               You always asked me, ``How is that university that we 
             got at Fort Ord doing?'' I thanked you for the help in 
             getting the $65 million to get it started. Jack, Cal State 
             University Monterey Bay is doing really well, with ever-
             growing enrollment and faculty. You can be proud of the 
             role you played in converting swords to ploughshares.
               You got really excited when I showed you what I had done 
             to bring all the military missions in Monterey County 
             together to form Team Monterey, showing the brochure 
             indicating that over $1 billion was spent in Monterey 
             County for the DOD efforts there. You were going to see if 
             this team effort could be done for your district and for 
             the State of Pennsylvania.
               Jack, you were quite the Zeus. Everyone came to you, 
             loved you, loved your good nature, your loyalty, your 
             friendship, your laugh, and your wisdom. Remember how you 
             would bet on how long the debate would take on the defense 
             appropriations bills? You always won. I was shocked that 
             the biggest appropriations account in the Federal 
             Government could be enacted with the shortest debate. You 
             laughed and said, ``All the problems were worked out in 
             committee, we don't need floor debate.'' At first I 
             thought it was a fluke. But over the years, I learned you 
             made it so.
               Jack, thanks for coming out to the Monterey Peninsula to 
             visit the Naval Postgraduate School and the Defense 
             Language Institute. You were a good listener, and always 
             insisted no PowerPoints, no BS, just the problems. No one 
             in Congress cuts to the issue faster than you.
               I remember your delight in hearing from an IED 
             specialist just back from Iraq who asked you, ``Why don't 
             we figure out what makes cultures set these things off in 
             the first place?'' You loved that thinking. Thanks again 
             for allowing me to ride back to Washington, DC, on Mil 
             Air. We brought Paul Stockton along and had a wonderful 
             discussion on Iraq and how we might exit. By the way, 
             Jack, Paul is now the Assistant Secretary of Defense for 
             Homeland Defense and America's Security Affairs. I know 
             how much you respected his insight.
               Thanks, Jack, for always asking me for copies of photos 
             I took, not of you, but of your staff. I remember the 
             photo of John Hugya when he was your district director 
             taken with President Clinton. You insisted I give it to 
             you for him. Remember the time you hung up on a President 
             when he called you? You had guts.
               I remember going to your district and being in a meeting 
             with the area economic development folks. You were giving 
             them the Washington update. It was cold and wet, but full 
             of people. I admired how devoted they were to you. And I 
             took pictures, which you wanted to pass on to them. Seeing 
             the countryside and the poverty of the area made me 
             realize how lucky I was to represent my district. You 
             really helped people in need. That is why you are loved in 
             your district and here on the floor of the House of 
             Representatives.
               The House Chamber has a lot of famous fixtures and 
             paintings, statues, reliefs, but you are going to stand 
             out as one of our greats. You showed your profile in 
             courage in taking a nationally profiled lead against the 
             war in Iraq that you originally supported. And you were 
             attacked by everyone except the military. They knew that 
             you knew it couldn't be sustained.
               When they attacked you with big campaign expenditures to 
             defeat you, your friends responded without even being 
             asked. The word was out Jack was in trouble, and we 
             responded.
               Jack, you shouldn't have died. It is a real shock, not 
             only to you, your friends, and this institution, but to 
             your beloved family. You and Joyce had such a special 
             partnership.
               I loved accompanying you both on the Appropriations 
             Committee CODEL to California's National Parks, the joy 
             you got in seeing how a former army base in San Francisco 
             could be turned into the Golden Gate National Park, and 
             even Alcatraz is now a tourist site. You loved being a 
             tourist in San Francisco and Joyce was so appreciative of 
             Nancy Pelosi's hospitality long before she sought 
             leadership roles.
               While the Democratic Caucus was visiting Nemacolin 
             Resort in your State you encouraged me to visit the two 
             Frank Lloyd Wright homes there. Joyce led the tour. She 
             was a model host and a good friend to all. I can't imagine 
             her life without you, nor yours without her. This has to 
             be as hard for your children as it was for me in losing my 
             mom at an early age. Time heals--unfortunately it is going 
             to take a long time.
               Congress will miss you as a great Member and, more 
             importantly, as a caring, sensitive friend. We will try to 
             fill in, but the credibility will be lacking and the 
             outcome less successful.
               Just know you made a difference, a big difference--out 
             here on the Central Coast of California--you helped launch 
             a new university, upgrade the Naval Postgraduate School, 
             and provided the programs that let our students learn 
             foreign languages faster and better.
               You were the Captain of our ship, and Oh Captain, you 
             will be sorely missed!

               I'd like to include the letters from the Naval 
             Postgraduate School and the Defense Manpower Data Center 
             in Monterey in sympathy.
                                     Naval Postgraduate School,
                                                       Monterey, CA.
               Congressman Murtha was a true servant to the public, a 
             throwback with few peers matching his length of service to 
             the U.S. House of Representatives. Service to his nation 
             was perhaps a constant throughout his life--not only is he 
             one of our nation's longest serving representatives, he 
             was also a retired Marine Corps colonel, joining the 
             service in 1952 during the Korean war out of a deep sense 
             of obligation to his country.
               Congressman Murtha also served as Chairman of the 
             Defense Appropriations Subcommittee--and was the ranking 
             Democrat on the committee for nearly two decades--which 
             put him in a position to impact so many communities far 
             beyond Pennsylvania's 12th District.
               That impact was felt here at the Naval Postgraduate 
             School, where he was a friend to NPS. He believed in the 
             value of graduate education for military officers and was 
             consistently and particularly supportive of NPS over the 
             years. Congressman Murtha recognized the value of the NPS 
             MISSION in supporting our military forces and NPS unique 
             contributions to national security.
                                            Leonard A. Ferrari,
                               Executive Vice President and Provost.

                                          a
             Department of Defense, Human Resources Activity,    

                                  Defense Manpower Data Center,
                                                        Seaside, CA.
               Chairman Murtha was a great American and a steadfast 
             friend of the members of the Armed Forces and their 
             families. He exemplified the best of our Nation's values 
             and was the iconic example of a patriot. As a decorated 
             veteran he identified closely with Service members and his 
             tireless efforts to see that they were adequately 
             compensated, well-trained, well-led and provided with the 
             best equipment were legendary. As a direct result of his 
             four decades of leadership in the Congress our ability to 
             support and defend our Nation remains unsurpassed. His 
             unwavering support for Defense organizations in the 
             Monterey area was of enormous value to the Nation.
               Every American owes him a great, great debt.

               (Ms. PELOSI asked and was given permission to address 
             the House for 1 minute.)

               Ms. PELOSI. Madam Speaker, I rise to join my colleagues 
             to sing the praises of a great man, Jack Murtha. Many of 
             us had the honor of calling him colleague in this Chamber, 
             and some of us here had the privilege of calling him 
             friend. And when he was your friend, you had a true 
             friend.
               Last week, many of us traveled to Johnstown, PA, to see 
             Jack put to rest. It was wonderful to hear the stories of 
             the thousands of people who showed up to pay their last 
             respects to him in Johnstown, the people he knew so well, 
             cared about so much, fought for in this Chamber. His 
             family was gathered and surrounded by their loved ones and 
             guests. The former President of the United States, Bill 
             Clinton, was there, the Secretary of Defense was there, 
             the chairman of the National Security Council was there, 
             representatives of the President's Cabinet, and planeloads 
             of his colleagues who came from Washington or drove from 
             home.
               At that time we laughed and we cried, and we tried to 
             understand why this had happened. Jack's wife Joyce, who 
             is very strong, said to me, ``Jack would have wanted it 
             this way. He went out at the top of his game.'' Joyce is 
             very strong. We went there to console, and we came back 
             consoled by Jack's strong family.
               I told them in my remarks about Jack holding court in 
             the Pennsylvania corner in this Chamber. There isn't 
             another corner that I know of that has its own name and 
             its own presiding officer. But Jack held court there, and 
             Members from across the country and across the aisle came 
             to visit him, to ask his blessing on their endeavors, and 
             to just be encouraged, and sometimes supported by him. The 
             cluster around him were Pennsylvanians and others, but he 
             was never alone. He was a magnet, a personal magnet. 
             People were drawn to him. He had this wonderful smile and 
             cheerful, twinkling eyes.
               To see him operate in the Appropriations Committee, many 
             of us served there, was to see a master at work. But 
             really to understand his character, it was more important 
             to see him with our troops, whether it was just off the 
             battlefield or in a military hospital, Bethesda Naval 
             Medical Center, Walter Reed, Germany, Afghanistan, Iraq, 
             in the hospitals where our troops were taken.
               From his own military experience, he would ask them 
             questions very knowledgeably about their unit and what 
             they had encountered and what they had seen. And they all 
             loved seeing him. They knew he was their friend. And so to 
             visit, on the occasions when I had the privilege of 
             visiting with Jack Murtha, was to receive a special 
             welcome from the troops and their families.
               One time I remember in particular, we were visiting this 
             young man, it was a second visit, and he managed somehow, 
             when he knew Jack was coming, to get out of his bed. And 
             as we went in the door, there he was standing at attention 
             saluting Jack Murtha in a Steelers jersey. Pennsylvania, 
             how he loved that State, how he worked for it, how we will 
             miss him here.
               He had a special way about him, as I have said, by dint 
             of his knowledge, his courage. Imagine the courage it took 
             for Jack Murtha to come to our caucus, to come to the 
             Leader's office and tell me that day, ``We have to begin 
             removing our troops from Iraq.'' He went alone to the 
             press to tell them that. It was like an earthquake in 
             terms of opinion. People who had questions about the war 
             felt validated. People who respected Jack began to 
             question.
               One thing was for sure. He was respected by the 
             military. And when he spoke, they knew it was with no 
             agenda except the national security of our country and the 
             safety of our men and women in uniform.
               Force protection. He was always talking about that. When 
             we would travel to the war zones, whether it was the seats 
             in the trucks, or the better radios, or whatever, up-
             armored cars, body armor, you name it, as soon as he saw 
             the need he came back and delivered. So when he did speak 
             out against the war in Iraq, it was really quite a 
             stunning thing for our country. I think it was really 
             historic. It wasn't just that episode, it was that event 
             of national significance, historic significance.
               He received, as has been mentioned, the John F. Kennedy 
             Profile in Courage Award. Can you imagine for people of 
             our generation, someone to receive the John F. Kennedy 
             Profile in Courage Award? I will never forget that night. 
             The Kennedy Library, he and Joyce, black tie, beautiful 
             Joyce, proud Jack standing tall like a Marine coming down 
             those steps, being cheered by Democrats and Republicans 
             alike. It wasn't about any partisanship. It was about 
             patriotism.
               He was a proud Marine, as we all know. Semper Fi was 
             their motto. Semper Fidelis. Always faithful. And that was 
             the motto of his life, faithful to God, faithful to 
             country, faithful to his family, faithful to his district.
               I can't talk about Jack, just one more moment, if I may, 
             Madam Speaker, without talking about the funny stories he 
             always told us about Tip O'Neill. As he mentored so many 
             of us, Tip was his mentor. And he loved Tip O'Neill. And 
             he would tell us the stories of how it was to go to a 
             baseball game with Tip, and this and that and the rest. I 
             won't go into the stories now about peer review, Mr. Obey, 
             and those kinds of appropriations matters. But Tip 
             instilled in him, perhaps he had it innately, but still 
             Tip strengthened in him a pride in this institution that 
             he took very seriously. And he, in mentoring others, 
             passed that pride on to others as well. He loved this 
             Congress, he loved this institution. He left us at the top 
             of his game. We will miss you, Jack Murtha.
               Next week we will gather in Statuary Hall with many more 
             friends who can join in, now as we are on the floor of the 
             House, to once again pay tribute to this man. It is hard 
             to believe he is gone. But as he said, ``Soldiers can't 
             speak for themselves. We sent them to war, and, by God, we 
             are the ones that have to speak out.''
               His wife Joyce wants us to have the music ``God Bless 
             America'' at the closing of his ceremony next week. God 
             truly blessed America with the life, leadership, and 
             service of Jack Murtha. I hope it is a comfort to Joyce 
             and to the children and grandchildren, of whom he was so 
             proud, that so many people mourn their loss and are 
             praying for them at this sad time.

               The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the 
             House, the gentleman from West Virginia (Mr. Rahall) is 
             recognized for 5 minutes.

               Mr. RAHALL. Madam Speaker, I rise today to talk about 
             principled leadership that makes a difference. That best 
             describes the dean of the Pennsylvania delegation and its 
             longest serving member, Jack Murtha. Yes, Jack Murtha was 
             a Member's Member. He was a soldier's soldier. Always 
             straight shooting, courageous, willing to defend this 
             institution and all of us that work herein.
               During my 33 years of service in this body and with Jack 
             Murtha, very few individuals would I turn to for advice 
             and counsel like I would Jack Murtha. Like so many of my 
             colleagues, I have traveled to troubled spots in this 
             world with Jack Murtha. I have read and learned from him 
             not only on these hard-working, hard-hitting CODELS, but 
             also from his book, ``From Vietnam to 9/11.'' Words of 
             wisdom for all of us here today and for the future.
               Many of my strongest memories of Jack Murtha are from 
             our congressional travels together. We traveled to Lebanon 
             in fall 1982, following the deployment of U.S. forces as 
             peacekeepers to that country. We stayed in the very same 
             Marine barracks that 6 months later were blown to 
             smithereens.
               During our trip in June 1987 to Angola, it was Chairman 
             Murtha who was successful in securing the release of a 
             downed U.S. pilot from his congressional district. Later, 
             in August of that same year, we traveled to the Persian 
             Gulf during the U.S. reflagging operation of Kuwaiti 
             ships. A few years later, in January 1993, we traveled on 
             an inspection trip to Somalia, following President George 
             Herbert Walker Bush's December 1992 dispatch of our U.S. 
             troops there in order to establish order and ensure the 
             success of our humanitarian relief efforts.
               The bottom line in all of these travels, of course, as 
             so many of my colleagues can attest, is that around this 
             world our servicemen and women knew the true character of 
             Jack Murtha.
               They knew the backbone of Jack Murtha, a veteran, a 
             dedicated public servant, an individual who was never too 
             busy or too selfish to take time to regularly visit our 
             military installations, our military hospitals, to visit 
             our brave, wounded service personnel.
               From Chairman Murtha's station atop our Defense 
             Appropriations Subcommittee, our soldiers knew they were 
             secure in the knowledge that their sacrifices and their 
             dedications were in the best hands in the U.S. Congress.
               I will miss you, Jack. I will miss our true leader. I 
             will miss your courage and your dedication. Our courageous 
             American troops will miss you, Jack Murtha. Our veterans 
             will miss you, and all of America will miss you.
               Your family, Joyce, and your children and your 
             grandchildren, to them I extend my thoughts and prayers 
             and know that the memories of Jack Murtha will always 
             instill in his family the inspiration, the pride, the 
             strength, and the love that will enable them to carry on 
             the brave torch of Jack Murtha.
               God bless you, friend.

               The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the 
             House, the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Moran) is 
             recognized for 5 minutes.

               Mr. MORAN of Virginia. I want to make note, Madam 
             Speaker, of the fact that the Speaker of the House is here 
             and the chairman of the Appropriations Committee has been 
             here throughout the entire time of this tribute, out of 
             respect. That's old school. Jack was old school. That's 
             what would matter to him. You'd never see him with a 
             BlackBerry. Can you imagine Jack Murtha with a BlackBerry? 
             I am sure he's never used the Internet once in his life.
               You know, when we learned of Jack's passing, Norm Dicks 
             and I were on the phone and, between sobs, we, at the same 
             time, we blurted out the same thing: ``He was like a 
             father to me.'' He kind of was. He sort of taught us in 
             his own ways, really, by his conduct, the way we should 
             conduct ourselves in this institution. That's why he is 
             here. He's here. He's left his mark on each one of us 
             individually and collectively. He's done so much to shape 
             this institution.
               Family comes first. He would call his daughter, Donna, 
             who's a teacher in Fairfax County schools, every night. 
             Regardless of all the issues he was dealing with with Iraq 
             and Afghanistan and so on, he'd want to know how her kids 
             were doing in class.
               And, of course, he adored Joyce. Joyce was the queen. Of 
             course, Joyce would sometimes acknowledge that ``I know I 
             have to share him with you, Nancy, as Speaker,'' but he 
             had that kind of reverence that was so important to this 
             institution for leadership and for individuals.
               And he also knew how to be a friend. Everyone who walked 
             up to that corner, he welcomed. He knew their name. He 
             made them feel welcome. If they had a letter that they 
             wanted him to read, a little note or something, he'd take 
             the time and read it. He'd say, ``Come on, sit down beside 
             me.''
               He also was strong enough that he could afford to be 
             gentle. We know how he reached out to all of the soldiers, 
             the men and women in uniform, really cared about them. 
             He'd go over to Walter Reed. He would go and stand with 
             them, hold their hand at times.
               He also did other things that if I didn't mention it, I 
             doubt that anyone would know, and some people will think 
             they seem a little silly perhaps.
               Charlie Horner knows, his longtime aide. He heard that 
             Army Navy Country Club had a problem with the cats, that 
             they had proliferated. They were all over the place. And 
             so they decided, we've got too many cats; we're going to 
             kill them all. Jack found that out. It's true, isn't it? 
             He called a general and he said, ``Don't you go killing 
             any of those kitty cats at Army Navy Country Club.'' And 
             he didn't. They didn't. They all survived.
               I just want to share an experience about 9/11. We were 
             debating whether to put money into missile defense or into 
             counterterrorism because Richard Clarke had told us that's 
             the real threat. So on the morning of 9/11 we were 
             debating it, and Jack had decided the real threat was 
             counterterrorism. And then Norm had seen the television 
             and the planes going into the World Trade Center, and we 
             could hear this herd of people running down the corridor 
             outside. The Capitol vacated immediately. But there wasn't 
             a sign of anxiety, let alone fear, on Jack's face. I 
             walked out with him.
               We stood there in the driveway and all the police were 
             trying to clear everyone. Jack didn't feel any need to 
             move, and he told me this story. He said, ``Jerry, when I 
             was in Vietnam, I was in a foxhole and we were taking 
             fire. And a young private jumped in the foxhole. There was 
             only room for one person, so I had to get out. And I ran 
             into the line of fire looking for a foxhole and found one. 
             A few minutes later, a grenade landed in that foxhole I 
             had been in, blew the soldier up.'' Now, this is the 
             soldier, of course, who forced him into the line of fire. 
             And Jack said, ``I have always felt so bad for that young 
             soldier. I wish I had stayed there and not seen him blown 
             up.''
               That was the kind of guy he was. He was bigger than 
             life, but his life was really about other people and about 
             this institution and this country.
               So Jack, thank you for being who you were and who you 
             are to this institution.

               The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the 
             House, the gentlewoman from Ohio (Ms. Kaptur) is 
             recognized for 5 minutes.

               Ms. KAPTUR. Madam Speaker, man of the House. The passing 
             from this life of legendary Pennsylvania Congressman and 
             Defense Appropriations Chairman and Marine Colonel John P. 
             ``Jack'' Murtha truly represents a seismic shift in this 
             Congress and in our Nation's history. His acumen, brass-
             tacks style, and man-of-his-word reputation are so rare.
               As the longest serving woman in the current U.S. House, 
             I came to know Jack Murtha well, serving with him for 28 
             years. In early February, he became the longest serving 
             member of the Pennsylvania delegation in U.S. history.
               No one had his grasp of our Nation's defense or his 
             dexterity at ushering the complicated defense 
             appropriations bill, the largest in Congress, with nearly 
             unanimous bipartisan support.
               Jack put the soldier first. Each branch of the service, 
             plus the Guard and Reserve, owe Jack great gratitude. He 
             was indefatigable in their cause. Jack Murtha respected 
             the awesome power of the U.S. military, but he also knew 
             its limits.
               I have never served in this Congress when Jack Murtha 
             wasn't here. Properly, a U.S. flag flown over this Capitol 
             has been placed on his chair in the Pennsylvania corner 
             where he anchored his work on the floor of this House that 
             he loved. His knowledge, leadership, measure, and tutelage 
             remain timeless gifts to those who shared his path.
               As the first Democratic woman to serve on the Defense 
             Subcommittee of Appropriations, I can attest, it never 
             would have happened but for his support and encouragement. 
             For his faith in me, I shall always be in his debt as I 
             try to emulate his acuity, his range, and his concern.
               We, his subcommittee colleagues, who had the privilege 
             of serving most closely with this giant of a man shall 
             miss him greatly.
               When my constituents ask me to describe him, here's what 
             I try to say in his cadence: Man of the House. Marine. 
             Chairman. Colonel. Dean. Authentic. Patriotic. Semper Fi. 
             Fearless. Keen. Optimistic. Jovial. With an unforgettable 
             glint in his eyes. Alive. Devoted husband to Joyce, and 
             proud and caring father and grandfather.
               To his family, we send our deepest sympathy and our 
             abiding prayers and friendship.
               Son of Johnstown. Rough-hewn. Battle tested. Two Purple 
             Hearts. A Bronze Star. Not blow dried nor cosmetic. 
             Fiercely loyal to his district and Pennsylvania. In 
             command. Extraordinarily hard working. Kept Marine hours, 
             rising early, arriving early. Always building others. 
             Trusted. Never gave a word he would break. If he said, 
             ``I'll talk to you about it later,'' the subject was 
             closed before you knew it. Acute judge of character. 
             Revered counselor to dozens and dozens and dozens of 
             Members and friends. In few golden but choice words, he 
             advised, critiqued, led.
               Don't mess with him. Absolutely loved politics. A 
             ticketmaker and analyzer. Lots of real friends. Some 
             really cruel enemies. Always had a good word. An author. 
             Well traveled, too, often to war zones. Visited the 
             wounded and bore that pain close to his heart.
               New ideas and insights captivated him. Razor-sharp mind. 
             Don't tangle with him unless you know your subject. Memory 
             that could recall votes 10 years ago, and who voted which 
             way. Master of the rules. Wielded the gavel with authority 
             and certitude. Attentive to the floor at all times, even 
             when you thought he wasn't paying attention. Possessed all 
             the attributes to be Speaker, except he came from the 
             working class of people and didn't hail from a financial 
             or government enclave.
               Madam Speaker, he instinctively knew how to build a 
             majority. He had lived war, and his heart was always with 
             the soldier.
               A giant tree has fallen in the forest. A lion is now at 
             rest. How fortunate we are to cherish his friendship and 
             service. America's defense is the best in the world 
             because Chairman Jack Murtha lived to leave that legacy.
               [The prepared remarks of Ms. Kaptur follow:]
               The passing from this life of legendary Pennsylvania 
             Congressman and Defense Appropriations Chairman and Marine 
             Colonel John P. ``Jack'' Murtha truly represents a seismic 
             shift in our Nation's history. His acumen, brass-tacks 
             style and man-of-his-word reputation are so rare.
               As the longest serving woman in the current U.S. House 
             of Representatives, I came to know Jack Murtha well, 
             serving with him 28 years. In early February he became the 
             longest serving Congressman in Pennsylvania history. He 
             took it upon himself to guide young Members of Congress, 
             particularly if their districts mimicked the hardscrabble 
             nature of his own.
               As representative of the Ninth Congressional District of 
             Ohio, which extends along the Lake Erie shoreline from 
             Toledo almost to Cleveland, I had invited Jack to our job-
             challenged region many times. In fact, he was scheduled to 
             open the national rifle matches at Camp Perry this spring.
               Jack Murtha was legendary. He never forgot where he came 
             from. He tirelessly served his district and his 
             constituents. He grew to serve our Nation and his reach 
             was global. No one had his grasp of our Nation's defense 
             or his dexterity at ushering the complicated defense 
             appropriations bill, the largest in Congress, with nearly 
             unanimous bipartisan support.
               Jack put the soldier first. His unheralded visits to 
             military hospitals to visit the sick and wounded were not 
             designed as photo ops but as heartfelt expressions of 
             appreciation for those who served on the front lines and 
             sacrificed for us. Every soldier knew he understood.
               Each branch of the service, plus the Reserve and 
             National Guard, owes Jack Murtha a debt of gratitude. He 
             was indefatigable in their cause. In Toledo, our 180th F-
             16 Fighter Wing is genuinely the best in the world. Why? 
             Because Jack Murtha helped to build its capability. I 
             daresay he attended to all 435 congressional districts 
             with the same diligence.
               Our Guard and Reserve units were modernized with 
             improved pay and benefits because he knew their 
             importance: he advised America cannot conduct successful 
             operations without them. America's blood supply is more 
             robust and deliverable because he fought for it. New 
             weapons, materiel, and technologies are under way in every 
             service branch because Jack knew that some generals tend 
             to fight the last war, so he purposely worked in the 
             future.
               Jack Murtha respected the awesome power of the U.S. 
             military, but he also knew its limits.
               I have never served in Congress when Jack Murtha wasn't 
             here. Properly, a U.S. flag has been placed on his chair 
             in the Pennsylvania corner, where he anchored his work on 
             the floor of the House of Representatives and will remain 
             unoccupied by those who held him in esteem. His knowledge, 
             leadership, measure, and tutelage remain timeless gifts to 
             those who shared his path.
               As the first Democratic woman to serve on the Defense 
             Subcommittee of Appropriations, I can attest it would 
             never have happened but for his support and encouragement. 
             For his faith in me, I shall always be in his debt as I 
             try to emulate his acuity, range and concern.
               We, his subcommittee colleagues, who had the privilege 
             of serving most closely with this giant of a man, shall 
             miss him greatly.
               When my constituents ask me to describe him, here is 
             what I say in his cadence: Jack. Authentic. Patriotic. Man 
             of the House. Marine. Chairman. Colonel. Dean. Semper Fi. 
             Fearless. Keen. Optimistic. Jovial. With an unforgettable 
             glint in his eyes. Alive. Devoted husband to Joyce and 
             proud and caring father and grandfather. Son of Johnstown. 
             Rough-hewn. Battle tested. Two Purple Hearts. A Bronze 
             Star. Not blow dried nor cosmetic. Fiercely loyal to his 
             district and Pennsylvania. In command. Extraordinarily 
             hard working. Kept Marine hours, rising early, arriving 
             early. Always building others. Trusted. Never gave a word 
             he would break. If he said, ``I'll talk to you about it 
             later,'' the subject was closed before you knew it. Acute 
             judge of character. Revered counselor to dozens and dozens 
             of Members and friends. In few golden but choice words, he 
             advised, critiqued, led. Defended his subcommittee's 
             prerogatives.
               Don't mess with him. Absolutely loved politics. A 
             ticketmaker and analyzer. Lots of real friends. Some 
             really cruel enemies. Always had a good word. Liked bright 
             colors on others. Extraordinarily gifted. Well read. An 
             author. Well traveled too, often to war zones. Visited the 
             wounded and bore that pain close to his heart.
               Quite curious. New ideas and insights captivated him. 
             Capable of independent views. Razor-sharp mind. Don't 
             tangle with him unless you know your subject. Memory that 
             could recall votes from 10 years ago, and who voted which 
             way. Master of the rules. Wielded the gavel with authority 
             and certitude. Attentive to the floor at all times even 
             when you thought he wasn't paying attention. A coach. 
             Possessed all the attributes to be Speaker, except he came 
             from the working class of people and didn't hail from a 
             financial or government enclave.
               Not a trust fund baby nor into the cocktail circuit. 
             Self-made. Fair. Precise. Garrulous. Politically savvy. 
             Strong. Unflinching. Always humorous, throwing his head 
             back with a sincere laugh, and ``is that so?'' A brusque 
             manner that didn't suffer fools gladly. Regularly reached 
             across the aisle. Consistently passed his bills with 
             nearly unanimous support. He instinctively knew how to 
             build a majority.
               Lived war. Heart always with the soldier. Loyal disciple 
             of Speaker Tip O'Neill and the common man. Soul buddies 
             with twinkles in their eyes. Cussing occasionally. But a 
             good word always. A giant tree has fallen in the forest. A 
             lion is now at rest. How fortunate are we who cherish his 
             friendship and service. We loved him and will deeply miss 
             him. America's defense is the best in the world because 
             Chairman Jack Murtha lived to leave that legacy.

               The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the 
             House, the gentlewoman from New York (Mrs. Lowey) is 
             recognized for 5 minutes.

               Mrs. LOWEY. Madam Speaker, I rise to pay tribute to the 
             life of our dear friend and colleague, Chairman Jack 
             Murtha. Jack was truly an all-American, a committed public 
             servant, decorated veteran of war, small businessman, 
             devoted husband and father and grandfather.
               Many have recalled tonight and in recent weeks his 
             service on the front lines of combat. His experience in 
             the military made him a lifelong advocate for our men and 
             women in uniform and a compass for this body when it came 
             to making some of the toughest issues we face, those 
             related to the defense of the United States.
               Jack Murtha exercised his power to protect the country 
             he loved, taking seriously the trust of his constituents 
             and his responsibility to the American people.
               I learned so much from Jack Murtha. I witnessed first 
             hand and benefited from his expertise on military 
             strategy, intelligence, and foreign policy. His compassion 
             and commitment to do what was right were equally 
             impressive. On his broad shoulders, he carried a great 
             burden to not only provide for our troops and their 
             security but to ensure that we have made this world a 
             better place, a safer place, including for innocent 
             civilians in war zones and vulnerable societies around the 
             world. With a heavy heart he regularly gave his time to 
             lift the spirits of men and women recovering from injuries 
             in battles, sharing with them the appreciation of a 
             grateful Nation.
               Finally, I would like to note his dedication to a goal 
             we shared: Alleviating cancer, especially those unique to 
             women. He not only worked to help adapt military 
             technology to aid in the treatment of cancer, he and his 
             loving wife, Joyce, have supported initiatives to directly 
             support breast cancer patients and survivors.
               Jack was a giant among men. He was tough, he was smart, 
             he was committed to this great institution. His lifelong 
             service to our country will be missed.
               Rest in peace, my dear friend.
               I will miss him.

               The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the 
             House, the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Rothman) is 
             recognized for 5 minutes.

               Mr. ROTHMAN of New Jersey. Madam Speaker, I've been in 
             Congress 14 years.
               A lot of people don't know about the quality of some of 
             the people who are here in the Congress. A lot of people 
             in this country find it funny to ridicule elected 
             officials in general--Members of Congress in particular.
               I am going to talk to you about a great American, a 
             great human being. But there are many others like him, in 
             a sense, with the patriotism and grace and greatness that 
             he possessed.
               Grace, generosity, and greatness: Jack Murtha. This was 
             my 4th year serving on Mr. Murtha's Defense Subcommittee, 
             and I was wondering how this giant of a man--physical 
             giant, powerful, legislatively powerful man, would accept 
             this guy from Jersey on his subcommittee. But he had such 
             grace. He welcomed me with great civility and gentility. 
             He was tough. He was so generous to me. He was generous to 
             everyone on the committee.
               He believed in bipartisanship absolutely, completely and 
             totally, especially when it came to the security of our 
             beloved country, the United States of America. So he took 
             the best ideas from wherever they came--Democrat, 
             Republican, liberal, or conservative. He just wanted what 
             was best for America.
               To talk about generosity, he even let me, a New Jersey 
             guy, into the Pennsylvania corner. I was tickled by it. I 
             was honored. For most of my years here when I was not on 
             his subcommittee, I would see him over there in his 
             corner, and I would see the people flocking around him 
             from Pennsylvania and elsewhere, coming as if truly just 
             to get an audience with a great man, a great human being, 
             to get advice, to get direction, to get support. He always 
             made you feel as if he was interested in your point of 
             view.
               He asked me what books I read. When I told him, he said, 
             ``I want to read that book,'' and he did. He made you feel 
             like you were making a contribution.
               The greatness of Jack Murtha--aside from being a great 
             husband and father and war hero and devoted representative 
             of the people of Johnstown and his congressional 
             district--part of his greatness was his expectations about 
             what it meant to be an American, someone committed to 
             equal justice, equal opportunity, and integrity. His 
             integrity was unquestioned and unquestionable.
               I just hope that we remember, Madam Speaker, when we 
             think of this great, gracious, generous, gentle giant, 
             Jack Murtha, we remember not only his expectations for 
             himself, but we remember his expectations for each of us. 
             He had expectations with regard to his staff, his 
             committee members, all of his colleagues of the House--
             that we behave as true American patriots and leave America 
             stronger, freer, more just, and a greater Nation, as great 
             as he believed America to be. He demanded greatness from 
             all of us and that we pass on that legacy for our country, 
             our fellow countrymen and women, for generations to come.
               Thank you, Mr. Murtha, for all you have done for us, and 
             we hope to repay all that you have done for us by giving 
             back to our country and creating the kind of country that 
             you fought so hard to make.
               We will never forget you, sir. Thank you. God bless you.

               The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the 
             House, the gentleman from Iowa (Mr. Braley) is recognized 
             for 5 minutes.

               Mr. BRALEY of Iowa. Madam Speaker, some people may 
             wonder why I am standing here tonight, because almost 
             everyone who's spoken before me knew Jack Murtha longer 
             and better than I did.
               But one of the things that I want to share with everyone 
             who cares about Jack is my first meeting in his office, 
             because Jack came to the door and greeted me, and as we 
             were walking in, I looked up on the wall of his office and 
             I saw that famous photograph that Joe Rosenthal took of 
             the flag-raising on Iwo Jima, and it was signed by Joe 
             Rosenthal. I stopped the chairman, and I pointed out to 
             him that my father landed at Iwo Jima the same days that 
             those flags were raised. And in that instant, Jack Murtha 
             became my friend for life.
               We talked about the photograph, and I showed him that 
             over the shoulder of those Marines on Mount Suribachi, you 
             could see down on the shoreline on Green Beach LST-808, 
             which was the landing ship tank that dropped my dad off on 
             Iwo Jima 65 years ago yesterday.
               After that moment, any time I had a question or a 
             concern or a problem that affected the men and women in my 
             district or my State that served this country in uniform, 
             I knew where to go, and I went to Jack Murtha.
               One of the amazing things about how all of this unfolded 
             is Jack and I had talked about this year being the 65th 
             anniversary of the invasion of Iwo Jima, and we talked 
             about going there together. Unfortunately, because of his 
             tragic loss of life, we never had that opportunity.
               I think about that because my dad died 29 years ago, and 
             so many things about him were like Jack. He landed as an 
             18-year-old farm boy from Iowa, and he saw horrible things 
             in the war. Like Jack, he saw one of his good friends 
             vaporized by a shell burst, and I have read the story of 
             that account by the commanding officer of the core 
             artillery that my dad served under, Colonel John Letcher.
               One of the things that I did recently was I got a chance 
             to tape the veteran's history interview of my cousin, 
             Richard Braley, who, like my dad, was a Marine and served 
             in Vietnam as an officer, just like Jack Murtha. And one 
             of the things that is so special about people like my dad 
             and my cousin and Jack Murtha is you never forget and 
             you're always faithful.
               So when my dad died 29 years ago, one of the most 
             emotional things that happened was when my cousin flew all 
             the way back from Hawaii so that someone would be at that 
             small rural cemetery where he was buried to play ``Taps,'' 
             and he played it on his trumpet. And then he came up to me 
             at the very end with tears in his eyes, and he said, ``I 
             wonder if you could help. I brought this with me and I 
             would like to put it in the casket.'' And I looked down 
             and in his hand he had a small silver medallion with the 
             words ``Semper Fidelis'' on it.
               And when I heard these stories about Jack Murtha all 
             afternoon long, one of the other things it reminded me of 
             was how mad my mother used to get when my dad would stop 
             and pick up hitchhikers, because she didn't think it was 
             safe for him to be doing that. And I think my dad and Jack 
             Murtha realized after the hell that they had lived through 
             on the battlefield, that the rest of their lives was 
             gravy.
               And as I was listening here to all of these amazing 
             stories about Jack, I was thinking to myself, I wish my 
             father had lived to meet Jack.
               And then it suddenly dawned on me that he probably has.

               The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the 
             House, the gentlewoman from Maryland (Ms. Edwards) is 
             recognized for 5 minutes.

               Ms. EDWARDS of Maryland. Madam Speaker, I rise today to 
             express my condolences to the family of Jack Murtha and to 
             pay tribute to him. As a relatively new Member of this 
             body, I knew Jack Murtha only briefly, but I am so 
             grateful even for that.
               One day very early in my tenure here in Congress, I 
             needed some guidance on a military issue, and everyone 
             told me I needed to speak directly with Mr. Murtha. I have 
             to admit I was just a little bit intimidated. It wasn't 
             just his size and the boom of his voice and his upright 
             carriage, but I knew he knew stuff and that he could guide 
             me. To my great surprise, Mr. Murtha was wonderful to me. 
             His advice was sage, his generosity was unlimited, his 
             inquiry was precise, and his kindness and gentleness were 
             truly genuine. And from that moment forward, I am honored 
             to have been guided by his good counsel.
               I can still see on occasion when I sit in the Speaker's 
             chair a twinkle from his eye, and when it got a little 
             rough, a little bit of a nod from that back corner.
               On a personal note, Jack Murtha remembered that I grew 
             up in a military family, and he asked me about my father's 
             and my brother's service and my experiences growing up. 
             And I talked to him about being a candy striper and 
             reading to our servicemen and women at veterans' 
             hospitals.
               I know that he cared deeply about our servicemembers and 
             about their families and about the special obligation that 
             we owe to them. He understood more than so many the call 
             to service and the importance for political leaders to 
             carry that at the forefront of all of our decisions on 
             questions of war and peace. And his passion was so 
             evident. And I know that my family and all of our 
             servicemembers and their family members are so much better 
             off because of Jack Murtha's service in this body, his 
             service to our Nation, his commitment to them and to their 
             service.
               And so I am really grateful, Jack, to have even had just 
             a moment in time with you, and I only hope that in my 
             service here in the U.S. Congress, I can carry myself 
             forward with the kind of honor and duty and courage with 
             which you served.

               The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the 
             House, the gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Jones) is 
             recognized for 5 minutes.

               Mr. JONES. Madam Speaker, my heart ached so much last 
             week when I heard that the chairman, and that's what I 
             called Jack Murtha, Mr. Chairman, that he had passed on. 
             My father served in the Congress for 26 years. I have been 
             here for 15 years. So that means for 41 years Jack Murtha, 
             Mr. Chairman, has been part of our life, of the Walter 
             Jones family.
               I wanted to come to the floor tonight because I could 
             not go to bed knowing that this tribute would be held to 
             honor a great man. I have the privilege of having Camp 
             Lejeune Marine Base and Cherry Point Marine Air Station in 
             the Third District of North Carolina. To the chairman, the 
             Marines were a part of his heart, because he was a Marine.
               The many times that I would go to that corner that so 
             many people have made reference to, and I would stand in 
             line because I am a Republican, and that didn't matter to 
             him. What mattered to him was that I was a person, like 
             the chairman, who cared. As has been said many times 
             before me tonight, it didn't matter which party you were 
             in. What was good for America, what was good for the 
             military, that's what he stood for.
               I would stand and wait my time, and he would say, 
             ``Walter, what do you need?'' I would go up and take my 
             turn and say, ``Mr. Chairman, our Marines down in Camp 
             Lejeune are having many problems with Post Traumatic 
             Stress Disorder (PTSD) and Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI), 
             and there are not enough psychiatrists to help.'' This was 
             the last time I spoke to him. He said, ``Well, why don't 
             we get together. Why don't we have a meeting.''
               So in the little room downstairs, I guess, on the first 
             floor, the basement, in his room, we would go in, and I 
             would talk to him about the needs of the Marines, and the 
             Marines loved him. I had a couple in my room tonight when 
             this started and they were saying, ``We've lost a great 
             friend.''
               But tonight, for me personally, it was to come down here 
             and say, ``Mr. Chairman, thank you. Thank you for having 
             the time for a person that's no more than a foot soldier 
             in the Congress.'' I am talking about myself. It didn't 
             matter who you were, what position you held in the 
             Republican Party or the Democratic Party, it was a matter 
             of his heart. His heart was ``What can I do to help you. 
             What does your district need? What do your Marines need?'' 
             And he would always find time to talk to you.
               So, tonight, I wanted to come down for just a few 
             minutes to say to the family that are here tonight that he 
             was a great man, he was a patriot, and he was the kind of 
             man that America needs to remember with great respect and 
             also to thank him for being a man of humility.
               I have always said that Christ was a man of humility, 
             and he got so much accomplished because he was a man of 
             humility. Chairman Murtha was a man of humility. He had 
             great power, but he did not flex the muscles of power. He 
             walked and he worked with humility.
               Tonight I close by saying, Mr. Chairman, thank you for 
             taking the time for all of us. You were a man that 
             probably slept well at night because you were overworked, 
             but you are in a better place now, and I am sure God is 
             listening to whatever advice you might have to make 
             America a better country.
               I thank you for giving me this time to say thank you and 
             goodbye, and America will miss you, and the Jones family 
             will miss you, also.

               The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the 
             House, the gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Corrine Brown) is 
             recognized for 5 minutes.

               Ms. CORRINE BROWN of Florida. Madam Speaker, to whom God 
             has given much, much is expected. We are truly blessed 
             that we have had the opportunity to work and serve with 
             Mr. Murtha.
               Now, I have my Mr. Murtha story. I was able to get Mr. 
             Murtha to come to my district, Jacksonville, FL, the Third 
             Congressional District, which is a military district, but 
             I knew that when he came that I would only have one shot. 
             So I wanted to make sure I covered everything he needed to 
             see in my district.
               We started out at the Marine base, we went to the port, 
             we went to Cecil Field, we went to Shands Hospital where 
             we had the proton beam. Well, they had tried to get a 
             proton beam in his area. I took the doctor in my area, so 
             he was very shocked when he came to Jacksonville and found 
             out that not only did I have the proton beam in 
             Jacksonville, I had his doctor from his area.
               Then I had a reception scheduled for him, and, of 
             course, he said, ``I don't work this hard. You have shown 
             me everything that you want to develop in your district.'' 
             Of course, the point is, he came, he saw, and we were able 
             to get the services that the military people needed in my 
             area.
               I will never forget when I went to Normandy, they had 
             just opened the visitors center there. It was a tribute to 
             all of the people that had served and died in Normandy. 
             And they had no place to go, it was all the crosses, but 
             it was a center that Mr. Murtha and the chairman of 
             Appropriations had gotten funded. Yes, it was an earmark. 
             It was an earmark and a tribute to the people that had 
             served this country. I will never forget how proud I was 
             to go to that visitors center. That should be Mr. Murtha's 
             name on that visitors center in Normandy because he did so 
             much.
               In closing, I want to say we always sing the song ``God 
             Bless America,'' and, yes, God blessed America because of 
             Mr. Murtha. To quote the Scripture, Paul, ``He has fought 
             a good fight and he has finished the course,'' but it is 
             left up to us now to continue to work, to continue to work 
             for our veterans, to continue to work for the military. 
             This is the kind of tribute that we should pay to Mr. 
             Murtha. The work is not finished.
               God did bless America with giving us the example of Mr. 
             Murtha.
               [The prepared remarks of Ms. Brown follow:]
               I was extremely saddened to hear about the passing of my 
             close colleague and dear friend, Congressman John Murtha, 
             chairman of the Defense Appropriations Subcommittee. 
             Elected to the House of Representatives in 1974, 
             Representative Murtha dedicated his life to serving his 
             country, both in the military and in Congress. A former 
             Marine, he was the first Vietnam combat veteran elected to 
             Congress.
               Ever since I came to Washington, Congressman Murtha and 
             I had always had a very close relationship; in part, 
             because my district, Florida's Third, has a strong 
             military presence, and because of our joint efforts in the 
             arena of veterans affairs. Considered by most to be one of 
             the most influential Democrats in the House, he was an 
             expert and a leader on issues concerning defense, the 
             military, and our Nation's veterans. Deeply respected by 
             Republicans and Democrats alike, Congressman Murtha's 
             leadership and institutional knowledge of all aspects of 
             our Nation's security policy will be greatly missed, as 
             will his charm and leadership within the Democratic Party. 
             My thoughts and prayers go out to the Congressman's wife, 
             Joyce, and the entire Murtha family.

               The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the 
             House, the gentleman from Massachusetts (Mr. Capuano) is 
             recognized for 5 minutes.

               Mr. CAPUANO. Madam Speaker, out of respect for Jack, I 
             will be very brief. Great American, great patriot, but for 
             me he was a friend. He was my buddy.
               The truth is, he was my buddy not because we shared a 
             philosophical view--we probably disagreed on more than we 
             agreed on--but because we respected each other. In my 
             world, the best thing you can say about anybody is he 
             didn't forget where he came from. Jack never forgot. He 
             represented working men and women to the utmost. Even when 
             we disagreed, his motivation was pure.
               He was the epitome of a politician. He liked helping 
             people. I disdain politicians who think that we won't or 
             that we shouldn't help people. That's what we are here 
             for. Jack knew that from the day he got here to the day he 
             left. He was my friend. I'm going to miss him. I think 
             America will miss him, but I will miss him.
               Jack, I will tell you that I am not looking forward to 
             it, but when my day comes I'm going to be looking you up. 
             My hope is that you'll be up there with a whole bunch of 
             the good old boys and hopefully you'll welcome me then as 
             you welcomed me when I got here.
               I'm going to miss you, Jack.

               The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the 
             House, the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Driehaus) is 
             recognized for 5 minutes.

               Mr. DRIEHAUS. Madam Speaker, I just wanted to join all 
             of my colleagues as we give our thanks to Jack and Jack's 
             family. I am a new Member of Congress, and I didn't get to 
             know Jack Murtha until fall 2008 when I was running for 
             Congress. Jack came down to Cincinnati and we visited the 
             VA hospital. We sat down with some veterans and we sat 
             down with the staff of the VA hospital and started talking 
             about PTSD and the PTSD Program that we had in Cincinnati.
               Jack had such a sincere interest, and he exuded care for 
             those veterans. He wanted to see that what we were doing 
             in Cincinnati was replicated across the country.
               Every time I went to Jack and asked for something, every 
             time I approached him, he was open. As I talked to or as I 
             listened to the Members here tonight, there seems to be an 
             underlying theme: Every time you approached Jack Murtha, 
             he was asking what he could do for you. What a great 
             Congressman. What a great dad.
               Jack was the type of guy that in his district, he was 
             always asking that question: ``What can I do for you?'' 
             And that's the right question. We had perhaps the greatest 
             challenge that we faced in Cincinnati this year, on a jobs 
             program. It was the Joint Strike Fighter, the competitive 
             engine program.
               I happened to be the Congressman for the district for 
             GE-Aviation where that engine is made. We were worried. We 
             were worried that we were going to lose 1,000 jobs. Now I 
             know it to be a good program. I know it to be a cost-
             saving program, but the President, the administration, 
             sometimes thinks a little differently about that program.
               So I went to Jack, and I said, ``Jack, I'm really 
             worried about this. This is a lot of jobs in Cincinnati. I 
             believe this is the right thing to do for the country.'' 
             Without hesitation, he just looked me in the eye and he 
             said, ``Steve, don't worry about it, we'll take care of 
             it.''
               I knew that it was taken care of, because I had Jack's 
             word. He was that type of guy. He had that kind of 
             strength and that kind of authority. Every time you 
             approached him, he was always asking what he could do for 
             you.
               This House was a great place because of Jack Murtha, and 
             we are a lesser body because of his loss. I lost my father 
             a little over a year ago, and he was a lot like Jack. I 
             hope the two of them have gotten to know each other since 
             Jack's passing, because he reminded me a lot of my dad.
               You will be greatly missed, Jack. I thank your family, 
             and I thank your community for sharing you with us and the 
             American people for so long.

               The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the 
             House, the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Stupak) is 
             recognized for 5 minutes.

               Mr. STUPAK. Madam Speaker, I will be brief. I have been 
             tied up most of the afternoon and never thought I would 
             have an opportunity to come down and join in this special 
             order to our friend and our colleague, Jack Murtha. I am 
             very pleased and heartened by all of the outpouring of 
             Members who have come down here for the last few hours, 
             and it has also given me an opportunity to say a few 
             things about my friend, Jack Murtha.
               Jack would be embarrassed about all of the attention 
             being shown to him tonight, but for those of us who knew 
             and loved and respected Jack Murtha, it's been an 
             especially hard week, especially those of us who hang out, 
             as we say, in the Pennsylvania corner. When we always look 
             on the corner to see Jack there, we see a folded American 
             flag. I guess it's appropriate for Jack's service to his 
             country, not only as a soldier, but also as a Member of 
             this House of Representatives.
               If you want to know more about Jack Murtha, his courage, 
             his love for this country, I would urge you to read the 
             book that he wrote, ``From Vietnam to 9/11: On the Front 
             Lines of National Security.'' He really traced the history 
             of this country, policy, and military involvement of this 
             country since Vietnam to September 11. It is written by a 
             true patriot who lived it and urged all of us to also see 
             the world and our commitment and our dedication to the men 
             and women in uniform through the eyes of Jack Murtha in a 
             book.
               I said it's been a hard week, and I think everything 
             that needs to be said about Jack Murtha has probably been 
             said. I am thankful for having known him, and I am 
             thankful for the opportunity of being able to come down 
             here tonight and just say a few words and to express our 
             love and condolences for Joyce and the entire Murtha 
             family.

               The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the 
             House, the gentleman from Vermont (Mr. Welch) is 
             recognized for 5 minutes.

               Mr. WELCH. Madam Speaker, I think one of the qualities 
             of a great person is that they don't see themselves as 
             great. They really see themselves as ordinary.
               If they value something about themselves, it's that 
             being ordinary allows them to do generous and good things 
             for other people. Jack Murtha was a huge figure for those 
             of us who were in my class, the class of 2006. People may 
             remember that the big debate that year was about the war 
             in Iraq.
               I ran as a person who was opposed to that war, and I 
             remember during the campaign being very dispirited 
             wondering where we were going. Then a voice rose out of 
             Washington, and it was a Vietnam veteran, it was a combat 
             decorated Marine, it was the chair of the Defense 
             Appropriations Subcommittee, it was a man who had the 
             highest credentials as an advocate for the military. That 
             voice, of course, was Jack Murtha.
               And he stood up and he said that this war was wrong. He 
             said that his vote was a mistake.
               What attracted me, I think my classmates, and all of my 
             colleagues who have been speaking to this man, Jack 
             Murtha, was his generosity--he was always wondering what 
             could he do for you today--his integrity, but he also had 
             a quality of incredible strength. You gravitated to Jack 
             because he was a strong man, strong in his convictions, 
             strong in his will to carry on. He had strength of mind 
             and was willing to experience and analyze what was going 
             on. When he came to his conclusion about Iraq, it was 
             through the eyes of the soldier on the ground in assessing 
             what was going on and why.
               Even as he changed his policy position on Iraq, no one 
             was a stronger supporter of the troops getting what they 
             needed to be safe and getting what they needed to be taken 
             care of when they got home. And what he understood and he 
             began to teach this Congress and this country was that if 
             we respect the valor of these men and women who are 
             willing to subordinate their own judgment to take an oath 
             of allegiance to the flag of the Commander in Chief and to 
             report for duty when and where ordered by the President, 
             then Congress and he, Jack Murtha, had a solemn 
             responsibility to do every single thing in his body, mind, 
             heart, and soul to provide those soldiers with a policy 
             that was worthy of the sacrifice they were willing to 
             make.
               Like I think everybody here in Congress, when Jack would 
             ask what he could do for me, I oftentimes had an answer. 
             But the first time he asked me that question was the first 
             day of my experience here in Congress. I said to Jack, I 
             understand that you go out and visit the troops often at 
             Bethesda and at Walter Reed. And he told me he did. He 
             usually went alone, almost always went alone, always 
             quietly, never any press, never any entourage. I asked him 
             if in the course of my 2 years in Congress sometime he 
             would take me with him, and it turned out that the next 
             day he did.
               I will never forget going through the Bethesda Naval 
             Hospital with Jack Murtha and seeing how, when he talked 
             to our troops who suffered incredible injuries, he had 
             that same directness, that same pride, that same 
             confidence in engaging these soldiers--What happened? How 
             did it happen? Was it an improvised explosive device 
             (IED)? Was it tripwire? Was it pressure activated?
               He knew everything about the experience of these 
             soldiers. And he wasn't sentimental. He was direct. He was 
             blunt. And in that strength he was warm and encouraging 
             and respectful to the service of those soldiers. It is 
             something only a person with Jack's strength of character 
             could do.
               We all know that Jack was endlessly challenged by the 
             press for the so-called earmarks. I remember that he took 
             the criticism as though it was a grain of salt, and when 
             asked, he would hold up a document saying, this is my 
             power. It is in the Constitution, and I take care of my 
             people.
               We lost a great man.

               The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the 
             House, the gentleman from Tennessee (Mr. Cohen) is 
             recognized for 5 minutes.

               Mr. COHEN. Madam Speaker, many speakers have preceded me 
             today in speaking about Mr. Murtha--and I will always call 
             him Mr. Murtha because that's how I referred to him here 
             in the House and that's how I will refer to him in memory.
               I only had the opportunity to serve with him for 3 
             years, and I feel certainly inadequate in being the last 
             person to speak, but this man was my friend. He was like a 
             father figure to me.
               When I was thinking about running for Congress, I came 
             up here to view Congress and think about it. I wasn't sure 
             if I was going to run or not. I went up in that gallery 
             and I sat on this left side of the aisle, Madam Speaker. I 
             looked at the floor and all the people down here and I 
             thought about whether or not I wanted to run. But coming 
             up here, I was in Rayburn, and I walked up by the train 
             that comes from Rayburn to the Capitol. And this man came 
             up to me, this gentleman--I didn't know him--and he put 
             his arm around me and we talked on the way up and walked 
             all the way down the path. And he said, ``Young man, this 
             is going to be like 1974. It's going to be a great year 
             for Democrats.''
               We got up the elevator--and I was so proud to be in this 
             building--and we got to the top and he went to the left 
             where you enter the Speaker's lobby and come onto this 
             floor and I went around the way to this gallery where 
             visitors go. He said, ``Next time you come up here, I hope 
             you can come in here with me.'' And it was the next time I 
             got to come in here with him.
               I was so proud every time I got to go over--I read about 
             Murtha's corner in the New York Times, and then I find 
             myself over there with mostly folks from Pennsylvania, but 
             also the different people that were fond of Mr. Murtha. I 
             was standing there and I thought, I remember reading about 
             Murtha's corner, now I'm in Murtha's corner. And I was in 
             his corner and he was in mine. When I needed help for my 
             community and learning about appropriations, defense 
             appropriations and how they could benefit this country and 
             my community and my universities, he helped me. He always 
             helped me. And I helped him when he was in need in his 
             last election.
               I made the trip to Johnstown for his funeral, and I am 
             so happy I did and I am happy to be here. I could not let 
             this opportunity pass to speak about this great American. 
             It has been mentioned that he was a Marine and he was the 
             first from Vietnam to be elected--he was part of that 
             class--and he stood up and received the John F. Kennedy 
             Profile in Courage Award. All is true. But the bottom line 
             is he was a good human being.
               ``Avuncular'' is a word I learned when I was in high 
             school, uncle-like figure, and I guess he was an uncle-
             like figure. He was just a grand, good human being. I will 
             miss him. This House will miss him. And I am just 
             fortunate that I passed this way at the same time he did 
             and got to change time with him in life.
               Thank you, Jack Murtha.

               Ms. DeLAURO. Madam Speaker, I rise today to pay my 
             respects to a tireless champion for soldiers, veterans, 
             and the middle class, a venerable lion of this body, and a 
             treasured friend, Congressman Jack Murtha.
               The first Vietnam combat veteran ever elected to the 
             House of Representatives, Congressman Murtha dedicated his 
             career to America's fighting men and women, and always 
             worked to put our troops and their safety first. I 
             consistently relied on his wisdom and his insights on 
             matters of defense and national security.
               From his position as chairman of the Defense 
             Appropriations Committee, Jack's extraordinary dedication 
             to the well-being of our troops and their families was 
             evident in his actions every day. He knew that keeping our 
             soldiers out of harm's way meant providing them with 
             state-of-the-art equipment, from submarines to 
             helicopters. And with that in mind, he helped to maintain 
             a defense-industrial base that brought high-paying, high-
             skilled manufacturing jobs both to his home State of 
             Pennsylvania and my own State of Connecticut. His legacy 
             will live on not only in his service to military men and 
             women, but through the millions of jobs he helped to 
             create in our region.
               Jack was also concerned with the well-being of Americans 
             waging another kind of battle, and he always supported 
             critical funding for research on diseases such as cancer, 
             AIDS, and diabetes. In short, he was a great ally to 
             Connecticut, a great Pennsylvanian, and a great American, 
             and he will be deeply missed. This House is smaller after 
             his passing.

               Mr. SHUSTER. Madam Speaker, I want to thank 
             Representative Kanjorski for organizing this afternoon's 
             special order to honor the memory of our friend and 
             colleague Jack Murtha.
               Over the course of the hour many members of our 
             delegation and the House will add their own personalized 
             sentiments to memorialize Jack Murtha, and I appreciate 
             the opportunity to add my own remarks today.
               Jack Murtha will always be remembered for his 
             extraordinary service to his country, both in and out of 
             uniform. He always put the interests of his country, his 
             State, and his constituents first and he will be greatly 
             missed by all who knew him.
               Outside of Pennsylvania, Jack Murtha will be 
             remembered--and rightly so--for his skills in navigating 
             the ins and outs of House rules and procedures. He will be 
             remembered as someone who could get things done in 
             Washington.
               As a former colonel in the Marine Corps, Jack never 
             forgot Congress' primary responsibility to provide for our 
             common defense. His unceasing commitment to our national 
             security will go down as legend in Washington, as will the 
             work he did on behalf of our men and women in the military 
             through his chairmanship of the Subcommittee on Defense 
             Appropriations.
               For those of us from Pennsylvania, especially the 
             western part of the State, Jack will always be remembered 
             and greatly missed for the dogged determination he showed 
             over his career to make sure the needs of the people he 
             represented were met.
               There is little doubt that Jack left an indelible mark 
             on this House and his impact will still be felt long after 
             he is gone.
               Personally, I will always remember Jack as a friend to 
             both my father and me over the 36 years he served the 
             people of the 12th District of Pennsylvania.
               Jack was an extraordinary person--a tireless advocate 
             for his constituents, and a champion for our national 
             security. We have lost a true patriot. I send my 
             condolences to Jack's wife Joyce and their children. My 
             thoughts and prayers continue to be with them and the 
             people of the 12th District.

               Mr. BRADY of Pennsylvania. Madam Speaker, thank you for 
             allowing me to say a few words about our friend Jack 
             Murtha. First, I would like to advise Mrs. Murtha that I 
             am her adopted son. I don't know if Jack ever told you 
             (Mom). But, he did adopt me.
               He took me under his wing. It was warm in the winter and 
             cool in the summer. He also taught me a few things. He 
             taught me to be courteous to everyone and that everyone is 
             special. He made us all feel special. He was more 
             comfortable with the privates than with the generals. He 
             made everyone feel important.
               He would make the little people feel needed and 
             appreciated. He had a great sense of humor and enjoyed 
             telling his stories and jokes. He had a big heart and 
             tremendous compassion for people.
               Unfortunately, a whole lot of people--including our 
             illustrious press--never knew that Jack Murtha.
               With the exception of his family, I was more fortunate 
             than all of you. Every Thursday or Friday before we broke 
             for the week, I would say goodbye to him. Because of his 
             knee problem, I would help him down from his seat--the 
             only reserved seat in Congress. Then, I would shake his 
             hand and give him a kiss goodbye. I did not know Wednesday 
             January 27 would be the last time I would kiss my friend 
             goodbye.
               Jack Murtha was your friend. Jack Murtha was the best 
             friend of the men and women in uniform. He will be deeply 
             missed. We will never see another Jack Murtha.

               Mr. MOLLOHAN. Madam Speaker, I join my colleagues today 
             to express my deep sadness at the passing of our 
             colleague, Jack Murtha.
               As I look around the floor of the House this evening, I 
             see Democrats and I see Republicans. I see veteran members 
             of the so-called ``Pennsylvania corner'' and I see 
             freshmen Members--from California, from the Northeast, 
             from the South. I see Jack's fellow appropriators, and I 
             see Members who, on other days perhaps, boast proudly of 
             never seeking earmarks. Jack Murtha was one of the few 
             Members of this body who could draw together such an 
             eclectic group.
               That is not a surprise--for Jack Murtha was truly a man 
             of the House. He was a Member's Member. He cared about his 
             colleagues, and he respected his colleagues--even when he 
             thought they were wrong. Being able to disagree civilly 
             has--to the great detriment of our public life--become an 
             uncommon quality in Washington. Jack practiced it better 
             than anyone.
               Jack was a legislator. His ability and willingness to 
             work with almost anyone was one of the reasons Jack was so 
             effective--if you're a Democrat and wanted something done, 
             you wanted Jack on your side. If you're a Republican and 
             wanted something done, you wanted Jack on your side.
               Jack was a Representative. He loved his district, 
             respected his constituents, and worked as hard for them as 
             any Member ever has.
               Jack was an institutionalist. He believed in this House 
             of Representatives, he defended its prerogatives, and he 
             protected them. It has been my great privilege to work 
             closely with two of the greatest defenders Congress has 
             ever seen--the senior Senator from my own State . . . and 
             Jack Murtha.
               Jack was a leader. His respect for his colleagues and 
             his commitment to this House informed his role as 
             chairman. Jack recognized the importance of what we do 
             here, and Jack was always prepared. There was never a man 
             more suited to the gavel than Jack Murtha.
               Jack was a Marine. If he had not been a Marine, he could 
             have played the part--the man radiated strength and 
             purpose in every action he took. But Jack not only looked 
             the part, he was the genuine article. And there is, of 
             course, no such thing as a former Marine--once a Marine, 
             always a Marine. As fiercely as Jack defended the 
             prerogatives of Congress, his commitment to our House took 
             a back seat to his commitment to men and women in uniform. 
             The servicemember--an infantryman outside Fallujah, a 
             Marine in Afghanistan, an airman in Bagram, a sailor in 
             the Persian Gulf--has never had a better protector than 
             Jack Murtha. Jack was one of them.
               That is the chief reason he didn't hesitate when he came 
             out so publicly against the war in Iraq--something that 
             earned him the respect of many and the enmity of some. I 
             don't know that he didn't care about either judgment, but 
             I do know that neither applause nor condemnation guided 
             his decision at all. His allegiance was to the men and 
             women in the field.
               To me, Jack was a friend and a mentor. In a sense that 
             was a relationship I inherited. My father, who represented 
             West Virginia's First District until he retired in 1982, 
             worked closely with Jack. Shortly after I won election to 
             his seat, Dad told me that I would never go wrong seeking 
             Jack's counsel. He was right.
               Finally, Jack was a family man, a loving husband and 
             partner to his wife, Joyce, and parent to Donna, John, and 
             Patrick. Their loss cannot be described by words. They 
             have my deepest condolences.
               Jack will be missed by all.

               Mr. RANGEL. Madam Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute 
             to the life of our former colleague, Congressman John 
             Murtha. He died on February 8, 2010, at age 77, following 
             complications of surgery. John represented Pennsylvania's 
             12th Congressional District for 36 years in Congress, 
             longer than any Pennsylvania lawmaker.
               John Patrick Murtha was born June 17, 1932, in New 
             Martinsville, WV, and moved to Pennsylvania as a child. He 
             graduated from the University of Pittsburgh in 1962 with a 
             degree in economics and did graduate work in economics and 
             political science at Indiana University of Pennsylvania.
               Congressman Murtha dedicated his life to serving the 
             Nation he loved, first in the military. He entered the 
             U.S. Marine Corps in 1952, during the Korean war period, 
             and served until 1955, joining the Reserves. Then, during 
             the Vietnam conflict, he volunteered for combat and served 
             as an intelligence officer in 1966 and 1967. John received 
             the Bronze Star and two Purple Hearts for this service, 
             retiring from the Marine Corps Reserve as a colonel in 
             1990.
               One of the first Vietnam veterans to sit in the House 
             and a career Reservist, John effectively applied this 
             valuable insight to his work in Congress. As the chairman 
             of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense, he 
             worked tirelessly for the benefit of the Nation's troops 
             and their families. For his political courage in speaking 
             out against the Iraq war, and his dedication to principled 
             public service, John was awarded the 2006 John F. Kennedy 
             Profile in Courage Award.
               Congressman Murtha has earned a well-deserved place in 
             history as a patriot, war hero and statesman. The Nation 
             will miss his dedication and vast experience in lawmaking, 
             and we will miss him as a dear friend and generous mentor.
               I express my condolences to John's wife Joyce and their 
             three children, and I urge everyone to honor and remember 
             our colleague, John Murtha.

               Mrs. MALONEY. Madam Speaker, I rise to say goodbye to a 
             friend.
               New York City, and the rest of the world, lost a friend 
             when Jack Murtha died.
               Jack Murtha served his country in every possible way.
               He served it in Vietnam as a Marine; he served in 
             western Pennsylvania as a son, husband, and father; and he 
             served it for over 40 years in Harrisburg and in 
             Washington, as a legislator's legislator.
               He won respect for the honest, plain-spoken, 
             compassionate way he played all of those roles.
               But to me, he played those roles like a brother.
               He spoke often of the strong women in his family being 
             essential to his success in life.
               His great-grandmother, he once recalled, told him at age 
             4, ``You're put on this Earth to make a difference.''
               Boy, did he ever.
               He volunteered as a Marine, first in the 1950s during 
             the Korean war.
               He reenlisted at age 34 and served in Vietnam--earning 
             the Bronze Star, two Purple Hearts, and the Vietnamese 
             Cross for Gallantry.
               He became the first Vietnam combat veteran to be elected 
             to Congress, in a February 1974 special election, starting 
             a legendary Washington career as a member of the 
             Appropriations Committee.
               When I came to this Chamber for the first time, the 
             ``Pennsylvania corner'' was in full flower. We grew close 
             and even though we didn't agree on everything, we worked 
             together often--on issues ranging from breast cancer 
             research funding to the Intrepid Museum on the Hudson.
               When he decided that the Iraq war was unwinnable in 
             2005, he earned his stripes all over again, providing 
             leadership on this crucial issue. He visited my district, 
             and so many others, explaining how he came to his 
             decision.
               Madam Speaker, as a Congressman, Jack Murtha won respect 
             in these Halls and on this floor . . . but as a man, he 
             earned our love. We will miss him.
               My thoughts and prayers are with his wife Joyce, and the 
             entire Murtha family.

               Mr. KILDEE. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the 
             life and memory of my friend, John Murtha.
               John was an extraordinary man, patriot and Congressman. 
             He served with distinction as the chairman of the House 
             Appropriations Defense Subcommittee where his knowledge 
             and expertise on military issues was unparalleled. Our 
             troops and veterans had no greater advocate than John 
             Murtha and the country that he loved so dearly is better 
             for his years of service.
               His personal commitment to our troops was extraordinary. 
             He visited our war zones to learn first hand about the 
             need on the ground and always made time to visit with our 
             soldiers. No matter how busy he was, he would always ask 
             me about my two sons who served as captains in the U.S. 
             Army, and I knew that he genuinely cared from the bottom 
             of his heart.
               We all know that Jack was a proud Marine, and their 
             motto Semper Fidelis, was indeed the motto of his life.
               Madam Speaker, I am a better Member of Congress for 
             knowing John Murtha and Congress as a whole is richer for 
             his many years of service. I am honored to call him 
             colleague and friend, and I will dearly miss his strength, 
             dedication and friendship. God bless you John and 
             Godspeed.

               Mrs. McCARTHY of New York. Madam Speaker, it is with 
             great honor that I rise today to pay tribute to a dear 
             friend and loyal public servant, the Honorable John 
             Murtha. He was a strong voice for the constituents in the 
             12th District of Pennsylvania and honorably served as the 
             chairman of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on 
             Defense.
               I, like so many of my colleagues, am blessed to have 
             known Mr. Murtha on a professional and personal level. It 
             is no surprise that Mr. Murtha will be remembered as such 
             an effective legislator. Given his proud service in the 
             Marine Corps and passionate devotion for the greater good 
             of our Nation, Mr. Murtha consistently served as a moral 
             compass for the U.S. Congress.
               About a year and a half after the Iraq war started, many 
             wounded soldiers were transferred to Walter Reed Army 
             Medical Center. Mr. Murtha visited these soldiers and 
             witnessed the horrific wounds they were suffering with, 
             such as losing a limb or losing complete eyesight. Mr. 
             Murtha invited the veterans staying at Walter Reed, their 
             families and Members of Congress to a restaurant meal 
             where he wanted the Members to hear the stories of these 
             courageous veterans. He wanted the veterans to express how 
             they became wounded and what they believed Congress could 
             do to help make sure our American soldiers were safe. 
             Through legislation and appropriations funding, the 
             stories from our veterans helped Congress push the 
             military to improve their equipment. Humvees and 
             protective vests were improved to keep our soldiers safe 
             from roadside bombs and other forms of hostility.
               In all his years as an appropriator and legislator, he 
             has always advocated for the safety of our military and 
             has fought to improve the quality of life for American 
             soldiers and their families. It was typical of Mr. Murtha 
             to be modest about all of the care he showed the soldiers 
             and veterans in times of war. After learning of the 
             unacceptable conditions veterans were subjected to at 
             Walter Reed Army Medical Center, Mr. Murtha immediately 
             reached out to Members of Congress. He knew it was our 
             country's responsibility to bring justice to our Nation's 
             wounded soldiers by ensuring that they received the proper 
             medical care they deserved.
               I extend my deepest condolences to his family, loved 
             ones, and friends. Mr. Murtha will be remembered as a man 
             of honor, generosity, and strength. His unfaltering 
             dedication and care is what made him such an extraordinary 
             person. It is with great sadness that I say goodbye to a 
             great man and friend. I will miss him dearly. I ask my 
             colleagues to join me in expressing the gratitude of the 
             U.S. Congress for his longtime service and leadership as a 
             U.S. Representative.

               Ms. EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON of Texas. Madam Speaker, I 
             rise today to celebrate the life and honor the 
             accomplishments of Congressman John Murtha who passed away 
             on February 8, 2010.
               America lost a great patriot with the passing of 
             Congressman Murtha, and I join the people of 
             Pennsylvania's 12th Congressional District and countless 
             other Americans in mourning his death. As a veteran, he 
             never forgot the needs of our military and through his 
             leadership as chairman of the House Appropriations 
             Subcommittee on Defense, he made sure that our military 
             had the tools it needed to secure America's future. A 
             frequent visitor to injured troops at Walter Reed Army 
             Medical Center and the National Naval Medical Center, 
             Congressman Murtha deeply understood the sacrifices that 
             these men and women made for our country. His ability to 
             empathize with our servicemembers and veterans was 
             absolutely remarkable, and I will deeply miss his 
             leadership in Congress.
               Madam Speaker, today I join my fellow colleagues in 
             mourning the death of Congressman Murtha who spent his 
             life serving our country in both the military and the 
             Halls of Congress.

               Mr. LARSON of Connecticut. Madam Speaker, I rise today 
             to honor my great friend and our dear colleague, John 
             Murtha. America has lost a true hero and patriot and the 
             U.S. Congress has lost a giant. Madam Speaker, I submit 
             for the Record Keith Burris' column from the Journal 
             Inquirer. The Journal Inquirer is a newspaper serving my 
             home district and is the hometown voice of northern 
             central Connecticut. Keith's words capture the essence of 
             John Murtha, and I ask my colleagues to join with me in 
             honoring the life of this humble man, dear friend, and 
             great American.
                   [From the Journal Inquirer, February 13, 2010]
                                      Much Man
                                (By Keith C. Burris)
               In roughly 30 years in journalism I have met many 
             politicians. In the beginning, this was exciting. But 
             after a while, you realize that most of them are persons 
             of exceptional ambition, not exceptional conviction, 
             skill, or patriotism. Most people in politics are not very 
             interesting.
               But a couple years ago, U.S. Rep. John Larson, himself 
             an exception to the rule, brought to the Journal Inquirer 
             Rep. John Murtha, of Pennsylvania. Murtha's back and forth 
             with editors and reporters here made for one of the most 
             fascinating hours of conversation I can remember.
               Murtha died this week at 77, of a medical mistake.
               There aren't many like him in Congress. There never 
             were.
               First of all, Murtha, [a former] Marine officer, was not 
             the sort of fellow who needed a ``handler'' or a ``focus 
             group'' to calculate the political tides. Instead he used 
             three ancient tools--study, his mind, and his conscience.
               As a fine essay, reprinted from Politico on these pages, 
             documented, Murtha was famous for the Washington rituals 
             he did not observe. When asked a question, he answered it. 
             He did not hang with lobbyists or flacks. He did not go to 
             parties, but got up early and went to bed early. 
             (According to Politico, he would sometimes go home in the 
             afternoon to listen to the BBC to get a fresh slant on 
             U.S. foreign policy.) He did not court TV people or the 
             Washington Post, and didn't particularly know or care who 
             those people were.
               And he didn't back down.
               He wasn't always right. And he knew that. He had the 
             courage to change his mind.
               But he was, as the saying goes, a ``stand-up guy.'' You 
             could not blow him down with a poll or a David Broder 
             column.
               Murtha had the understated self-confidence that the rare 
             greats in politics have. I met Mike Mansfield, briefly, 
             once, and you felt it from him. Ditto John Stennis. I am 
             sure that Eisenhower had it. And maybe Ella Grasso. I know 
             I have seen and felt it in the presence of Eugene 
             McCarthy, Ernest Hollings, and John Glenn. Some public men 
             seem to shed their vanity as the years accumulate and they 
             settle into their work. They begin to internalize their 
             love of country. Instead of politics being more and more 
             about them, it becomes more and more about service. And 
             they go about their work with concentration and power, but 
             minimal fuss. You felt that with Murtha. There was no 
             posturing in the man. He looked you dead in the eye and he 
             told you what he thought was true and needed doing.
               Murtha was much in the news when he came to see us. He 
             was known as the military's greatest friend in Congress 
             and he had just come out for withdrawal from Iraq. I 
             recall him as a big man in a dark blue suit. His hands 
             were the hands of a working man. He might have been a 
             machinist or a farmer instead of a soldier and statesman. 
             Someone here snickered the other day that western 
             Pennsylvania, from whence Murtha came, was ``not really 
             Pennsylvania, but Ohio.'' It's true in the sense that 
             Murtha was from a hardscrabble world where people are 
             still close to land and labor and where hard work and 
             professionalism are what matter, not pretense, not 
             birthright, not wealth or college degrees. It does not 
             matter if you have a family name and an MBA from Harvard. 
             If you want to invade Iraq, you better study the history 
             of Iraq.
               Yeah, Murtha was against abortion and for the Second 
             Amendment and he was born in West Virginia and he owned a 
             car wash before he got into politics. But that old Vietnam 
             veteran could set Condoleezza Rice's head spinning and he 
             took no guff from right-wing [k]no[w]-nothings. If we had 
             50 ``Ohioans'' like John Murtha in the House we would have 
             health-insurance reform today.
               Murtha liked fellow pros. But pros who were rooted in 
             something. He got on well with the first George Bush and 
             not at all with the second. He thought Donald Rumsfeld was 
             nuts and Robert Gates a great man. He was a protege of Tip 
             O'Neill's and practiced O'Neill's adage that all politics 
             is local (Murtha never got over the old and honorable idea 
             that a congressman's first job is to provide for his 
             constituents), but Murtha trusted Rahm Emanuel about as 
             far as he could throw him.
               Murtha spent his spare time visiting wounded soldiers at 
             Bethesda Naval Hospital and Walter Reed. He did not take 
             cameramen with him. When he traveled to Iraq, it was not a 
             junket or a photo-op. He would tell the generals and 
             ambassadors, ``no PowerPoint,'' none of that stuff. Just 
             talk to me, he would say, and tell me what is going on. 
             And then he would go visit with the sergeants and the 
             specialists. He took Larson under his wing, and to Iraq, 
             early in Larson's congressional career because ``he goes 
             home at the end of the day and studies the CIA briefing 
             books.''
               Murtha did not love the military as a concept, but as 
             people. Public servants like himself. His work for them in 
             Congress was like his work for the citizens of the 12th 
             District of Pennsylvania. He had a job to do. He was 
             supposed to take care of his people.
               He was much man, John Murtha.
               What a loss to the Congress and the country.
                                                 Friday, March 12, 2010
               The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the 
             House, the gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Jackson Lee) is 
             recognized for 5 minutes.

               Ms. JACKSON LEE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to 
             pay tribute to a fallen hero, my friend, the late 
             Congressman John Murtha. During the time of his memorial 
             services and the special order hour that was rendered on 
             this floor, my statements were not able to be submitted 
             because I wanted to speak directly on the floor in his 
             honor.
               John Murtha was of course a husband, a father, a loved 
             one, a Marine, and a patriot. What we loved most about 
             John Murtha was his love for the U.S. military, unwavering 
             and always steadfast. He was a family man that loved his 
             family, and a Congressman who loved his people. Those he 
             represented were so very important in his mind and in his 
             heart.
               He came to this floor and to this House, tall and 
             recently from battle, having served in the Vietnam war on 
             several occasions, knowing what it is to have been shot at 
             and to be in battle on behalf of your Nation. That true 
             lesson gave him a cause for life, and the cause for life 
             was to be able to fight for the men and women of the U.S. 
             military.
               But he did not stop there. As the chairman of the 
             Subcommittee on Defense on the Appropriations Committee, 
             he fought for the families of the U.S. military, the wives 
             and husbands and the children. He fought for a better 
             quality of life in health care and housing. He fought for 
             better standards, if you will. And yes, he recognized the 
             importance of leave time, R&R coming out of battle. And 
             there was no greater champion during the midst of the Iraq 
             war, the most recent war, who fought to give relief to the 
             soldiers on the battlefield who were doing tours of duty 
             one after another.
               He was a man of courage. He didn't step away from a 
             fight. But he was also a friend. And if he gave you his 
             word, he would fight on behalf of your constituents as he 
             would fight on behalf of his. In fact, Mr. Speaker, he was 
             an American's American, all-American. If it had something 
             to do with bettering the lives of Americans, you can be 
             assured John Murtha was there.
               He took a very tough stand just a few years ago. The 
             eyes of those who knew him as a champion of the military 
             fighting for their cause, standing alongside of them, 
             wondered what happened when he stood up with his eloquent 
             steady voice, and spoke about the Iraq war, calling for 
             the soldiers to come home. That is courage, because he had 
             been a supporter of that war. But he saw it crumbling 
             before his eyes.
               Oh, yes, there has been an election over the last couple 
             of days, but we always wonder what direction and how we 
             could have handled it differently so that the lives that 
             were laid down did not have to be laid down in a war in 
             Iraq. The champion for the military saw that there was a 
             crack in the system, and he chose to speak eloquently 
             about it.
               I miss John Murtha. This body misses John Murtha, 
             Democrats and Republicans. America misses John Murtha. But 
             the one good news about John Murtha's life is that his 
             legacy will live on forever and ever. I thank him for 
             serving, for living. And to his family, God bless you, and 
             may he rest in peace.
                              Proceedings in the Senate
                                              Tuesday, February 9, 2010

                  SENATE RESOLUTION 413--RELATIVE TO THE DEATH OF 
                   REPRESENTATIVE JOHN P. MURTHA, OF PENNSYLVANIA

               Mr. REID (for himself, Mr. McConnell, Mr. Specter, Mr. 
             Casey, Mr. Akaka, Mr. Alexander, Mr. Barrasso, Mr. Baucus, 
             Mr. Bayh, Mr. Begich, Mr. Bennet, Mr. Bennett, Mr. 
             Bingaman, Mr. Bond, Mrs. Boxer, Mr. Brown of 
             Massachusetts, Mr. Brown of Ohio, Mr. Brownback, Mr. 
             Bunning, Mr. Burr, Mr. Burris, Mr. Byrd, Ms. Cantwell, Mr. 
             Cardin, Mr. Carper, Mr. Chambliss, Mr. Coburn, Mr. 
             Cochran, Ms. Collins, Mr. Conrad, Mr. Corker, Mr. Cornyn, 
             Mr. Crapo, Mr. DeMint, Mr. Dodd, Mr. Dorgan, Mr. Durbin, 
             Mr. Ensign, Mr. Enzi, Mr. Feingold, Mrs. Feinstein, Mr. 
             Franken, Mrs. Gillibrand, Mr. Graham, Mr. Grassley, Mr. 
             Gregg, Mrs. Hagan, Mr. Harkin, Mr. Hatch, Mrs. Hutchison, 
             Mr. Inhofe, Mr. Inouye, Mr. Isakson, Mr. Johanns, Mr. 
             Johnson, Mr. Kaufman, Mr. Kerry, Ms. Klobuchar, Mr. Kohl, 
             Mr. Kyl, Ms. Landrieu, Mr. Lautenberg, Mr. Leahy, Mr. 
             LeMieux, Mr. Levin, Mr. Lieberman, Mrs. Lincoln, Mr. 
             Lugar, Mr. McCain, Mrs. McCaskill, Mr. Menendez, Mr. 
             Merkley, Ms. Mikulski, Ms. Murkowski, Mrs. Murray, Mr. 
             Nelson of Nebraska, Mr. Nelson of Florida, Mr. Pryor, Mr. 
             Reed, Mr. Risch, Mr. Roberts, Mr. Rockefeller, Mr. 
             Sanders, Mr. Schumer, Mr. Sessions, Mrs. Shaheen, Mr. 
             Shelby, Ms. Snowe, Ms. Stabenow, Mr. Tester, Mr. Thune, 
             Mr. Udall of Colorado, Mr. Udall of New Mexico, Mr. 
             Vitter, Mr. Voinovich, Mr. Warner, Mr. Webb, Mr. 
             Whitehouse, Mr. Wicker, and Mr. Wyden) submitted the 
             following resolution; which was considered and agreed to:

                                     S. Res. 413

               Resolved, That the Senate has heard with profound sorrow 
             and deep regret the announcement of the death of the 
             Honorable John P. Murtha, late a Representative from the 
             Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
               Resolved, That the Secretary communicate these 
             resolutions to the House of Representatives and transmit 
             an enrolled copy thereof to the family of the deceased.
               Resolved, That when the Senate adjourns or recesses 
             today, it stand adjourned or recessed as a further mark of 
             respect to the memory of the deceased Representative.


               Mr. REID. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that 
             the Senate proceed to the consideration of S. Res. 413.



               The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will report the 
             resolution by title.
               The legislative clerk read as follows:


               A resolution (S. Res. 413) relative to the death of 
             Representative John P. Murtha, of Pennsylvania.


               There being no objection, the Senate proceeded to 
             consider the resolution.


               Mr.  REID.  Mr.  President,  I  had  the  good  fortune  
             of  serving with John Murtha in the House, as the 
             Presiding Officer did. He was a brave man. He was the 
             first to break away and was noteworthy in complaining 
             about the Iraq war. As a result of that, it brought a lot 
             of attention to that issue.
               I ask unanimous consent that the resolution be agreed 
             to, the motion to reconsider be laid upon the table, and 
             any statements relating to this matter be printed in the 
             Record with no intervening action.


               The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so 
             ordered.
               The resolution (S. Res. 413) was agreed to . . .


               Mr. REID. If there is no further business to come before 
             the Senate, I ask unanimous consent it adjourn under the 
             previous order under the provisions of S. Res. 413, as a 
             further mark of respect for the late Congressman John 
             Murtha.
               There being no objection, the Senate, at 7:09 p.m., 
             adjourned until Thursday, February 11, 2010, at 2:30 p.m.

                                               Wednesday, March 3, 2010

               Mr. DODD. Mr. President, I rise in commemoration of the 
             life of John Patrick Murtha.
               John Murtha gave nearly six decades to the country he 
             loved. At the age of 20, he left college to join the 
             Marines. As soon as he arrived, the Marines knew they had 
             a gem of a young man on their hands. Routed to Officer 
             Candidate School, he became a leader of his peers, earning 
             the American Spirit Honor Medal during training.
               Although his duty to the Marines ended in 1955, his 
             desire to serve did not. He remained in the Reserves for 
             the next decade, and then volunteered for service in 
             Vietnam.
               There, he cemented his reputation as an American hero, 
             earning the Bronze Star, the Vietnamese Cross of 
             Gallantry, and two Purple Hearts.
               John's service in the Reserves lasted long into his 
             political career. He didn't retire until 1990, at which 
             time he was awarded the Navy Distinguished Service Medal. 
             But when he returned from Vietnam, he decided that serving 
             the people of the State of Pennsylvania was another way to 
             give back to his country.
               He  came  to  Congress  roughly  a  year  before  I  
             did,  the first Democrat to hold that seat since World War 
             II. As long as I have been here, it seems like John has 
             been as much of a fixture in the House Chamber as the 
             desks themselves.
               John being a Marine, it is probably not surprising that 
             he never stopped fighting to give our troops in the field 
             the resources they needed to do their jobs. He became the 
             chairman of the Defense Appropriations Subcommittee, and 
             was a reliable advocate for our military--and for the 
             people of his district.
               His deep passion for our military and his commitment to 
             making sure they had the resources they need reached as 
             far as Connecticut, where we make the finest submarines 
             and aircraft in the world. He knew that the products we 
             make there are critical to the success of our military, 
             and he was always there alongside me, standing up for our 
             defense workforce and the fine products they make.
               Many of us will remember with great admiration the 
             courage John showed when he came to the floor in November 
             2005 to call for an end to a war he had supported. 
             Colleagues on both sides knew that John Murtha would never 
             make a statement like that lightly, and his bold stance 
             played a large role in bringing toward an end that 
             misguided war.
               Of course, most Americans never got to know John 
             Murtha's soft side. But his beloved wife Joyce--they were 
             married for 54 years--and his three wonderful children 
             knew him as his colleagues did: as a funny, warm man who 
             loved his job, loved his constituents, and loved his 
             country.
               A colleague of his, Congressman Bob Brady, said, ``There 
             will never be another Jack Murtha.'' And he is right. But 
             we can all carry on his work, impressed by his long record 
             of service and inspired by his deep patriotism and 
             commitment.
               I was proud to know John Murtha, and we were all lucky 
             to have him.

                                I n   M e m o r i a m
             [GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] T4800.005
             

                             J o h n   P.   M u r t h a
             J u n e    1 7,   1 9 3 2  - F e b r u a r y   8,   2 0 1 
                                          0

             ``We are put on this earth

             to make a difference.''
                                      Mary Bell

Great-Grandmother
[GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] T4800.006

                          The Westmont Presbyterian Church
                      A Service of Witness to the Resurrection
                                         for

             John P. Murtha
                       February 16, 2010            11:00 A.M.
                      Prelude                Aria and Fugue                     Healey Willan
                                            Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring        J.S. Bach
                                            Hark! A Voice Saith All Are        J.S. Bach
                                             Mortal                            Alexandre Guilmant
                                            Sonata in D minor
                                            Andante

                                       WELCOME

                           *CALL TO WORSHIP--(RESPONSIVE)
                     Leader:         I am the resurrection and the life, says the Lord.                    People:         Those who believe in me, even though they die, will live, and everyone who
                                     lives and believes in me will never die.                    Leader:         Let us worship God.
                      *Hymn                  Eternal Father, Strong to Save     MELITA
                                             (See insert)

                                       PRAYER

                              READINGS FROM SCRIPTURE:

                              The Old Testament Reading
                      .....................  Ecclesiastes 3:1-8                 Father William George
                     *Anthem                On Eagles Wings                    M. Joncas: arr. D. Wagner
                                            Chancel Choir

                               New Testament Readings
                      .....................  Romans 8 (Selected Verses)
                                            Revelation 21:1-4
                                            [GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] T4800.006
                                            
                              *Those who are able are invited to stand.
             [GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] T4800.006
             

                              REMARKS AND REMEMBRANCES

                                   THE MEDITATION

                                 THE PASTORAL PRAYER

                                  The Lord's Prayer

Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name.

Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is

in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread; and

forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors;

and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us

from evil. For thine is the kingdom and the power

and the glory, forever. Amen.
                      *                      My Country 'Tis of Thee            AMERICA

                                  *THE BENEDICTION
                      *Choral Response       The Lord Bless You And Keep You    J. Rutter                     *Postlude              Toccata                            Johann Pachelbel
                     .....................  Prelude on St. Gertrude            Andrew Clarke
                     .....................  Onward, Christian Soldiers
                     .....................  Trumpet Tune                       John Stanley

                            Participants in this service:

The Reverend Douglas W. Stevens, Jr., D.Min.,

Pastor, Westmont Presbyterian Church

Father William George

President, Georgetown Preparatory School

Directors of Music

Carl Miller    Nathan Santos

Helen Dix, Organist

The Murtha family wishes to express their deep gratitude

to everyone for coming today. May God bless all of you.

This service is followed by a brief private committal.
[GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] T4800.006

                              *Those who are able are invited to stand.
                      ...............  .........................................................  ...............
                     ...............  ``It's not the critic who counts. It's not the man who
                                       points out how the strong man stumbled or whether the
                                       doer of the deed could have done better.                     ...............  The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the
                                       arena, whose face is marred by the dust, sweat and
                                       blood, who strives valiantly, who errs, who comes short
                                       again and again because there is no effort without error
                                       and shortcoming.                     ...............  It is the man who actually does strive to do the deeds,
                                       who knows the great enthusiasm, the great devotion, who
                                       spent himself in a worthy cause who at best knows in the
                                       end the triumph of high achievement and who at the worst
                                       if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly so that
                                       his place shall never be with those cold and cruel souls
                                       who know neither victory nor defeat.''                     ...............  ``Citizen in a Republic,'' a speech given by Theodore
                                       Roosevelt, April 23, 1910.

                                 A Service in Memory
                                         of
                                   John P. Murtha

                           June 17, 1932-February 8, 2010

                                I n   M e m o r i a m

             J o h n   P.   M u r t h a
             J u n e    1 7,    1 9 3 2 - F e b r u a r y    8,    2 0 
                                         1 0

                                Honorary Pallbearers

U.S. Representatives in Congress
                     Hon. Jason Altmire                            Hon. Jim Gerlach
                    Hon. Robert Brady                             Hon. Paul E. Kanjorski
                    Hon. Christopher P. Carney                    Hon. Tim Holden
                    Hon. Kathy Dahlkemper                         Hon. Patrick J. Murphy
                    Hon. Charles W. Dent                          Hon. Allyson Schwartz
                    Hon. Mike Doyle                               Hon. Joe Sestak
                    Hon. Chaka Fattah                             Hon. Bill Shuster
U.S. Senator Robert P. Casey, Jr.

Pallbearers

Joint Services

Air Force, Army, Coast Guard, Marine Corps, Navy

Color Guard

8th and I Marines

Eternal Father, Strong to Save

Eternal Father, strong to save,

Whose arm has bound the restless wave,

Who bade the mighty ocean deep

Its own appointed limits keep;

O hear us when we cry to Thee for those in peril on the sea.

Eternal father, grant, we pray

To all Marines, both night and day,

The courage, honor, strength, and skill

Their land to serve, thy law fulfill;

Be thou the shield forevermore from every peril to the Corps.

Most Holy spirit! Who didst brood

Upon the chaos dark and rude,

And bid its angry tumult cease,

And give, for wild confusion, peace;

Oh, hear us when we cry to Thee

For those in peril on the sea!

O Trinity of love and power!

Our brethren shield in danger's hour;

From rock and tempest, fire and foe,

Protect them wheresoe'er they go;

Thus evermore shall rise to Thee,

Glad praise from air and land and sea

                      This was Jack's favorite verse and he was
                    often heard quoting it to family and friends

             TOMMY

by Rudyard Kipling (1865-1936)

O it's Tommy this, an' Tommy that, an' ``Tommy, go away'':

But it's ``Thank you, Mister Atkins,'' when the band begins to play,

The band begins to play, my boys, the band begins to play,

O it's ``Thank you, Mister Atkins,'' when the band begins to play.

For it's Tommy this, an' Tommy that, an' ``Tommy, wait outside'';

But it's ``Special train for Atkins'' when the trooper's on the tide,

The troopship's on the tide, my boys, the troopship's on the tide,

O it's ``Special train for Atkins'' when the trooper's on the tide.

Then it's Tommy this, an' Tommy that, an' ``Tommy, 'ow's yer soul?''

But it's ``Thin red line of 'eroes'' when the drums begin to roll,

The drums begin to roll, my boys, the drums begin to roll,

O it's ``Thin red line of 'eroes'' when the drums begin to roll.

While it's Tommy this, an' Tommy that, an' ``Tommy, fall be'ind,''

But it's ``Please to walk in front, sir,'' when there's trouble in

    the wind.

There's trouble in the wind, my boys, there's trouble in the wind,

O it's ``Please to walk in front, sir,'' when there's trouble in

    the wind.

For it's Tommy this, an' Tommy that, an' ``Chuck him out,

    the brute!''

But it's ``Saviour of 'is country'' when the guns begin to shoot;

An' it's Tommy this, an' Tommy that, an' anything you please;

An' Tommy ain't a bloomin' fool--you bet that Tommy sees!

                                 A Service in Memory
                                         of
                                   John P. Murtha

                           June 17, 1932-February 8, 2010
             Father William George.
               Ecclesiastes 3:1-8
               The writer of Ecclesiastes in today's context could have 
             added ``A time to make laws, and a time to change laws, 
             and a time to earmark.''
               Making laws is sacred work. According to the New Revised 
             Standard (Version Exhaustive) Concordance the word ``law'' 
             occurs 583 times in Sacred Scripture. Law obviously is 
             important to God, as are those whom God inspires to write 
             the law, and for those who are intended to live the law.
               Jack Murtha never lost sight of God's purpose in the 
             law. He was always thinking of the person it affected, the 
             soldier, the worker, the poor and marginalized, the 
             citizens of Johnstown, of the United States or the world. 
             He understood how sacred was the task of making laws, laws 
             that were just. Lawmaking should be sacred work and Jack 
             knew that.
               The world and our country feel his loss. I can't imagine 
             how you feel, Joyce, or you his colleagues gathered here 
             to honor Jack. May your faith fill you with the knowledge 
             and truth that Jack was God's child and has been welcomed 
             home where there is pure justice, the source of true 
             peace.
               We can all thank God for having Jack Murtha as long as 
             we did. He was a student and scholar of the military and 
             of the law. We now have to decide what we are to do 
             without him on this side of heaven. As you try to figure 
             out what God's will is for you, pray, speak your heart to 
             God and you may just find out what is best. May God bless 
             and keep you. Amen!

             Reverend Douglas W. Stevens, Jr. The New Testament 
             readings are taken from Paul's Letter to the Church in 
             Rome, the eighth chapter, selected verses, and also from 
             the Revelation of John. Listen once again to the Word of 
             God.
               Romans 8:31-39
               And also these words from a time that has yet to be:
               Revelation 21:1-4
               Let us pray.
               We kneel in prayer O God to You from whom every family 
             in heaven and on Earth takes its name. That out of the 
             treasures of Your glory may You grant to each of us 
             strength and power by Your spirit in our inner being. That 
             through faith Christ may dwell in our hearts and love with 
             deep roots and firm foundations may we be strong to grasp 
             with all Your people, Oh God, what is the breadth, and 
             length, and height, and depth of the love of Christ. And 
             to know it, though it is beyond knowledge, so may we 
             attain to the fullness of being and even to the fullness 
             of God. Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more 
             than all we can ask or conceive by the power which is at 
             work among us. To Him be glory and the church and in 
             Christ Jesus from generation to generation forevermore.
               Amen.

             Donna Murtha, daughter. Good morning. I'm Donna Murtha. 
             Thank you for all coming. My family appreciates you 
             coming, your support, and your love, and your care.
               My dad would be very overwhelmed by all this; we 
             appreciate it. He would just be so overwhelmed.
               You know him as a world leader, and as a Congressman, 
             and as a recipient of the Profile in Courage Award. You 
             know him as a ``Mr. Chairman,'' hawk, and as a patriot and 
             a Marine. I know him as dad, and as my buddy, and as my 
             pal. He would talk to me every day. He did not talk 
             politics, we did not talk economics. We talked about 
             teaching and how to meet the lives of my children that I 
             taught every day. We tried to meet the individualization 
             of every child and he talked to me about that. And we also 
             talked about health care and how it met my children's 
             needs, their families, my friends, and our family.
               We also talked about his marriage to my mother for 54\1/
             2\ years. He was very proud of my mother. Behind every 
             great man is a great woman. He was very proud of my 
             brothers. My brothers and I are not involved in politics, 
             but my dad was very good about supporting our lives and 
             the paths we led, and I think that helped him, because 
             whenever he would go out and he listened to us and talked 
             about our paths and what we followed, it helped him help 
             the constituents and help the fellow citizens.
               He was also very proud of his brothers because they were 
             fellow Marines. Semper Fi, Dad. He also had a love of 
             Sherlock Holmes, he loved Miss Marple, he loved an 
             occasional ``Murder She Wrote,'' because Mom would watch 
             that. He also loved nature, and when Father was speaking 
             about Ecclesiastes, he loved nature, he loved to watch the 
             deer that would come into the yard. He would love to watch 
             the goldfinches that were outside the kitchen window. He 
             loved to outwit the squirrels when they were on the 
             baffles on the birdfeeder. He just couldn't stand that, if 
             they were outwitting him. He loved his garden, he loved 
             the bounty of his garden, and the bounty of each season.
               He was a world leader, he met many prestigious leaders.
               When they made Dad, they broke his mold.
               He lived by the motto, ``One man makes a difference.''
               We love you Dad.

             General James T. Conway, USMC. A lot of good Marines who 
             join our Corps come out of Pennsylvania. John Patrick 
             Murtha was such a man. It was, of course, in his blood to 
             be a man of action, a patriot, and a warrior. He had 
             ancestors who had fought in both the Revolutionary and the 
             Civil Wars--and his father and his three uncles served 
             during World War II.
               When the Korean war started, a young Jack Murtha felt 
             guilty that others were off to fight the war, while he was 
             majoring, as he said, in football and basketball at 
             Washington and Jefferson College.
               In June 1952, much to his mother's disappointment, he 
             dropped out of college and enlisted in the Marine Corps. 
             He never made it to Korea. He had orders in hand--but the 
             armistice was signed before he could get there.
               However, fate had already been at play: he had passed a 
             college equivalency test, completed training, and as a 
             result was commissioned a second lieutenant; he had met 
             Joyce Bell, the love of his life, who lived near Camp 
             Lejeune in North Carolina; and he had learned during boot 
             camp and officer training that enthusiasm, aggressiveness, 
             and attention to detail would carry him a long way in 
             life.
               The Vietnam war brought him back to active duty. By then 
             he was 33 and the father of three children, he felt 
             strongly, nevertheless, that it was his duty to serve. 
             Joyce needed convincing--but ultimately she agreed.
               On arrival in country, he was assigned as a regimental 
             intelligence officer which proved to be a natural fit for 
             his skills. Fitness reports showed him to be ``forceful, 
             energetic, and enthusiastic'' and ``at his best when in 
             the field with his Marines.'' The words of his regimental 
             commander were simple but elegant--``one of the finest 
             officers I've ever served with.''
               His wartime experiences further shaped the man. He would 
             believe for the rest of his life that sergeants understand 
             the needs of the troops better than the generals; and that 
             one man, indeed, can make a difference.
               His Vietnam service earned him a Bronze Star with a 
             Combat V and two Purple Hearts as a result of action in 
             combat--before he returned home to his native 
             Pennsylvania.
               I never served with Colonel Murtha and did not know him 
             before he retired from the Marine Corps Reserves in 1990. 
             We met for the first time in 2006--he was the ranking 
             member on the House Appropriations Committee and I was a 
             new commandant.
               During the session, we talked budget of course, and I 
             remember that at one point he leaned in close to me and 
             said ``Commandant, you can't have everything--but tell me 
             the two or three things you have to have and I'll get them 
             for you.'' I thought at the time that it was a Marine 
             thing--and that it was good to have a fellow leatherneck 
             in such an important position.
               I have since come to realize that he had almost 
             identical conversations with all the service chiefs. He 
             loved his Corps--but his sense of duty and his love of 
             country transcended all else.
               During our subsequent meetings on the Hill, there was a 
             pattern. Each meeting would have its serious moments where 
             we talked requirements, the resiliency of the force, and 
             how the wars were going.
               There would usually be some uproarious moments where one 
             or the other would tell a sea story or recount a humorous 
             incident--the chairman was a gruff man but he liked to 
             laugh--and then there was invariably what I would call his 
             analysis of the mood of the Congress.
               He would assess for me the probability of this program, 
             or that one, going through the Congress and would use 
             first names as he cited the positions of his fellow 
             Congressmen. I normally had no idea who Jerry, or Norm, or 
             Harlan might be--but I always nodded in the affirmative, 
             as though I was right there with him. You can afford to do 
             that when you have great respect and confidence in the man 
             seated before you.
               The chairman also had a way to get what he wanted. I 
             recall one early morning visit when he was drinking coffee 
             from an Army mug! He flashed it in front of me several 
             times. Finally I took the bait and said, ``why are you--a 
             salty old jarhead--drinking from an Army mug?'' He gave me 
             a look like ``thought you would never ask'' and said, 
             ``Because the Marine Corps has not seen fit to give me one 
             yet. And, by the way, I liked those we drank from at 
             breakfast a couple of weeks back!''
               Well--he had in his possession four new USMC mugs before 
             the sun went down that day.
               Folks, for those of you in the audience today who were 
             his constituents--he loved you dearly. At our very first 
             meeting he gave me a knife. He said he was presenting it 
             on behalf of the people of Pennsylvania. I have been given 
             a lot of knives in my line of work--probably 30 or more--
             but the knife he gave me was special and I have kept it in 
             my top desk drawer.
               My wife and I are now residents here, and I believe it 
             truly is representative of the people of this State--
             because it is a good and sturdy knife, made of fine steel 
             that keeps a sharp edge, and it performs a multitude of 
             functions. It has a green camouflage pattern on the 
             handle--fitting, as I have known few Pennsylvanians who 
             don't hunt or fish.
               Scrawled across the camouflage pattern is a name--
             written in white script.
               From now on, and for the rest of my life, when I look at 
             the knife, and the name that's on it: John P. Murtha, I 
             will remember a fellow Marine, a patriot, a warrior--both 
             on the battlefield and in the Congress--and a great 
             American.

               Nancy Pelosi, Speaker of the House. Dr. Stevens, thank 
             you for welcoming us here today and giving us this 
             opportunity to pay our respects to Joyce, to Donna, to 
             John, to Patrick, to Jack's precious grandchildren and 
             family.
               It is with great sadness that I lead a very large 
             congressional delegation to extend our condolences to you 
             and our thanks to you for sharing Jack with us and to bid 
             our friend a very sad farewell.
               Jack was greatly mourned in Congress because of the 
             respect and admiration which was accorded him there. Those 
             who served with him were honored to call him colleague. 
             Many of us were privileged to call him friend.
               President Clinton, all of us who loved Jack in 
             Washington and here extend our appreciation to you for the 
             honor of your presence here to the family and to those who 
             loved Jack. Thank you for your friendship and that of 
             Secretary Clinton to Jack Murtha.
               The outpouring of accolades for Chairman Murtha over the 
             past week and in the thousands of people who have arrived 
             here to pay their respects to him bring to mind the 
             passage from Ecclesiasticus honoring the heroes of the Old 
             Testament:

               Now let us praise great men, the heroes of our Nation's 
             history. Some led the people by their counsel and their 
             knowledge of our nation's laws; out of their fund of 
             wisdom, they gave instruction. Their bodies are buried in 
             peace, but their names will live forever. The people will 
             tell of their wisdom and the congregation will show forth 
             their praise.

               As this congregation shows forth its praise, it is 
             fitting that Jack was escorted into this church by the 
             Pennsylvania congressional delegation, because that is how 
             Jack served in Congress, surrounded by the Pennsylvania 
             congressional delegation. They were planning a celebration 
             of Jack's service in the Congress. On Saturday February 6, 
             he became the longest serving Member of Congress from 
             Pennsylvania ever to serve. They were planning a 
             celebration. Today, they presented him to us for a 
             celebration of his life.
               Many of you who are familiar with Congress know about 
             the Pennsylvania corner. But for those of you who do not, 
             let me just say in Congress Jack held court in that part 
             of the House Chamber that was respectfully, sometimes 
             fearfully, known as the Pennsylvania corner. Members from 
             across the country and across the aisle would come to the 
             corner to get Jack's blessing. His Great-Grandmother Bell 
             would be very proud and satisfied that he constantly made 
             a difference. Every day. It was a sight to behold. There 
             was Jack, always smiling, twinkling eyes, flanked by his 
             two lieutenants, Mike Doyle on the West, Bob Brady on the 
             East. They had a twinkle and a smile too. Sometimes. 
             [Laughter.] Depended.
               Jack passed on to Mike and Bob and men and women with 
             whom he served a pride in the institution that he learned 
             from his friend and mentor, Tip O'Neill. Jack was known 
             for his Irish sense of humor, as you know, but he was 
             never funnier than when he regaled us of his stories as a 
             lieutenant to Tip O'Neill. Jack loved Tip and continued 
             his tradition of honor, authenticity, and loyalty to his 
             constituents. Every Member of Congress thinks that he or 
             she represents the best congressional district in the 
             country and that they have the best constituents. Jack 
             Murtha was absolutely certain of that. He loved this 
             district.
               To watch Jack Murtha legislate was to see a master at 
             work. But more indicative of his character was to watch 
             him communicate with our men and women in uniform, whether 
             right off the battlefield or at their bedside at the 
             military hospital. Many of us have had this experience 
             traveling with him or visiting Walter Reed and Bethesda 
             Naval Medical Center. He always answered their needs by 
             responding to their call for body armor, up-armored 
             vehicles or reliable radios. In this moment, he bonded 
             with them from his own military experience but also as a 
             father.
               I will never forget the sparkle on Jack's eyes one day 
             when we were visiting one of the hospitals and as we went 
             into the room a wounded warrior was standing by his bed to 
             welcome Jack Murtha into his room, saluting him wearing a 
             Steelers jersey. [Laughter.]
               The Nation saw Jack's courage and integrity when he 
             bravely spoke out against the war in Iraq. In his 
             opposition though, he taught us all to make a distinction 
             between the war and the warrior. Jack was committed to our 
             national security and measured our strength, not only in 
             our military might, but in the well-being of our people. 
             He was a much-decorated champion. Certainly he was 
             decorated as the commandant mentioned, but he was a much-
             decorated champion in advancing scientific research to 
             fight breast cancer, prostate cancer, diabetes, HIV/AIDS, 
             the list goes on, so many more.
               I know what Jack is thinking now: ``Don't go on too much 
             longer.'' Jack wasn't big on long speeches, right Joyce? 
             In fact, one day when debate was going very long in the 
             Congress and Members wanted to go home, I was the closing 
             speaker as the Speaker. And I got up there and just said 
             one sentence, ``This bill is about jobs, jobs, jobs, jobs. 
             Vote aye.'' Jack cheered. He came up, he said, ``I think 
             that was the best speech you ever made.'' [Laughter.] You 
             remember that day.
               But I will say this, that those of us who have seen him 
             in action in the Congress and across the country, traveled 
             across the country, he'd be cheered in airports for his 
             courage, for speaking truth to power, for helping with 
             health issues, bringing an almost Biblical power to cure 
             to diseases that affected so many people in our country.
               Semper Fi--the motto of the Marine Corps where he served 
             for 37 years, was the motto of his life. Always faithful 
             to God and country, to his hometown of Johnstown, most of 
             all to Joyce, and to his children and grandchildren. 
             Patriot. Champion. Hero. Giant. Jack Murtha. We will never 
             see his like again.

             Reverend Douglas W. Stevens, Jr. I want to thank all of 
             our speakers for the warmth and the humor that you've 
             brought. My task now is to try and place some of this 
             within the context of our faith and God's presence in our 
             lives. I invite you to pray with me if you will.
               Loving and gracious God, speak to each of us. Deeply in 
             our hearts we may hear not so much a human voice but Your 
             voice for our living. Give us courage and give us will, 
             and by your spirit show us the way to live. In the name of 
             Christ, Amen.
               In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus said, ``blessed are 
             those who mourn for they shall be comforted.'' Today there 
             is great comfort in the memory of John P. Murtha's life, a 
             life of service, a life lived fully, lived with courage 
             and a strong will. We say that all good gifts come from 
             God. What we have heard from our distinguished speakers 
             and what we are remembering today are the gifts God gave 
             to John Murtha, enacted, lived out in his life through his 
             personality and character. They are in a very real sense 
             God's gifts to us all.
               Many this day may not have known the Congressman 
             personally, but all of us have been touched by his life, 
             his actions, his political skill, and the practiced art of 
             his vocation. John was able to bring people of different 
             sides together as you have heard, able to compromise, and 
             able to be firm. He lived his political life with the same 
             courage that he showed on the battlefield. He did so for 
             the people of his district and for the United States.
               It is also comforting to know that one can live a very 
             public life and still share deeply in the love of family. 
             He and Joyce were married 54 years and they had God's 
             blessing to see the generations come after them. They 
             shared their love, their life, with Donna, John Mark and 
             his wife Kathy, with Patrick and his wife Lynn, and 
             grandchildren Jack, Anne, and Clayton. For John Murtha, 
             family was the first love, always, and his family knew it. 
             He found a way to spend time with them, to encourage them, 
             and to give them his values, and himself.
               Like many of us in western Pennsylvania, John had an 
             eclectic religious background, Presbyterian, and 
             Methodist, and Catholic. And from that background, he had 
             a sense of God's hand on his shoulder and you've heard 
             that several times in several ways. Though he might not 
             have phrased it this way, we Presbyterians sometimes refer 
             to that hand on the shoulder as God's call.
               Donna reminded us of the words on the bulletin cover 
             this day, ``We are put on this Earth to make a 
             difference.'' Those words came from his great-grandmother 
             Mary Bell, and John heard those words when he was 4. She, 
             by the way, was the wife of a Presbyterian minister. Those 
             words helped shape his life and his religious background 
             guided that shaping. John Murtha made a difference.
               Colonel Murtha made a difference as a Marine in combat 
             and as a Marine for 37 years, a difference as the first 
             elected Vietnam combat veteran in Congress. Wounded twice, 
             he had a vested interest in wounded warriors. He visited 
             the troops and cared about individual service personnel.
               As ``Mr. Defense,'' he made a difference in this 
             Nation's security. In that realm, especially, he spoke 
             with courage and clarity. He spoke as a patriot.
               Congressman Murtha made a difference to the people of 
             western Pennsylvania and the nine counties or parts of 
             counties that make up the 12th Congressional District. He 
             made a difference in people's lives with jobs, with job 
             training, insuring pensions, obtaining Federal aid, 
             especially after the 1977 flood here, and with his 
             tireless work to help create a favorable climate for 
             strong economic conditions in western Pennsylvania.
               He made a difference as the longest serving Congressman 
             in Pennsylvania history. And John Murtha made a difference 
             with his many humanitarian efforts working for the health 
             of his constituents, the brain surgery, the brain injury 
             program, fighting against cancer, to research, and 
             fighting for good and affordable health care.
               There is great comfort this day in John Murtha's life; 
             he made a difference. Comfort also comes to us from the 
             Scriptures this day. The Apostle Paul wrote, ``That 
             nothing can separate us from the love of God.'' Often I 
             think that is what people fear the most, that some 
             condition or someone or something can come between 
             ourselves and God. I think that is why people sometimes do 
             not try harder in this life, they worry that when they 
             step forward in faith, God may not be there for them. But 
             just the opposite is true. God calls us and gives us grace 
             to go forward and never leaves us. John Murtha stepped 
             forward many times and God never failed him.
               One of the many awards of his life, of which he was most 
             proud, as has been mentioned, was the John F. Kennedy 
             Profile in Courage Award in 2006, for taking an unpopular 
             stand when he could have remained silent. But he was brave 
             and a patriot. The message of the Gospel is that in the 
             resurrection of Christ, God has shown the world for all 
             time the depths of God's love. Paul said, ``In every way 
             possible nothing and no one can separate us from God's 
             love in Christ.'' Not war, not loss, neither poverty nor 
             want, not the past, not the future, nothing. This day we 
             look to the promise of a new heaven and a new Earth, in 
             God's time and in God's way, but until that time we are 
             called to live faithfully as Christ has shown us. Take 
             risks for good, love one another, and trust the results to 
             the living Lord.
               It is the revealed nature of God to help us to do what 
             we cannot do. It is our nature by God's grace to try. John 
             Murtha did try and by God's grace he succeeded. Let us 
             trust John and all whom we love near or far, in this life 
             or the life to come, to God's gracious care, and to our 
             Lord Who told us simply because I live, you shall live 
             also. I invite you to pray with me and we will conclude 
             with the Lord's Prayer. Let us pray.
               Oh loving God from Whom we come, to Whom we return, and 
             in Whom we live and move, and have the very being of life. 
             We praise You for the good gift of life, for its wonder 
             and mystery, its friendships, and fellowships. We thank 
             You for the ties that bind us one to another. We bless You 
             for Your loving and patient dealings with us, whereby You 
             teach us Your way, for the meaning that lies in the heart 
             of sorrow and disappointment and grief and for Your 
             guiding hand along the way of our journey.
               We give you thanks, O Holy One, for Your servant John P. 
             Murtha, recalling in him all that made others love and 
             respect him. We thank You for his friendly and personal 
             nature, his integrity and determination, his courage and 
             strong will, his warmth and love, love of family, love of 
             the people of this district, and of the United States. We 
             give You thanks gracious God for the goodness and truth 
             that have passed through his life into the lives of others 
             and truly made this world richer.
               We bless Your name, O God, for the revelation of your 
             love in our Lord Jesus Christ and for the hope set before 
             us in the Gospel. We thank You that deep in the human 
             heart is an unquenchable trust that life does not end with 
             death, that the Father who made us will care for us beyond 
             the bounds of vision, even as You have cared for us in 
             this earthly life. We praise Your name that our hope has 
             been so wondrously confirmed in the life and words, the 
             resurrection of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Grant us 
             now, we pray, the comfort of your presence and the 
             ministry of the Holy Spirit renewing within us all gifts 
             of faith and patience and enduring love. Help us to walk 
             amid the things of this world, with our eyes open to the 
             beauty and glory of the eternal. So that among the many 
             changes of this life, our hearts may surely there be fixed 
             where true joys are to be found. Through Jesus Christ our 
             Lord who taught us each and all to pray saying:

Our Father,

Who art in heaven,

Hallowed be Thy name.

Thy Kingdom come.

Thy will be done,

On earth as it is in heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread.

And forgive us our debts,

As we forgive our debtors.

And lead us not into temptation,

But deliver us from evil.

For Thine is the kingdom, and the power and the glory forever.

               Amen.
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A Celebration of Life

                                   John P. Murtha

Born:

                                    June 17, 1932

At Rest:

                                  February 8, 2010

                                   IRISH BLESSING


                               May the road rise up to
                                      meet you,
                              May the wind be always at
                                     your back.
                             May the sun shine warm upon
                                     your face,
                            And rains fall soft upon your
                                       fields,
                              And until we meet again,
                               May God keep you in the
                                 hollow of his hand.
             [GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] TONGRESS.#15
             
             [GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] T4800.001
             

             A CELEBRATION OF THE LIFE OF


                                    THE HONORABLE

JOHN P. MURTHA

                            Pennsylvania's 12th District



CHAIRMAN, HOUSE APPROPRIATIONS

SUBCOMMITTEE ON DEFENSE

JUNE 17, 1932-FEBRUARY 8, 2010

                                    Statuary Hall
                                United States Capitol
                              Wednesday, March 3, 2010
                                     11:00 a.m.

             Order of Service
                                       Prelude
                      United States Marine Band String Quartet
                                       Welcome
                             The Honorable Nancy Pelosi
              The Speaker of the United States House of Representatives
                                     Invocation
                           The Reverend Daniel P. Coughlin
               Chaplain of the United States House of Representatives
                                      Tributes
                           The Honorable Paul E. Kanjorski
                     United States Representative, Pennsylvania
                           The Honorable Michael F. Doyle
                     United States Representative, Pennsylvania
                              The Honorable Tim Holden
                     United States Representative, Pennsylvania
                            The Honorable Robert A. Brady
                     United States Representative, Pennsylvania
                            The Honorable C.W. Bill Young
                        United States Representative, Florida
                        The Honorable Sanford D. Bishop, Jr.
                        United States Representative, Georgia
                            The Honorable James P. Moran
                       United States Representative, Virginia
                              The Honorable Jerry Lewis
                      United States Representative, California
                             The Honorable Marcy Kaptur
                         United States Representative, Ohio
                                  Musical Selection
              United States Marine Band Vocalist, ``God Bless America''
                                      Tributes
                         General James L. Jones, USMC (Ret.)
                              National Security Advisor
                            The Honorable Robert M. Gates
                         United States Secretary of Defense
                             The Honorable Nancy Pelosi
              The Speaker of the United States House of Representatives
                         The Honorable Joseph R. Biden, Jr.
                       The Vice President of the United States
                                     Benediction
                           The Reverend Daniel P. Coughlin
               Chaplain of the United States House of Representatives
               Following the service, the Murtha family will receive 
                             guests in the Rayburn Room.
             [GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] T4800.002
             
             The Reverend Daniel P. Coughlin. My brothers and sisters, 
             we believe that all the ties of friendship and 
             collaboration and affection which knit us together 
             throughout our lifetime do not unravel at the time of 
             death.
               Confident that God always remembers the good that we 
             have tried to accomplish, the love we have shown, let us 
             together remember John Murtha and offer to God prayers of 
             thanksgiving and petition for those who grieve.
               Let us pray:
               Lord Jesus, our Redeemer, You willingly gave Yourself up 
             to death, so that all might be saved and pass from death 
             to new life. We humbly ask You to comfort those in grief 
             in the loss of John and to receive him into Your 
             everlasting merciful arms.
               You alone are the Holy One, we are Your instruments to 
             accomplish goodness, peace, and security here in this 
             world for those we love. You are full of mercy; by dying 
             You unlocked the gates of life to those who believe in 
             You.
               Forgive John his shortcomings and sins, and grant him a 
             place of happiness, light, and peace in the kingdom of 
             Your glory for ever and ever. Amen.

             The Honorable Paul E. Kanjorski. Madame Speaker, Mr. Vice 
             President, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen, we 
             come together today not to have a ceremony of Jack's 
             passing but a celebration of his life. There aren't many 
             folks in this room or in the Congress of the United States 
             that don't have a very personal story about Jack that if 
             related would cause us to smile, chuckle, but also cause 
             us to recall some seriousness in our lives and in the 
             lives of this Nation.
               Even today as I enter the floor of the Chamber and I 
             can't help it, the first place that I look to is Jack's 
             chair in the far corner of the Chamber, always expecting 
             him to be there, even today. He'll never be there again, 
             but he's there in spirit.
               And I thought, ``Who is Jack to us?'' To me, and I think 
             many of my colleagues here today throughout the House and 
             the Senate, he is a validator. We wanted to check whether 
             we were doing the right thing by him, had we had the right 
             thoughts and had we analyzed something properly.
               And then I thought to myself, because you have to see, 
             that I spent more than 5,000 days with Jack Murtha, about 
             3 to 4 hours every day, so probably more time than I've 
             spent with any other human being on Earth, because he 
             allowed me to have a little standing room next to his 
             chair--(laughter)--and when there weren't 30 or 40 others 
             around, he and I would talk about various issues, some of 
             them very involved, others just passing time and having 
             humorous thoughts.
               But he was also a father confessor, and I used to listen 
             to those confessions from many of the Members, and it was 
             satisfying. I see some smiles of recognizing and missing 
             that confession.
               Well, we've lost our father confessor. We've lost our 
             validator. But in his passing we haven't lost the treasure 
             that Jack Murtha gave to the House, gave to the Congress, 
             gave to the Constitution. That will always hold in our 
             hearts and in our minds.
               And to Joyce and the family, we say thank you for the 
             tremendous contribution you all have made to the United 
             States of America. Thank you. (Applause.)

             The Honorable Michael F. Doyle. So how do we pay tribute 
             to our friend Jack Murtha in 2 minutes? It's simply not 
             possible, although Jack, I know you appreciate short 
             speeches. (Laughter.)
               Let me say these things about Jack. He loved his family. 
             Joyce, he talked about you all the time, and his children. 
             He was very proud.
               He loved this country, and he especially loved the men 
             and women who serve this country. He was their champion.
               Jack Murtha loved this institution. You know, a lot of 
             Members get here by running against this institution. Jack 
             Murtha taught us to respect this institution.
               So when I think of my friend Jack Murtha, this was my 
             mentor, this was my friend, this was someone who made me a 
             much better person than I would have been without him.
               Jack, I'll miss you every day for all the days that I'm 
             here.
               Pennsylvania will dearly miss Jack Murtha, as will this 
             country. (Applause.)

             The Honorable Tim Holden. Today, we pay tribute to our 
             departed friend and colleague, Jack Murtha.
               Over 17 years ago, I heard Jack say that his great-
             grandmother said to him, ``You were put on this Earth to 
             make a difference.'' And, boy, did he make a difference. 
             He loved his country, and he served it with distinction at 
             many levels.
               He served stateside during the Korean war. When the 
             Vietnam war broke out, he volunteered again for the U.S. 
             Marine Corps, serving a tour, receiving a Purple Heart. He 
             received a commendation from the commandant of the U.S. 
             Marine Corps upon his retirement from the Marine Corps 
             Reserves in 1990. He was the first Vietnam combat veteran 
             elected to the Congress. He was the longest serving Member 
             from Pennsylvania ever to serve in the House of 
             Representatives.
               He never forgot those brave men and women in uniform, 
             and made sure that they had the resources and tools to do 
             the job they do so well. He made sure our veterans had the 
             care that they deserved, and visited them so many times in 
             our military hospitals. And he helped so many of us in 
             this House. Not one of us can say that we had not gone to 
             Jack during our career for help. He will surely be missed 
             by the country, but most notably by Pennsylvania.
               So, Joyce, to you and your family, our thoughts and 
             prayers continue to go out to you. Thank you. (Applause.)

             The Honorable Robert A. Brady. Good morning.
               First, I'd like to advise Mrs. Murtha that I'm your 
             adopted son. I don't know whether or not Jack ever told 
             you. Good morning, mom.
               I was under Jack's wing and it was warm in the 
             wintertime and cool in the summer. He taught me and showed 
             me to be courteous to everyone. He made everyone feel 
             special. When we visited the troops, he'd rather be with 
             the enlisted men than with the brass or the generals. You 
             knew that because you couldn't find him half the time.
               He was compassionate. He had a great heart. He enjoyed 
             telling stories. He enjoyed a good joke and had a great 
             sense of humor. Some of us didn't know that side of him, 
             especially the press.
               With the exception of his family, I was more fortunate 
             than any one of you in this room. Before we broke on any 
             Thursday or a Friday, I would help him down because as you 
             know, he had a knee operation. I would shake his hand and 
             I would give him a kiss, probably a sight to see a guy 
             like me kissing a guy like him, but we didn't care. 
             Unfortunately, last January, this January 27th, not 
             knowing it, that was going to be the last time I saw him 
             and was to be the last time I gave him a kiss.
               So I thank the Murtha family, thank you so much for 
             sharing him with us, probably a lot too much and we know 
             what that's like in our lives, how we sacrifice our 
             families for this institution. He will be deeply missed. 
             There will never, ever be another Jack Murtha.
               So we had this flag flown over the Capitol and we put it 
             on his seat, the only seat that is reserved in Congress 
             and we had it there all week on behalf of the Pennsylvania 
             delegation. It would be my honor and my pleasure to 
             present this to you.

             The Honorable C.W. Bill Young. Jack and I had a very 
             special friendship and partnership based on mutual respect 
             for each other and based on a strong commitment on both of 
             our parts to make sure that the United States had whatever 
             it needed to stay strong. That our troops who kept our 
             America strong had whatever they needed to accomplish 
             their mission and protect themselves while they were doing 
             it.
               Despite that great friendship, Jack and I never 
             socialized. I don't think--I can't remember if we ever had 
             lunch together, but we worked together every day. In his 
             quarter or in my quarter or in the well of the House or in 
             the Speaker's lobby or walking back between the Rayburn 
             Building and the Capitol, we talked. We visited. We 
             checked with each other on what we thought were the 
             important issues of the day.
               We traveled together. We went to far-flung places like 
             the DMZ in Korea, Kuwait, Bahrain, Desert Storm, Bosnia, 
             Kosovo, really exciting places like that. It was always 
             there--Jack's question always was, ``Is there anything you 
             need that you don't have that we can provide for you?'' 
             The well-being of the troops were primary in his mind.
               I know there's a great emptiness in the Murtha family. 
             When I walked those same Halls today, I walked into the 
             committee room that he and I shared, we presided, we took 
             turns presiding. I have a tremendous emptiness in my heart 
             because here was a big man in my life, a big man in the 
             life of the Congress.
               And so I know the emptiness that Joyce and the family 
             experience is nothing that can be described. And I know 
             that my emptiness is nothing compared to their emptiness, 
             but just remember, Joyce, as Tim Holden said, ``Jack 
             Murtha made a really big difference.''
               God bless you and your family.

             The Honorable Sanford D. Bishop, Jr. Vivian and I thank 
             you, Joyce, and the Murtha family for allowing me this 
             time this morning.
               Shakespeare wrote, ``All the world is a stage and all 
             the men and women merely players, each has his entrance 
             and his exit, one man in his time may play many parts.'' 
             So it was with John P. Murtha. He was son, brother, 
             husband to you, Joyce, father, uncle, grandfather, a 
             strong family man, the ultimate example to and of the 
             Murtha clan.
               He was a student, soldier, Marine officer and a 
             gentleman, a patriot warrior, the likes of which our 
             Nation has seen far too few, a leader, mentor, counselor, 
             encourager, advocate, helper, feared adversary, trusted 
             ally, loyal friend, who always literally and figuratively 
             stood taller than his peers, in courage, honor, dignity 
             and service to others.
               Though I could speak and master English, French, 
             Spanish, Russian, Chinese, Vietnamese, Farsi, Sanskrit, 
             and any of the other languages spoken by mankind, I would 
             not have enough words combined to adequately express the 
             positive impact that Jack Murtha's life and service had on 
             his family, friends, his congressional district, Congress 
             as an institution, the men and women of our military, and 
             indeed the world. He truly made a difference.
               Though we continue to grieve his loss and know that 
             Murtha's corner on the floor of the House will never, ever 
             be the same, the pain we share must melt into joy for we 
             have all been truly blessed to know, love, and benefit 
             from having shared the stage of life with this very 
             exceptional man. All the world is a stage and all the men 
             and women merely players, each has his entrance and his 
             exit. One man in his time may play many parts, but thank 
             you, Jack, for playing so many roles in so many of our 
             lives.

             The Honorable James P. Moran. Leadership is about 
             character. Jack had it. He led with it. He led us in 
             putting our families first with his devotion to Joyce's 
             love for his children. He led us in respecting this 
             institution, people in it, the people who lead it, Madame 
             Speaker. And he led us in recognizing that the strength of 
             our military comes not so much from the weapons we equip 
             our men and women to kill with, as the values we equip 
             them to live with.
               Jack lived by those values--courage, discipline, 
             compassion. He was a man of few words who didn't mince his 
             words. And so to sum it up, Jack Murtha--you were a great 
             man. We can't afford to forget you. And we couldn't help 
             but love you.

             The Honorable Jerry Lewis. Madame Speaker, Mr. Vice 
             President, friends of Jack.
               Joyce, we are very proud to have this moment to express 
             our love and appreciation to you and your family. Jack was 
             an amazing experience for me over some three decades that 
             we worked together on the Appropriations Committee.
               I'll never forget a very special moment, it was the 
             earmark of earmarks. We found a program in the 
             Intelligence Committee. That program involved a new asset 
             involved known as the UAVs. Jack immediately, even though 
             the Air Force could not imagine our ever wanting an asset 
             where somebody wasn't sitting in the seat. Jack recognized 
             the potential of that future asset and if it were not for 
             his work and his support for our effort, that $40 million 
             earmark would never have gone forward and the Predator 
             never would have been in Bosnia.
               On another occasion, a demonstration of incredible 
             foresight and leadership, Jack Murtha joined me in the 
             committee taking a look at tactical aircraft. We decided 
             that we could not go forward with the F-22 and we pulled 
             the procurement for the first seven of those aircraft. You 
             would have thought we blew the top off the Pentagon, and 
             to say the least, there was lots of consternation out 
             there. But Jack foresaw that unless we tested the software 
             and the wings before we started to fly this baby, it never 
             would fly. Always willing to lead.
               Charlie Wilson's war would not have been Charlie 
             Wilson's war if it had not been for Jack Murtha. It was 
             his effort that helped us and allowed us to force the 
             Russians out of Afghanistan, laying the foundation for a 
             future for freedom in that entire region. All of us know 
             that Jack was there to make a difference, but indeed, he 
             couldn't stand those who wouldn't get to the point. He 
             always said, ``Let's get it done.''
               Any general, admiral, secretary, or otherwise who 
             decided that they wanted to have a PowerPoint in the 
             committee might as well take their charts and go home. 
             Indeed, few people have ever impacted the House of 
             Representatives and our country's freedom as Jack Murtha 
             has.
               Thank you.

             The Honorable Marcy Kaptur. Madame Speaker, Mr. Vice 
             President, what a privilege to be here this morning to pay 
             tribute to a great man. From his days as a Marine drill 
             instructor at Parris Island, John P. Murtha knew how to 
             lead. He formed a league of his own, husband, father, 
             family man, man of the House, Congressman, colonel, 
             chairman, cardinal, dean, beloved by townspeople, 
             comrades, colleagues and staff, man of his word, trusted, 
             expeditionary son of Johnstown.
               From Korea to Afghanistan, rough-hewn from hardscrabble 
             America in deer hunter country, brave, bold, direct, 
             ready, bipartisan, volunteer for Korea and Vietnam, 
             intelligence officer, two Purple Hearts, Bronze Star, 
             Vietnamese Cross of Gallantry. Irish eyes always smiling 
             unless fixed on the enemy. He taught us--oh, did he teach 
             us--victory is knowing your enemy. Support unit cohesion. 
             Pay attention to detail. Consult the ranks. Get to the 
             front. Work the troops. He mused to Charlie Wilson, ``You 
             don't say. Is that so?'' Achieved both career goals, 
             Marine colonel and Member of Congress who won his first 
             race by 122 votes.
               His beautiful wife, Joyce, wears a golden medallion 
             today presented to her by her husband from that race. No 
             one could have done more.
               Lasting friends, enduring lessons, a giant oak. A lion 
             now rests in the Allegheny foothills. America's defense is 
             the best in the world because John Murtha lived to leave 
             that legacy.
               At Tip O'Neill's memorial, Jack gave an Irish blessing 
             from which we quote, with love to his strong wife, Joyce, 
             children, Donna, John, and Patrick and their beautiful 
             families, with the full heart of this House led by his 
             Speaker Nancy Pelosi. ``May the sun shine warm upon your 
             face and until we meet again, may God keep you in the 
             hollow of His hand. We know when love is real it endures 
             and grows stronger even beyond time.''
               Thank you.

             [United States Marine Band vocalist Gunnery Sergeant Kevin 
             Bennear sings ``God Bless America.'']

             General James L. Jones. Madame Speaker, Mr. Vice 
             President, Joyce, members of the Murtha family, when I 
             think of Jack Murtha, I think of leadership. I think of a 
             lifelong commitment to this Nation and all that it holds 
             dear.
               On the leadership, there's no question about his 
             qualifications for high office. He achieved the rank of 
             Eagle Scout when he was a young man, left college in 1952 
             to join the Marine Corps and became, as was mentioned, the 
             drill instructor at Parris Island, SC, the Marine Corps 
             recruit depot, where he no doubt developed the finer 
             aspects of his sense of humor. (Laughter.)
               His leadership was recognized early on, and from there 
             he went to officer candidate school; was selected to 
             compete for a commission as a second lieutenant, which he 
             achieved; and left active duty in 1955; stayed in the 
             Marine Corps Reserve, always faithful to the corps, always 
             serving whenever called for.
               In 1966, he volunteered for duty in the Republic of 
             Vietnam, where he served with great distinction as a 
             battalion intelligence officer on the front lines, for 
             which he was recognized with some of our Nation's highest 
             awards for valor: the Bronze Star with a Combat V for 
             Valor, two Purple Hearts, the Vietnamese Cross of 
             Gallantry, and a Combat Action Ribbon. He retired as a 
             full colonel in 1990.
               Those of us who have been privileged to serve with 
             Congressman Murtha over the years, in uniform and out of 
             uniform, will always remember his concept of the citizen 
             soldier; that in his elected capacity, he always went to 
             the dangerous spots where men and women were serving their 
             country.
               I accompanied him to Sarajevo in 2003 (sic), which was 
             not a real good time to visit Sarajevo. As we were getting 
             off a C-130 and hurrying quickly to the shelter, a piece 
             of shrapnel flew past us and impacted on some sandbags 
             about 20 or 30 feet in front of us, and he turned and 
             looked at me and said, ``Well, I guess they know we're 
             here.'' (Laughter.)
               He did this time and again. He did it quietly. He did it 
             modestly. Wherever the danger was, he went there to see 
             how the men and women were, to see how our Nation's 
             interests were being protected, and he devoted countless 
             hours to studying and learning about the situation that he 
             was concerned with.
               He worked tirelessly for the needs of women and men in 
             uniform. He was at the forefront of the all-volunteer 
             force in its establishment, for which those of us who have 
             spent our careers in uniform will be eternally grateful. 
             He was a counselor to Presidents, an adviser to senior 
             military officers. He will inspire us for many years to 
             come. We will miss him. We'll always be grateful to him 
             for his sunny example of life--toward his family, toward 
             his country, and toward humanity.
               Thank you.

             The Honorable Robert M. Gates. Madame Speaker, Mr. Vice 
             President, Joyce, members of our family. Like General 
             Jones, I had a slightly different perspective than most of 
             today's speakers, since I was not one of Jack's colleagues 
             here on the Hill. For nearly a quarter of a century, I 
             worked with him from the executive branch, focusing on the 
             great national security challenges our country faced.
               From our earliest contacts, I will always remember and 
             be grateful for Jack's personal efforts on behalf of the 
             Afghan resistance fighting the Soviets, as Jerry Lewis 
             talked about; efforts to help bring about the collapse of 
             an evil empire and bring about the end of the cold war.
               Over the last 3 or so years, I had the opportunity to 
             work with Jack on Defense Department appropriations. We 
             met privately on a regular basis, and had more laughs than 
             you might have thought. One of his great qualities was 
             that he was always candid about where he stood and what he 
             thought. And you could always tell when he was getting 
             ready to cut a deal, because his eyes would begin to 
             twinkle. (Laughter.)
               In October 2008, about a month before the election, Jack 
             and I were meeting alone, and he showed me a press article 
             he had marked up. It was a piece speculating about whether 
             Senator Obama, if he won, would ask me to stay at Defense 
             and, if he did, whether I'd agree. In his inimitable way, 
             Jack put his hand on my arm and said, ``If he asks, you 
             have to do it. I say I want you to stay.'' Now, coming 
             from Jack, that had a real impact on me, even though I've 
             somewhat edited his language for this occasion. 
             (Laughter.)
               In all of our dealings, and over his entire time in 
             Congress, it was always clear that Jack's first priority 
             and his loyalty belonged to the men and women serving our 
             country in the intelligence community and especially in 
             the military. He would do anything to make sure that 
             troops had what they needed.
               I will greatly miss Jack, just as this Congress and the 
             country will miss an uncommon patriot and one of the 
             truest and most steadfast friends of America's men and 
             women in uniform. Thank you. (Applause.)

             The Honorable Nancy Pelosi. Mr. Vice President, members of 
             the President's Cabinet, Members of the U.S. Senate 
             visiting to our side, especially the two Senators from 
             Pennsylvania, Senator Specter and Senator Casey, we're 
             honored by your presence; to all the many friends and 
             colleagues of Jack Murtha, but especially to his family, 
             to Joyce and the family.
               Thank you, Joyce, for sharing Jack Murtha with us. Mr. 
             Young said he knew Jack very well and they worked together 
             for a long time but they never socialized together. Jack 
             never socialized. He went home--(laughter)--he went home 
             to Joyce every night.
               Many of us who are gathered here have had the privilege 
             of calling Jack Murtha colleague. Many also have the 
             privilege of calling him friend. And so we gather today to 
             mourn a loss of a friend, a dear friend, and celebrate the 
             life of a person who was a great legislator, a courageous 
             soldier, and a public servant to the end.
               A couple of weeks ago, a couple of planes full of 
             Members of Congress, family, and staff went to Johnstown 
             to pay our respects to Jack Murtha. We went there to 
             console, and we were consoled. We saw the tremendous 
             outpouring of love and respect for Jack Murtha. Thousands 
             of people stood in the snow in line to wait their turn to 
             say goodbye. Again, members of the President's Cabinet 
             came to the service. And the President of the United 
             States, William Jefferson Clinton, was there. I hope it 
             was a comfort to the family that so many people at every 
             level of our society appreciated Jack's contribution, 
             mourn your loss and are praying for you at this sad time.
               I had the privilege of speaking at Jack's service, and I 
             told people of Johnstown about the ``Pennsylvania 
             corner.'' It's important to note that there are no other 
             named locations in the House Chamber. (Laughter.) 
             ``Pennsylvania corner'' was a place where Jack held court. 
             He was flanked by his two lieutenants--on the west Mike 
             Doyle, on the east Bob Brady--senior member Mr. Kanjorski, 
             then all of his pals around him. Members came from across 
             the country and across the aisle to pay their respects, to 
             get Jack's blessing on what they were up to. He always 
             gave them friendship. He always gave them advice. 
             Sometimes he gave them support. (Laughter.)
               For 2 weeks since he left us, the flag that Brady gave 
             to Joyce and the family has been sitting there in memory 
             of Jack, his leadership, especially of his patriotism.
               Seeing the outpouring of support in Pennsylvania and 
             seeing it here today recalls to mind a passage from the 
             Book of Ecclesiasticus that I mentioned in Johnstown:

               Now let us praise great men, the heroes of our nation. 
             They have led the people by their counsel and their 
             knowledge of the laws. From their fund of wisdom, they 
             gave instruction. Their bodies are buried in peace, and 
             their names will live forever. The people will tell of 
             their wisdom and the congregation will continue to sing 
             their praise.

               Wouldn't Jack Murtha's great-grandmother be proud of the 
             difference that Jack Murtha made, that he would meet that 
             standard, make it here--on this Earth to make a 
             difference. Others have referenced that.
               He made a difference in so many ways. But it was 
             interesting, as we all traveled with him, whether it was 
             abroad to the theaters of war or to Bethesda Naval Medical 
             Center or Walter Reed, as Mr. Young has referenced, he was 
             so interested in these soldiers. He could identify with 
             them and speak to them, as one who had served in the 
             military. But also, his affection for them was as a 
             father.
               My favorite time was--when they knew he was coming, 
             they'd be all excited and this or that. And one day they--
             the door was closed, and they said, ``The patient is not 
             ready yet,'' and then we waited a moment. Then the door 
             opened. The door--they opened the door, and there was the 
             patient, standing in full salute of Jack Murtha, wearing a 
             Steelers jersey. (Laughter.) Jack loved that.
               Jack was a man of great courage, recognized so by 
             receiving the prestigious John F. Kennedy Profile in 
             Courage Award. He won that for the courage it took for 
             him, a person committed to our national security, a person 
             who loved every one of our men and women in uniform--the 
             courage it took for him to speak out against the war in 
             Iraq. And in doing so, he taught us very clearly to make 
             the distinction between the war and the warrior.
               Jack believed that our national strength certainly was 
             measured in our military might and the morale and well-
             being of our troops, but also that it was measured in the 
             well-being of the American people. And so while many 
             others have acknowledged how well decorated he was as a 
             war hero, a serviceman, he was also well recognized and 
             decorated, received many awards, for measuring the 
             strength of our country, again, in the well-being of our 
             country, our people. He showed leadership on investments 
             in breast cancer, prostate cancer, diabetes, HIV/AIDS, you 
             name it. Jack recognized the role that research played in 
             making America healthier and stronger.
               Jack's motto--I mean, the motto of the Marines, was a 
             source of pride for him--right, Brian? We visited Brian in 
             Iraq. And how proud he was of seeing you there, with all 
             of our troops and all of his family--came together--and 
             you. Semper Fi--always faithful--Semper Fidelis. That was 
             not only the motto of the Marines whom he was so proud to 
             be a part of, it was the motto of his life: Always 
             faithful. Always faithful to his family. His love of Joyce 
             was so palpable, it was so wonderful and it was so--such a 
             joy to behold. That's why he was going home every night, 
             not socializing with Bill Young--or the rest of us, for 
             that matter. (Laughter.)
               I feel quite certain that the caliber of person that he 
             was, the specialness of his personality, the obedience to 
             his great-grandmother to make a difference, his patriotism 
             to his country, his love of his family, his mastery of the 
             legislative process, made Jack Murtha very special. I am 
             quite certain that we will never see his like again.
               But I also mentioned, though, when I was in 
             Pennsylvania, something about Jack that those of us who 
             knew him here knew was very important to him.
               He loved this institution. And he loved it as others 
             have acknowledged.
               I think that love was kindled by his friendship with Tip 
             O'Neill. He loved Tip O'Neill. He loved telling us stories 
             about Tip O'Neill. Tip was his mentor. Tip was his friend. 
             Tip loved this institution. And together they made 
             progress for our country, they made friends with each 
             other. And it's a special part of who Jack Murtha was.
               I too have a flag. This flag was flown over the Capitol, 
             Joyce, the minute that we heard that Jack had left us. On 
             behalf of the Congress of the United States, I want to 
             present it to you in recognition of Jack's leadership and 
             patriotism. Every day that he was here, he honored the 
             pledge we took in the morning: ``with liberty and justice 
             for all.'' How appropriate that ``God Bless America'' is 
             the song that was sung today. God truly blessed America 
             with the leadership and the life of Jack Murtha. Thank 
             you. (Applause.)

             The Honorable Joseph R. Biden, Jr. Joyce, thank you for 
             allowing me to be here. To the Murtha clan, your dad was 
             one hell of a guy.
               I, in a strange way, having committed the cardinal sin 
             of going straight to the U.S. Senate when I was 29 years 
             old, not having had the honor of serving in the House, 
             don't have the day-to-day connection with Jack that all 
             these guys had. But I was there at the beginning and at 
             the end.
               I was a 31-year-old kid, and I was a sitting U.S. 
             Senator for about a year, and I got a phone call from a 
             guy named Murtha who I didn't know, never heard of. And he 
             told me that he was running in a special election in 
             Johnstown. And he said he knew I was from Scranton, 
             thought I understood the ethic of his district a little 
             bit, would I come in and campaign for him? And I did.
               There may have been others who campaigned then; I don't 
             recall. But I remember when I went in he was ahead by 
             about 5 points, and he won by 122 votes. (Laughter.)
               My son Hunter is with me, and Hunter always hears me 
             tell war stories and tell stories about Jack. I might add, 
             the first guy I asked to visit me in the residence I now 
             have, the Vice President's residence, to talk about Iraq 
             and Afghanistan was Jack. Jack came over and spent about 2 
             hours with me sitting on the porch, because I wanted his 
             advice.
               But I look around at the Congressmen that are here. The 
             reputation of every one of the folks that I know, is 
             written based on their personal courage, their guts, their 
             gumption, their ethic, their--the fact that they're 
             fighters, their sense of personal commitment.
               You know, it goes from Bobby Brady. You know, Bobby, I 
             used to kid, growing up in Casey country, that Scranton 
             would have been a hell of a neighborhood to grow up in if 
             you and Jack lived in the neighborhood, because he could 
             have lived in your neighborhood in Philly--and we could 
             have lived in his. It was the same ethic.
               It's about an ethic, Chris, I think you have. It's more 
             than about character. A lot of people have character--not 
             enough.
               But few people have that intangible thing my mom called, 
             Steny, the sixth sense. There's something about some 
             people who you just know, they'll have your back.
               I know I'm not supposed to be this informal as the Vice 
             President. But the Jack that I knew, the Jack that I 
             loved, the Jack that I respected--all the things that have 
             been said about Jack today are all true. And I recognize 
             this.
               The part I liked about him the best, he's just one 
             stand-up son of a gun. He's just a stand-up guy, man. He 
             knew what it meant to give at the office.
               He was the guy, Paul, when you made a deal, and his 
             circumstances changed, and it would hurt him to keep it, 
             he'd say, ``I get it, I made a deal, a deal is a deal. It 
             hurts me, but I'm keeping the deal.''
               It's a Scranton ethic. It's a Claymont ethic. It's a 
             Johnstown ethic. You know, it's the ethic of a lot of you 
             sitting out here. Danny, I don't know anybody with more 
             personal courage than you. But Jack was kind of like you. 
             Jack could stand up when it wasn't popular. He'd stand up 
             and defend individuals when it wasn't popular.
               You talk about how Jack was a great soldier. And he was. 
             And I can remember--you know, think about it. I remember 
             going out to campaign for him, General. And so I did a 
             little bio on him. I wanted to know about this guy that 
             was running this special election--who had been running 
             Johnstown's car wash before this time. What was the deal 
             about this guy?
               And I learned this guy, when he was playing football at 
             Washington and Jefferson College, he got a starting berth. 
             When he found out the reason he got the berth was because 
             the guy who was an upperclassman to him was going to 
             Korea, and that's the only reason he was going to get to 
             start, he left and enlisted and wanted to go to Korea.
               It's sort of the ethic that, if I'm getting this job 
             because someone else is making a sacrifice, I sure in hell 
             shouldn't benefit from his sacrifice. Kind of basic stuff 
             that we don't talk about very much. It's that special 
             stuff.
               It's the stuff that makes so many of you so different 
             from other people. Then he didn't get to go to fight in 
             Korea. He became a drill sergeant, an experience that 
             served him very well in the House. (Laughter.) And he 
             decides he--the Vietnam war--he still wants to fight for 
             his country.
               Now, guessing--I don't know for a fact, Joyce, but 
             guessing, I can picture the conversation going like, well, 
             so-and-so's gone and so-and-so's gone and so-and-so's 
             gone. And Mary lost her husband. And Mrs. Smith lost her 
             son, and I'm sitting here.
               You know, that's the stuff. We like to think of our 
             country made up of men and women like that, and that was 
             Jack. I was graduating into Vietnam in 1968, and there 
             weren't a whole lot of people lining up ready to go, and 
             here Jack, in the Reserves, decided he wants to go.
               Well, you know, he had to file a petition. He got the 
             petition and he showed his mettle. This has been spoken of 
             here. He was a man that always was fighting, fighting for 
             opportunity.
               He fought for his country but he never stopped fighting 
             when he got back here. It wasn't a fight out of anger and 
             resentfulness. It was a fight about ``this is just 
             right.''
               It wasn't complicated. In my experience with Jack, it 
             wasn't complicated stuff. It's right or it's wrong. If 
             it's right, you've got to do something about it.
               I also remember thinking that, when I was out there in 
             1974, if any man reflected his district, it was Jack. 
             Marcy talked about deer hunter country. Well, that was 
             Jack. I mean, he reflected, again, the ethic of his 
             district. He was made of the same stuff as the people he 
             served with and actually grew up with.
               Throughout his career people tried to pigeonhole him. I 
             remember people would say, because I had different views 
             on some things, as chairman of the Foreign Relations 
             Committee--I actually served longer than Jack in the U.S. 
             Congress; I served longer than most of you here in the 
             U.S. Congress--and they'd say, ``How can you be such good 
             friends with Jack, this hawk? You know, this guy's a 
             hawk.''
               Remember, Ike, when I went out and almost lost your 
             election for you in the beginning, the first time? 
             (Laughter.) I was the first guy to campaign for Ike, too. 
             (Chuckles, laughter.) It's no wonder they're so resilient. 
             They made it through my campaigning for them the first 
             time.
               But all kidding aside, the thing that always struck me 
             about Jack that people didn't really understand; it was, 
             as Nancy said--as the Speaker said, it was about the 
             warrior, not the war. It was about his country; it was 
             about the warrior.
               And what did Jack do? Jack came out against the war in 
             Iraq. People were surprised when Jack called for the 
             Marines to investigate what happened in Haditha, because 
             he was such a defender of the Marines. I think what people 
             didn't get about Jack, it was all about honor and duty and 
             about protecting his Marines--not by just protecting them 
             physically; protecting their honor. To Jack, it was about 
             honor. To Jack, at least from my perspective, the Jack I 
             met in 1974, that's what his opposition to the war was 
             about. It was about this sense of protecting these kids 
             that he cared so much about.
               I remember recently spending Christmas at Walter Reed. 
             As you all know, because all of you guys and women go 
             there, there were about 14 kids who couldn't come down for 
             Christmas dinner, so I went to each of their rooms. There 
             was one kid, both legs gone, part of one arm, and he had 
             one of those triangles above his bed. And I walked in and 
             he was asleep, so I said to the nurse, ``Don't.'' The 
             nurse said, ``No, he really wants to see you. He really 
             wants to see you.''
               And the kid pulled himself up on this triangle and said, 
             ``Sir, I'm sorry I can't stand.'' And then he said to me, 
             ``Do you know Congressman Murtha?'' (Soft laughter.)
               Well, let me tell you something. I think that the ethic 
             that Jack Murtha exemplified here is the stuff that is 
             most admired by the American people and the stuff of which 
             we sing songs about. You were talking about Jack's corner, 
             Pennsylvania's corner. Like I said, the way I kind of 
             looked at it, without knowing it--except on two occasions 
             being able to come to the corner when I came over here to 
             do some business, when you allowed those of us from the 
             Upper Chamber to traverse into God's country--I always 
             thought it was not so much who was in Jack's corner, but 
             whose corner Jack was in.
               You know, 1977, the Johnstown flood, I was head of the 
             Public Works Committee, Chris, before it was Environmental 
             Public Works, and I was head of the Disaster Relief 
             Subcommittee.
               So I flew to Johnstown. And there was only one man in 
             America who could have gotten any notice, Chairman Obey, 
             other than Dan Flood, at that moment, and it was Jack 
             Murtha. And everybody else was talking of what they were 
             going to do, and I was holding hearings there about 
             disaster relief and getting money, and I asked where was 
             Congressman Murtha, privately.
               I was told that he had just commandeered a military 
             helicopter, because he was told he could no longer wade 
             through the water in places he wanted to go. He was going 
             out, spot to spot, giving direct aid and trying to pull 
             people out of trouble.
               When the Bethlehem Steel plant closed, he was the first 
             guy to convince Bethlehem Steel to keep the plant open for 
             another year and fought like the Devil to find places for 
             those 10,000 folks who lost their jobs, because to Jack, 
             it was more than a steel plant closing, it was a way of 
             life shutting down. It was an ethic that was being lost. 
             It was about dignity. It was about respect.
               Well, ladies and gentlemen, you all know and you could 
             tell a thousand stories about Jack, more than I could 
             tell. But I didn't have to be around him as much as you 
             were to know the man that he was. I didn't have to be 
             around him as much as you were to know that, as Nancy 
             said, we're not going to see his like again.
               You know, when I think of Jack, there's a Civil War 
             poet, a guy named Richard Watson Gilder, who, like Jack's 
             great-grandfather, fought in the Civil War. And he wrote 
             something that could have been put on Jack's tombstone. He 
             said, ``Better than honor and glory, and history's iron 
             pen, was the thought of duty done and love of his fellow-
             men.'' I don't know anybody who did his duty better than 
             Jack.
               I don't know anybody who cared about his neighborhood 
             more than Jack, because at the end of the day, when I 
             think of Jack, I think of neighborhood. I think he had a 
             neighborhood ethic. I think of a guy who asked no quarter, 
             gives none when people's interests are at stake and stood 
             tall throughout his whole career.
               If my dad were alive, guys, he'd look at all three of 
             you and say, ``You got good blood, kids. You got good 
             blood.'' (Applause.)

             The Honorable Nancy Pelosi. Before we adjourn, I hope that 
             we could all join and express our gratitude, love, and 
             appreciation to Joyce Murtha and her family for sharing 
             Jack with us. (Standing applause.)

             The Reverend Daniel P. Coughlin. Trusting in God, we have 
             shared stories and memories of John. Now we come to a 
             final moment. Parting always moves the heart. The mind 
             travels everywhere. The heart moves slowly.
               This assembly will disperse with some sorrow and some 
             regret but also with deeper commitments, deeper belief, 
             because of Jack Murtha.
               The God of mercy who gathered us together today will 
             again gather us in the joy of His kingdom. Therefore as we 
             go forward let us walk with a commitment of peace, let us 
             console one another with faith and let our charity and 
             love for one another be known around this world.
               Into Your hands, Father of Mercies, we commend our 
             brother in the sure and certain hope that, together with 
             all who have died, he will rise again on the last day.
               We give You thanks for the blessings that You have 
             bestowed upon him, his family, and his corps and our faith 
             in this body in which he took such great pride: they are 
             signs to us all of Your goodness and Your continued care 
             for us.
               Merciful Lord, turn toward us now and listen to our 
             prayers: open the gates of paradise to your servant and 
             help us who remain to comfort one another with assurances 
             of faith, deeper dedication and service of others and our 
             faith, trust that You will join us all together once again 
             in Your Holy Spirit.
               Merciful Lord, we know the anguish of the sorrowful, but 
             You are ever attentive, most of all to the brokenhearted.
               Hear Your people who cry to You in their needs and 
             strengthen us, strengthen this Nation in our hope of Your 
             lasting goodness.
               Eternal rest grant unto him, O Lord, and let perpetual 
             light shine upon him.
               May he rest in peace. Amen.
               Peace to you all.
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