[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 109 (Friday, June 30, 1995)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1368]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


                   SALUTING LT. CLAUDIA J. CAMP, USCG

                                 ______


                            HON. JACK FIELDS

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, June 29, 1995
  Mr. FIELDS of Texas. Mr. Speaker, earlier this month, U.S. Coast 
Guard Lt. Claudia J. Camp left her position as the Coast Guard's 
assistant liaison officer to the House of Representatives, and I wanted 
to take a moment to publicly thank her for the assistance she lent to 
my office and staff, and for the assistance she provided to this 
institution and all its members.
  I worked with Claudia closely from 1993 to 1995, when I served as the 
ranking Republican member of the House Merchant Marine and Fisheries 
Committee. During those years, she and her fellow Coast Guard liaison 
officers repeatedly went out of their way to be helpful to those of us 
on the Merchant Marine and Fisheries Committee. Their assistance and 
advice helped those of us responsible for overseeing the Coast Guard's 
operations to better understand the needs of the men and women in the 
Coast Guard as they worked to carry out their many diverse missions.
  Claudia graduated from the University of California at Los Angeles in 
1982, after which she entered--and graduated from--the Coast Guard's 
training center in Cape May, NJ. She graduated, I might add, first in 
her class of 120 men and women, and as the recipient of the Female 
Leadership Award and the Marlinspike Seamanship Award.
  Following her graduation, Claudia served as a boatswain's mate aboard 
the Coast Guard's tall ship USCGC Eagle. She participated in a 
bicentennial voyage from the United States to Australia and back. 
Following her time aboard the USCG Eagle, Claudia served as a petty 
officer at the Coast Guard Station Fort Point, in San Francisco. In her 
position as a coxswain on a 44-foot motor life boat, Claudia regularly 
participated in search and rescue missions in the San Francisco Bay 
area, which is so infamous for its treacherous currents.
  Next, Claudia attended Officer Candidate School in Yorktown, VA, 
graduating in the top quarter of her class in December 1990. Following 
her graduation, Claudia was assigned to the USCGC Steadfast, based in 
St. Petersburg, FL. Aboard the Steadfast, Claudia served as a deck 
watch officer responsible for conning and navigation. Later, she served 
as the 1st lieutenant and as a maritime law enforcement boarding 
officer. She continued her drug interdiction and maritime safety work 
as an executive officer on board the USCGC Metompkin, based in 
Charleston, SC. In that post, she conducted numerous fisheries 
boardings and drug inspections.
  It was from the Metompkin that Claudia came to Capitol Hill. I know 
that Claudia loves the Coast Guard, and she's participated in many of 
the Coast Guard's diverse missions. While answering congressional 
inquiries; assisting in the preparation of congressional testimony; 
serving as a White House social aide; explaining the Coast Guard's 
mission and its needs to congressional staffers and Members of 
Congress; planning and participating in congressional delegation visits 
to various Coast Guard units; and escorting the Coast Guard commandant, 
the vice commandant and various admirals to appointments on Capitol 
Hill is not quite as exciting as rescuing a vessel in distress, or 
boarding a vessel suspected of hauling illegal drugs, Claudia handled 
her duties here on Capitol Hill in the same professional, courteous and 
knowledgeable manner that has characterized her service throughout her 
years in the Coast Guard.
  Mr. Speaker, I have often expressed my admiration for the men and 
women of the U.S. Coast Guard--and the dedication to service and to 
excellence with which they approach their duties. Lt. Claudia J. Camp 
is one such Coast Guard officer, and I appreciate this opportunity to 
thank her for the assistance she has provided to us on Capitol Hill, 
and to wish her well in her new assignment as captain of the USCGC 
Matagorda, a 110-foot patrol boat in Miami. All of us owe her, and the 
Coast Guard, our admiration and thanks.
  Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
  

                          ____________________