[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 125 (Thursday, September 18, 1997)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1796]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




     RECOGNIZING PEORIA, AZ, VFW POST 2135 FOR OUTSTANDING SERVICE

                                 ______
                                 

                             HON. BOB STUMP

                               of arizona

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, September 18, 1997

  Mr. STUMP. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to express my congratulations to 
Peoria VFW Post 2135, in my home State of Arizona, for being recognized 
again for their outstanding youth activities program.
  Mr. Speaker, I am proud to announce to my colleagues that Post 2135 
was recognized last month at the Veterans of Foreign Wars National 
Convention in Salt Lake City, as the winner of the VFW Youth Activities 
Award. Post 2135 is the first VFW post in the Nation to win this award 
for 3 consecutive years.
  Some of the many and varied youth activities undertaken by VFW posts 
nationwide are well known to many of us, and include Youth Essays, 
Voice of Democracy, and Patriotic Art programs.
  The winning program must meet several criteria. These include 
participation in a variety of youth activities offered within the local 
community, and documenting any communitywide youth activity with news 
clippings, photographs, testimonial letters. This collection serves to 
outline the scope of a post's participation in the six major National 
Youth Program categories. These categories are sports/athletics, 
scouting/organizations, contests/special events, educational/
instructions, recognition and projects.
  With nearly 10,000 VFW posts nationwide, it's only a special post 
with a special membership that can win the coveted award for 3 
consecutive years. Peoria Post 2135 has that kind of membership. I can 
think of no finer embodiment of the essence of the veteran's voluntary 
spirit than that of Mr. Vincent Rigo, who was in Utah to accept the 
award on behalf of the 326 members of Post 2135. He's been described as 
a ``renaissance man'' for the number of post service positions that he 
has held. Certainly, without him, and the many others like him in Post 
2135, and in veterans organizations throughout the country, our Nation 
would be that much poorer.
  I salute Peoria VFW Post 2135 for their achievements, and wish them 
the best as they aim for a fourth consecutive award in 1998.

                          ____________________