[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 147 (Tuesday, October 28, 1997)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2106]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




          TRIBUTE TO BRIG. GEN. SALVATORE ``SAL'' VILLANO, JR.

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. DIANA DeGETTE

                              of colorado

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, October 28, 1997

  Ms. DeGETTE. Mr. Speaker, this November will see the retirement from 
the Colorado Air National Guard of an individual I wish to commend.
  Brig. Gen. Salvatore ``Sal'' Villano, Jr. brought to the National 
Guard a patriotic commitment to his country. But he also brought a 
strong desire to involve the Guard in the community it serves.
  Sal Villano grew up in the part of my district known as North Denver. 
Anyone who knows North Denver knows it to be a neighborhood with a long 
history of strong family and ethnic ties. There Sal learned the value 
of honest work and spiritual integrity.
  These values guided General Villano's rise in the Air National Guard. 
He saw it as his duty to lead with energy and integrity. But he saw it 
as his personal mission to have the Guard promote the general welfare 
while providing for the common defense of the Nation.
  General Villano worked hard to bring armories to close-knit Colorado 
communities. The new Denver armory, conceived by Sal as an armory on 
the weekend and a neighborhood center during the week, is a good 
example of his vision to marry the Guard's mission with a community 
need. He pushed tirelessly to start innovative programs to turn 
troubled teens around. And, he took seriously his role to keep drugs 
off Colorado streets.
  Mr. Speaker, America and the National Guard can learn a lesson from 
Gen. Sal Villano, a good kid from North Denver.

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