[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 114 (Thursday, August 5, 1999)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1747-E1748]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       COMMANDER JACKIE W. KYGER

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. SOLOMON P. ORTIZ

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                       Wednesday, August 4, 1999

  Mr. ORTIZ. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to commend a gentleman who does 
an outstanding job commanding a Coast Guard Station in my district, 
Commander Jackie W. Kyger.
  Commander Kyger is an absolutely superb man. He commands the South 
Padre Island Coast Guard Station in Port Isabel, Texas, in my district 
and he will be leaving Friday, August 6, for the private sector. If he 
carries the same gung-ho, can-do attitude that he has employed in his 
service to our country into the private sector, I have no doubt he will 
retire a millionaire.
  The Port Isabel station has a very tough mission, which centers 
largely on drug interdiction. They have quite a small station, with a 
tremendous amount of space to cover. In the last Congress, it came to 
my attention that the station desperately needed new equipment. They 
were making do with surplus equipment in their quest to interdict drug 
smugglers along a large chunk of South Texas coast. We ask our Coast 
Guard to do so much: search and rescue, boat safety, drug interdiction 
and fishing regulation enforcement, among others.
  It is just not right to give them that enormous responsibility 
without the equipment to do the job. In the next Coast Guard 
Authorization bill, I made sure to include committee report language 
stressing the need for new equipment, and as a result, the Port Isabel

[[Page E1748]]

Coast Guard station recently got two new utility vehicles that are 
currently being fitted. This speaks to Commander Kyger's leadership 
ability, ensuring that his people had the proper equipment to 
accomplish their mission.
  Mr. Speaker, Commander Kyger will be greatly missed by the larger 
South Texas community, as well as the Coasties he commands. He is a 
devoted family man who is also committed to helping the community. He 
was of great help to a community project known as ``Save Our 
Children,'' a non-profit group that targeted young people in the 
Valley, encouraging them to stay away from violence and drugs, and 
reassuring them that they are indeed loved and are a valuable resource 
to South Texas. He was also instrumental in forming a partnership with 
the Boys Scouts of America to create a U.S. Coast Guard Explorers Post, 
an activity that provides a positive focus for young people after 
school.
  I ask my colleagues to join me today in commending Jackie Kyger, an 
outstanding patriot, officer and family man on his departure from Coast 
Guard Station South Padre Island this week.

                          ____________________