[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 146 (Monday, October 25, 1999)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2174]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[[Page E2174]]
 TRIBUTE TO WALTER L. JOHNSON--FRIEND OF BAY AREA WORKING MEN AND WOMEN

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                            HON. TOM LANTOS

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                        Monday, October 25, 1999

  Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to the 
extraordinary contributions of my dear friend, Walter L. Johnson, the 
Secretary-Treasurer of the San Francisco Labor Council (AFL-CIO) and 
one of our nation's most devoted advocates for worker rights and 
progressive causes. A patriot, a crusader, and a man of genuine 
compassion and decency, Walter deserves the gratitude and appreciation 
of all of us who care about economic justice, civil rights, worker 
safety, and affordable health care.
  Walter Johnson's life of community service began seventy-five years 
ago in the small town of Amenia, North Dakota. While still a teenager, 
he joined the United States Army and fought in World War II. At the 
conclusion of his military service, Walter moved to the Bay Area, where 
he met and married his wonderful wife Jane. They are the parents of 
three wonderful children. He also contributed his significant energies 
to his union--Local 1100 of the United Food & Commercial Workers Union 
(UFCW). Walter's talents as an organizer quickly became apparent to his 
colleagues in the UFCW, who selected him for a series of important 
positions in Local 1100--Business Agent in 1957, President in 1958 and 
Executive Officer in 1965.
  Walter later was chosen to lead the San Mateo County Labor Council. 
It was while he served in this position that I first worked closely 
with him on issues of concern to working men and women in our area. 
Throughout these years and the decades that have followed, he developed 
a reputation as a fighter for the rights of working people and an 
articulate spokesman on critical issues affecting the Bay Area. On the 
basis of his outstanding record, Walter Johnson was elected Secretary-
Treasurer of the San Francisco Labor Council on May 13, 1985, a 
position he still holds. There he has continued to fight for the causes 
to which he has devoted his life.
  Mr. Speaker, whenever an injustice has been committed against any one 
of the Labor Council's 75,000 members, Walter Johnson can be found 
leading the crusade to right this wrong. When irresponsible 
corporations breach contracts or hire strikebreakers or operate 
sweatshops or discriminate against minorities or ignore worker safety 
laws, it is Walter who rallies San Francisco's working men and women to 
stand up against these injustices. It makes no difference whether the 
violated include truck drivers, bike messengers, hotel employees, 
teachers, or workers in any other profession--Walter is there, leading 
a picket line or rallying public opinion behind a just cause.
  Walter Johnson's commitment to our nation's fundamental values extend 
well beyond defending the interests of the membership of the San 
Francisco Labor Council. He has worked, along with other leaders of the 
California Labor Federation (AFL-CIO), to educate citizens about 
matters that affect our diverse society in so many different areas: 
child labor, health care for young people and the underprivileged, 
quality child care, human rights and the proliferation of sweatshops 
abroad, and the civil rights of women, minorities, and immigrants. 
Walter's principled activism has touched many lives, and I am grateful 
for it.
  Walter's dedication to community service has benefitted the people of 
San Francisco in just every way imaginable. He has served on the Board 
of Directors of the United Way of the Bay Area, the Bay Area Economic 
Forum, the Nature Conservancy, the San Francisco Bay Area Girl Scouts 
Council, the Council for Civic Unity, the Shelter Network (which 
provides housing and assistance for the homeless), and a wealth of 
other civic, cultural, charitable, and educational institutions.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to join me in paying well-deserved 
tribute to Walter Johnson and in recognizing the exceptional 
contributions of this outstanding man, who has devoted his life to 
fighting for the interests and values of San Francisco's working men 
and women.

                       TRIBUTE TO THE ARMED GUARD

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                          HON. GEORGE W. GEKAS

                            of pennsylvania

                    in the house of representatives

                        Monday, October 25, 1999

  Mr. GEKAS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to a group of 
individuals whose dedicated service deserves recognition. It gives me 
great joy to offer my appreciation to the brave men of the Naval Armed 
Guard Service who protected the flow of supplies on the high seas 
during World Wars I and II.
  Created as a branch of the United States Navy during World War I to 
maintain and operate weapons aboard merchant ships targeted by enemy 
vessels, the men of the Armed Guard served with unflappable courage as 
they ensured the safe passage of vital supplies to Europe. Over 144,900 
men served in the Armed Guard on more than 6,000 ships. Nearly 2,000 of 
these brave men lost their lives in defense of freedom.
  Crossing the ocean was a perilous, often horrific journey during both 
World Wars. Enemy submarines were not particular when targeting 
military or merchant vessels. The character and heroism of the men of 
the Armed Guard helped to make those voyages a little safer. Their job 
was not an easy one. Their lives on the sea consisted of hours of quiet 
punctuated by moments of terror that required strong nerves and 
courage.
  It is said that it takes ten individuals to support one infantryman. 
The enemy knew that the key to an allied victory was the supply routes, 
and consequently attacked our merchant fleet mercilessly. It is obvious 
to me that without the valor exhibited by the Armed Guard, victory in 
both wars would have been indefinitely delayed.
  This country owes a debt of gratitude to these brave men.

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