[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 148 (Wednesday, October 31, 2001)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1965]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




        HONORING THE DISTINGUISHED CAREER OF JOHN E. SIRLES III

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                        HON. WILLIAM O. LIPINSKI

                              of illinois

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, October 31, 2001

  Mr. LIPINSKI. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize and congratulate 
Mr. John Sirles for his 30 years of service to our nation as a civil 
servant with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Since February 1999, he 
has served as the Deputy District Engineer for the Army Corps of 
Engineers' Chicago District.
  Over the course of his career with the Corps, Mr. Sirles has received 
numerous awards. He's been awarded the Bronze Order of the deFleury 
Medal, the Special Act Award, and the Superior Civilian Service Award. 
He's also received the Exceptional Performance Award on four separate 
occasions and the PMRS Performance Award five times.
  But Mr. Sirles' legacy will not be the countless awards and citations 
he's received--his legacy will be the public works projects he's worked 
on and the countless number of individuals he's inspired over his three 
decade long career with the Army Corps.
  If any of my colleagues should visit Chicago, I would encourage them 
to take a look at the Chicago Shoreline project. Mr. Sirles oversaw and 
led the completion of the third Project Cooperation Agreement, a 
critical component to a $276 million project that will help protect 
downtown Chicago from flooding.
  If any of my colleagues should visit Chicago, I would encourage them 
to take a look at the Tunnel and Reservoir Plan, an ongoing project 
with an extensive network of tunnels and reservoirs. This project will 
help reduce flooding to hundreds of thousands of households and improve 
water quality of the rivers and streams throughout Chicagoland.
  Mr. Sirles helped champion these projects and many more during his 
tenure at the Chicago District.
  I ask my colleagues to join me in honoring John Sirles. He's been an 
exemplary public servant, and his record serves as an example for 
others.

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