[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 7 (Tuesday, February 5, 2002)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E80]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


                     TRIBUTE TO OFFICER JOHN SKALA

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. BILL PASCRELL, JR.

                             of new jersey

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, February 5, 2002

  Mr. PASCRELL. Mr. Speaker, I am honored to call to your attention the 
life of an American hero, Officer John Skala of the Port Authority 
Police Department. Officer Skala of Clifton, New Jersey, was killed in 
the Line of Duty while heroically responding to the attack on the World 
Trade Center on September 11, 2001.
  As the tragic events of that fateful morning unfolded, Officer Skala 
was assigned to the Lincoln Tunnel Command. He immediately responded to 
help evacuate the towers after the first plane struck World Trade 
Center Tower One.
  September 11, 2001 has emblazoned so many unforgettable images in our 
minds. Perhaps none is more vivid, however, than that of courageous men 
and women in uniform working so valiantly to save the lives of others. 
It is therefore only fitting that Officer Skala be honored, in this, 
the permanent record of the greatest freely elected body on earth.
  John Skala was born in Passaic, New Jersey and attended high school 
at nearby Clifton High. At the age of twenty-two, he received an 
appointment to the Port Authority Police Department. His distinguished 
career in law enforcement showed him to be a man with the courage of a 
lion, yet also someone who had a kind and gentle heart, willing to help 
anyone in need.
  A recipient of two Meritorious Service Awards, Officer Skala 
exhibited the high standards of excellence associated with the 
traditions of the PAPD. From assisting in the arrest of armed suspects 
to the performance of first aid during extreme conditions, John Skala 
was a public servant in every sense of the word.
  Officer Skala's dedication to serving the community at large extended 
far beyond his work at the PAPD. He dedicated his free time to serving 
as a paramedic with the Passaic-Clifton Mobile Intensive Care Unit, as 
a member of the Ukrainian American Youth Association, and as a 
volunteer with the New Jersey Special Olympics and the Juvenile 
Diabetes Foundation. John Skala was a hero, both on the front lines and 
behind the scenes.
  He has touched countless lives for the better, and we are all better 
for having him as part of our American family.
  On Tuesday, September 11, our American family was attacked in a way 
we had only seen in our very worst nightmares. The actions carried out 
on the people of this nation were unspeakable acts of war, targeting 
the very foundation of what makes us Americans. That day we all 
witnessed the very worst of mankind.
  What the perpetrators of these acts did not realize was the 
unwavering commitment to liberty and humankind felt by Officer Skala 
and his fellow heroes. The bravery and love he exhibited in the face of 
terror make him an example for us all.
  We will honor Officer John Skala by trying to live our lives as he 
lived his. We will honor John by loving his family as he did, and 
continuing his work to make our community a better place.
  Mr. Speaker, I ask that you join our colleagues, the City of Clifton, 
John's family and friends, myself, and a truly grateful nation in 
honoring the life of a great American, Port Authority Police Officer 
John Skala.

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