[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 83 (Thursday, June 20, 2002)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1113]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                 TRIBUTE TO MR. JOSEPH PATRICK CRIBBINS

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. SOLOMON P. ORTIZ

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, June 20, 2002

  Mr. ORTIZ. Mr. Speaker, I rise to pay tribute to Joseph Patrick 
Cribbins, a great American patriot, who served the United States 
military and our nation, and who remains a hero in the hearts of South 
Texans and other Americans who knew him. He passed away this week.
  This American soldier, with 52 years of military service, died on 
June 14, 2002, the 227th birthday of the United States Army.
  He was a world-renowned expert in aviation safety and logistics, 
particularly in U.S. Army. As a young man, he was an expert horseman 
and steeplechase jockey. He joined the U.S. Army First Cavalry Division 
as a stable sergeant in the horse cavalry in 1940.
  From there, he was deployed to the Philippines, joining the staff of 
General Douglas MacArthur in World War II, where he was commissioned as 
an officer. That is also where he met his wife of over 50 years, his 
beloved Helen who preceded him in death.
  After a 26-year career in uniform, he entered the civil service with 
the Department of the Army in the Army Materiel Command in the 
Washington, D.C. area. His extraordinary achievements grew, as did Army 
aviation in the Vietnam Era and the late 20th Century. There, he became 
a major player in founding the aviation logistics office, which oversaw 
maintenance and supply activities.
  This second Army career, in which he worked closely with the Corpus 
Christi Army Depot in South Texas, led to a second 26-year career 
culminating in his top rank as the third-ranked DA civilian, equivalent 
to a three-star general. He received numerous awards and decorations 
including four individual Presidential Awards for distinguished 
service, from four different Commanders-in-Chief.
  I ask my colleagues to join me today as the nation mourns a lost 
warrior, one who helped defend freedom and democracy and shaped defense 
policy in the 20th Century Army.

                          ____________________