[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 43 (Tuesday, March 18, 2003)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E486]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      IN MEMORY OF AHMAD R. OLOMI

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. KEN CALVERT

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, March 18, 2003

  Mr. CALVERT. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor and pay tribute to an 
individual whose dedication to his country and community was 
extraordinary. Orange County, California, was indeed fortunate to have 
such a dynamic and dedicated community leader who willingly and 
unselfishly gave his time and talents to make his community a better 
place in which to live and work. The individual of whom I speaking is 
Ahmad Rateb Olomi. He was unexpectedly and tragically taken in an 
airplane accident over the Arabian Sea on Monday, February 24, 2003, at 
the age of 45.
  Mr. Olomi was born in Afghanistan, and earned his bachelor's degree 
in Civil Engineering from the University of Engineering and Technology 
in Lahore, Pakistan. He moved to the United States in 1980. He was 
hired by Orange County in 1984 and shortly thereafter became a 
naturalized United States citizen. He worked his way up from 
Engineering Technician to the position of Senior Civil Engineer. Some 
of the more notable projects he worked on were Seven Oaks Dam, the 
Santa Ana River Mainstream Project, and the Laguna Canyon Road State 
Route 133 realignment. Over his 19 years of service to Orange County, 
Mr. Olomi developed himself into one of the County's most talented and 
valued professionals.
  In addition to his love for the United States and his community, he 
never forgot his original homeland. On the day of the tragedy, Mr. 
Olomi was on a six-month leave of absence from the County of Orange 
traveling with the Afghan Minister of Mines and Industries to help with 
the rebuilding of Afghanistan, and the construction of a transnational 
pipeline project that would pump natural gas and oil from Turkmenistan 
across Afghanistan and into Pakistan.
  Mr. Olomi was also a dedicated family man. He is survived by his wife 
Roya and children, Yusef and Sahar. He is remembered by his family and 
friends as a man admired for his integrity, honesty, intelligence and 
selfless commitment to others. My thoughts and prayers go out to them 
for their loss.
  Mr. Speaker, looking back at Mr. Olomi's life, we see a man dedicated 
to his family, community, adopted country and original homeland--an 
American and Afghani whose service led to the betterment of those who 
had the privilege to come in contact or work with him. Honoring Mr. 
Olomi's memory is the least we can do today for all that he gave over 
his lifetime.

                          ____________________