[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 77 (Friday, June 4, 2004)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1042]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     IN HONOR OF THOMAS PENASKOVIC

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. ROBERT MENENDEZ

                             of new jersey

                    in the house of representatives

                         Thursday, June 3, 2004

  Mr. MENENDEZ. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Thomas Penaskovic 
for years of dedicated public service to this nation and his community. 
Mr. Penaskovic was honored by the Marine Corps League, Bayonne 
Detachment on Monday, May 31, 2004, at the Veterans of Foreign Wars 
Post in Bayonne, New Jersey.
  Mr. Penaskovic was selected as the 2004 recipient of the Lance 
Corporal Stanley Kopcinski Award, which is named in honor of Stanley 
Kopcinski, a Marine from Bayonne who died in the Vietnam War. The award 
is given to an individual who has made significant contributions in the 
veteran community and to the City of Bayonne. This year, the Bayonne 
Detachment of the Marine Corps League unanimously selected Thomas 
Penaskovic as the 38th recipient, for his outstanding commitment to the 
community.
  Mr. Penaskovic enlisted in the United States Marine Corps on June, 
30, 1966. After completing basic training, he served one tour in the 
Republic of Vietnam, from January 1967 through February 1968, after 
which he was honorably discharged with the rank of Corporal.
  After completing his military service, Mr. Penaskovic became a 
catalyst in assisting other veterans and the community as a whole. He 
served as Commandant of the Bayonne Detachment, Marine Corps League, is 
a member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 226, and is a lifetime 
member of Disabled American Veterans, Chapter 5.
  Mr. Penaskovic has been an integral part of the Annual Toy Drive by 
the Marine Corps League, volunteering for over twenty years, and 
providing underprivileged children gifts during the holidays. He has 
also tallied over one thousand hours of volunteer service at the 
Bayonne Medical Center.
  Today, I ask my colleagues to join me in honoring Thomas Penaskovic 
for his distinguished military service, his outstanding leadership and 
devotion to the veteran community, and his dedication to improving the 
quality of life for the residents of Bayonne.

                          ____________________