[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 56 (Tuesday, May 3, 2005)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E855]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 IN RECOGNITION OF COLONEL MARC E. FREITAS, UNITED STATES MARINE CORPS 
                                 (RET.)

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. WALTER B. JONES

                           of north carolina

                    in the house of representatives

                          Tuesday, May 3, 2005

  Mr. JONES of North Carolina. Mr. Speaker, today I recognize Colonel 
Marc E. Freitas on the occasion of his retirement from the United 
States Marine Corps. Colonel Freitas has honorably served our great 
Nation for more than 33 years.
  A native of Oakland, California, Colonel Freitas first enlisted in 
the Marine Corps in 1971, earning the title of Marine at the Marine 
Corps Recruit Depot, in San Diego California. Within a year, Colonel 
Freitas was selected to become a Marine Officer, and was subsequently 
commissioned a 2nd Lieutenant of Marines in June 1974. Following 
completion of The Basic School at Quantico, Virginia, Colonel Freitas 
attended and completed Naval Flight Training at Pensacola, Florida, and 
was designated a Naval Flight Officer.
  Colonel Freitas has served with distinction throughout his career. 
His unselfish sacrifice has taken him throughout the globe in the 
service of our Nation. He has flown RF-4B reconnaissance aircraft off 
the deck of the U.S.S. Midway during the Iranian Hostage crisis, flown 
missions from Guantanamo Naval Base, Cuba, and served with the United 
States Air Force, flying reconnaissance aircraft at Shaw Air Force 
Base, in Sumter, South Carolina. He has also held several commands, to 
include a squadron detachment of Phantom aircraft deployed to the 
Republic of Korea, Marine Wing Headquarters Squadron 2 at Marine Corps 
Air Station, Cherry Pt., North Carolina, and the Marine Aviation 
Detachment located at Naval Air Station, China Lake, California.
  In 1992, Colonel Freitas deployed to Mogadishu, Somalia, as the Plans 
Officer for the Joint Force Air Component Commander. His efforts there 
helped provide relief to millions of Somalis during Operation Restore 
Hope.
  Perhaps Colonel Freitas' proudest accomplishments occurred while 
assigned as the Deputy Commander of Joint Task Force-Full Accounting. 
As the Task Force's Deputy Commander, his efforts were instrumental in 
resolving the fates of hundreds of American servicemen missing as a 
result of the war in Southeast Asia. Deploying to Vietnam, Laos, and 
Cambodia, from the Task Force Headquarters in Hawaii, Colonel Freitas 
helped to provide answers to the families of these missing Americans, 
and in turn contributed to our national healing from this tumultuous 
period of history.
  Colonel Freitas has completed Marine Corps Command and Staff College, 
Amphibious Warfare School, and the Armed Forces Staff College, and in 
1993 he was selected to become the first Marine Corps Fellow at the 
RAND Corporation, where he worked to find solutions to the issues 
facing both the Marine Corps and the Nation in the decades ahead. Marc 
was promoted to the rank of Colonel in October 1996, and his personal 
awards include the Defense Superior Service Medal, two Legions of 
Merit, two Meritorious Service Medals, the Joint Service Commendation 
Medal, the Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal, and the Navy and 
Marine Corps Achievement Medal.
  In October 2001, Colonel Freitas began his assignment as the Deputy 
Legislative Assistant to the Commandant of the Marine Corps. In the 3 
years he served in this important position, his support to Members of 
Congress has played a vital role in allowing this body to readily 
address issues of national importance. Further, his complete grasp of 
all facets of naval warfare and his ability to provide this Congress 
with accurate and timely response to congressional inquiries has helped 
to ensure a bright future for our Marine Corps.
  Throughout his career, Colonel Marc Freitas has demonstrated those 
values that we as a Nation expect from our Marines. His impeccable 
integrity, exceptional moral character, skilled leadership, and 
absolute professionalism have helped to make the Marine Corps the 
honorable institution it is today. On behalf of the Congress and the 
nation, I wish Marc, his wife Linda, and their children Jenny and 
Matthew, fair winds and following seas, as they enter this new chapter 
of their lives.

                          ____________________