[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 156 (Wednesday, December 7, 2005)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E2477-E2478]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 HONORING LIEUTENANT COLONEL JAMES J. FINKLE, U.S. AIR FORCE (RETIRED)

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. TIMOTHY H. BISHOP

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, December 7, 2005

  Mr. BISHOP of New York. Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor and recognize a 
great American patriot, retired Lt. Col. James J. Finkle, for his 
distinguished accomplishments in both the U.S. Air Force and in 
civilian public service.
  James joined the U.S. Air Force in 1968, 4 years before attending the 
University of Maine, from which he graduated in 1976. Shortly 
thereafter, he was assigned to the Maine Air National Guard and 
appointed the first town manager of Veazie, Maine.
  James stayed in Maine until 1980, when he was hired by the Suffolk 
County Legislature's Office of Budget Review. Returning to Long Island, 
where James was born, did not interrupt his commitment to military 
service. He transferred to the 106th air rescue wing of New York's Air 
National Guard located at Gabreski Air Force Base on eastern Long 
Island.
  Within the civilian community, James served as the federal aid 
coordinator for the Nassau-Suffolk Regional Planning Board. He was 
promoted by the board to serve as the first administrator of the 
Suffolk County Pine Barrens Commission, and participated in the 
evacuation study of the Shoreham Nuclear Power Plant.
  Subsequently, James was selected as the director of planning for the 
Town of Huntington, managing a staff of 15 and guiding the economic 
development of this suburban community. After working for the Research 
Foundation of SUNY Stony Brook in 1990, James joined Shoreland 
Distributors as vice president for administration where he helped 
direct the company's rapid growth as it became the largest distributor 
of boat trailers in the nation.
  His National Guard service provided a natural transition to his 
civilian duties, which included recovery in the aftermath of TWA Flight 
800. He helped write a definitive account of that experience in Deadly 
Departure: The True Story of Flight 800 and contributed to the New York 
Times bestseller, ``The Perfect Storm: A True Story of Men Against the 
Sea'' about the 106th air rescue wing.
  James returned to active duty to serve in Operation Allied Force, 
which responded to the crisis in Kosovo in 1999. He also served in 
media affairs through the aftermath of the September 11th attacks and 
participated in the

[[Page E2478]]

planning stages of the Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2002.
  On behalf of New York's first congressional district and indeed a 
grateful nation, I thank Lt. Col. James Finkle for his service, 
congratulate him for a distinguished career, and wish him good health, 
continued success and a happy retirement with his wife Louise and their 
children, Amanda and Eugene.

                          ____________________