[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 120 (Tuesday, July 22, 2008)]
[House]
[Pages H6742-H6744]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


                  CONGRATULATING ENSIGN DeCAROL DAVIS

  Mr. OBERSTAR. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to 
the resolution (H. Res. 1241) congratulating Ensign DeCarol Davis upon 
serving as the valedictorian of the Coast Guard Academy's class of 2008 
and becoming the first African American female to earn this honor, as 
amended.
  The Clerk read the title of the resolution.
  The text of the resolution is as follows:

                              H. Res. 1241

       Whereas Ensign DeCarol Davis is the first African American 
     female to serve as the valedictorian of the Coast Guard 
     Academy;
       Whereas Ensign Davis is from Woodbridge, Virginia, and was 
     the 2004 Forest Park High School valedictorian;
       Whereas Ensign Davis's academic and military achievements 
     at the Coast Guard Academy in a class of more than 200 cadets 
     earned her the honor of graduating as valedictorian of the 
     Coast Guard Academy's class of 2008;
       Whereas Ensign Davis's accomplishments include selection as 
     a 2007 Truman Scholar, receipt of the 2008 Connecticut 
     Technology Council Women of Innovation Award, selection as a 
     2006 Arthur Ashe, Jr. Womens Basketball First Team Sports 
     Scholar, and selection to the 2007 ESPN The Magazine Academic 
     All-District I College Women's Basketball First Team;
       Whereas Ensign Davis's community outreach during her four 
     years at the Coast Guard Academy significantly impacted the 
     lives of others, including those at a local elementary school 
     where Ensign Davis wrote and directed a play that introduced 
     engineering as a career to the students;
       Whereas the Coast Guard Academy serves a critical role in 
     training future leaders of the Coast Guard to carry out the 
     service's missions, including protecting the lives and safety 
     of those at sea and ensuring the safe operation of the marine 
     transportation system; protecting the United States ports, 
     waterways, and coastal communities and defending the United 
     States homeland and United States national interests against 
     hostile acts; enforcing United States maritime sovereignty 
     and United States law, international conventions, and 
     treaties including securing our borders against unlawful 
     aliens and drugs; safeguarding United States marine 
     resources; and responding to the threat of terrorism at ports 
     and incidents of national significance, including 
     transportation security incidents, to preserve life and to 
     ensure the continuity of commerce and critical port and 
     waterway functions;
       Whereas the Coast Guard Academy has few minorities within 
     the cadet population;
       Whereas on April 24, 2008, the House of Representatives 
     approved H.R. 2830, the Coast Guard Authorization Act of 
     2008, which included several provisions to improve the 
     diversity of the Coast Guard Academy; and
       Whereas Ensign Davis gave her valedictorian address on May 
     21, 2008: Now therefore be it
       Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
       (1) congratulates Ensign DeCarol Davis for becoming the 
     first African American to serve as valedictorian of the Coast 
     Guard Academy; and
       (2) encourages the Coast Guard to seek diverse candidates 
     for the cadet corps at the Coast Guard Academy and to 
     continue to train and graduate cadets of a quality that the 
     Coast Guard needs to fulfill each of its missions.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
Minnesota (Mr. Oberstar) and the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. LaTourette) 
each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Minnesota.


                             General Leave

  Mr. OBERSTAR. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members 
may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks 
on the resolution, H. Res. 1241.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Minnesota?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. OBERSTAR. I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Ensign DeCarol Davis was the valedictorian of the Coast Guard 
Academy, Class of 2008, the first African American to graduate as 
valedictorian of the Coast Guard Academy. But this is not the first 
time that Ensign Davis graduated at the top of her class. She was 
valedictorian of Forest Park High School, Woodbridge, Virginia, in 
2004.
  Ensign Davis is a very impressive young lady, a Truman Scholar. She 
won the 2008 Connecticut Technology Council Women of Innovation Award. 
She is a standout basketball player. She was a 2006 Arthur Ashe, Jr. 
Women's Basketball First Team Sports Scholar, and she was selected to 
the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District I College Women's 
Basketball First Team.
  She's now a commissioned officer in the Coast Guard. Ensign Davis 
will join 41,000 men and women wearing that unique color of blue, 
enforcing the Nation's laws on our waterways, making the waterways safe 
as well as secure, and has chosen to begin her career in the Coast 
Guard Marine Safety Program. I'm delighted to see that future leaders 
of the Coast Guard value that program.
  I was at the Coast Guard Academy just 3 months ago, met with the 
Commandant of Cadets and the director of the academic program at the 
Coast Guard Academy, met with several of the cadets and sat in on one 
of the classes. And I must say each time I do, each time I hold a 
session with the Coast Guard, and each time I meet the cadets, I have 
enormous confidence in the future of the Coast Guard and its service to 
boating, to maritime safety, and to the future needs of the Coast Guard 
and our country.
  I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. LaTOURETTE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  Mr. Speaker, House Resolution 1241 recognizes Ensign DeCarol Davis 
for her extraordinary achievements as a cadet at the United States 
Coast Guard Academy. Ensign Davis graduated in May of this year as the 
valedictorian of her class of 2008, and is currently stationed with the 
Prevention Department at Coast Guard Sector New York.
  During her 4 years as a cadet, Ensign Davis was selected as the 
Academy's first Truman Scholar, honored as the 2007 Arthur Ashe, Jr. 
Female Sports Scholar of the Year, and served as the president of her 
Academy class. Ensign Davis also became very involved with student 
activities on campus and in the surrounding community of New London.
  Ensign Davis is a shining example of the quality of men and women who 
make up the leaders and ranks of our Coast Guard, and I hope that the 
House's action today will encourage our young people to learn more 
about the Coast Guard Academy and the Coast Guard.
  I support this resolution honoring Ensign Davis for her achievements.
  I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. OBERSTAR. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the 
distinguished chairman of the Homeland Security Committee, the 
gentleman from Mississippi (Mr. Thompson).

                              {time}  1430

  Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi. Mr. Speaker, today I rise in support of 
legislation I authored to recognize a remarkable young woman, Ensign 
DeCarol Davis.
  On May 21, 2008, Ensign Davis graduated from the Coast Guard Academy 
with a grade point average of 3.96 in electrical engineering. She 
earned the distinction of being the first African American 
valedictorian of the Coast Guard Academy.
  The Coast Guard Academy was founded in 1876, but the first African 
American did not graduate from the institution until 1966. Women were 
not admitted to the school until 1976. Today, we honor Ensign Davis, 
who, through her hard work and perseverance, accomplished what no 
African American has done before her, she achieved the Academy's 
highest honor.
  This achievement is remarkable, given that over the past three 
decades the number of minorities graduating from the Coast Guard 
Academy has not kept pace with the other military service academies. 
Legislation approved by the House earlier this year, Mr. Speaker, would 
bring about more diversity within the Coast Guard Academy by allowing 
Members of Congress to nominate individuals for this academy, just as 
we do all other military service academies.
  I would also note that outside of the classroom Ensign Davis has 
distinguished herself as a community leader. On her own initiative, in 
the little spare time that she had, Ensign Davis wrote and directed a 
play for a local elementary school that introduced engineering as a 
possible career to the students.
  During her time at the academy, Ensign Davis also excelled in sports. 
In fact, she was selected to be the 2006 Arthur Ashe First Team Sports 
Scholar for basketball. She was also selected to be on the 2007 ESPN 
Academic Women's Basketball Team for All-District

[[Page H6743]]

One Colleges. This is just a sample of this gifted young person's 
accomplishments. Ensign Davis clearly is destined for a successful 
career in the Coast Guard.
  Earlier this month, Mr. Speaker, I had the opportunity to meet Ensign 
Davis and spent some time getting to know her. During our meeting, she 
spoke passionately about her internship with D.C. Voice, a group of 
education activists concerned about public education in our Nation's 
capital. As a Truman scholar, Ensign Davis could have worked anywhere, 
but she chose to focus her energies on the District of Columbia and 
work to make a difference in the lives of thousands of children who 
attend D.C. public schools.
  Today, Mr. Speaker, we honor Ensign DeCarol Davis for being a 
trailblazer whose academic accomplishments are matched by a commitment 
to protecting our Nation and contributing to our communities.
  Congratulations to Ensign Davis and the rest of the Class of 2008. 
This Nation is appreciative of your commitment to service. Your talents 
are needed to ensure that the Coast Guard can continue to be a ``can 
do'' agency that we have all come to rely upon to keep our ports and 
waterways safe and secure.
  I urge you to support this resolution and join me in recognizing a 
future leader of our country.
  Mr. LaTOURETTE. Mr. Speaker, at this time, it's my pleasure to yield 
3 minutes to the gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Coble), a former 
Coast Guardsman himself.
  Mr. COBLE. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Ohio for yielding.
  Mr. Speaker, I had the good fortune to attend the graduation and 
exercises in 2008 at New London, Connecticut, home of the Coast Guard 
Academy, during which time Ensign Davis was recognized as the 
valedictorian of the graduating class. It was apparent to me that day, 
as I observed the proceedings, that she was held in very high esteem by 
her shipmates and her classmates.
  And I felt real good, Mr. Speaker, as I spent most of the day on the 
campus of the Coast Guard Academy, as I viewed the spirit and the 
esprit de corps that was so obviously apparent. And I'm sure the same 
spirit and esprit de corps occurs in Kings Point, Annapolis, West 
Point, Colorado Springs, not only in our academies, but our training 
centers for the enlisted personnel throughout our armed services. If 
one doubts that we are prepared, I just urge him or her to visit one of 
the academies or one of the training centers throughout the country.
  I am pleased to stand and honor Ensign Davis today, and to honor the 
U.S. Coast Guard, America's oldest continuous seagoing service.
  Mr. OBERSTAR. Mr. Speaker, we have no further requests for time on 
our side, and I am prepared to close.
  Mr. LaTOURETTE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  Mr. Speaker, this is a good resolution. This is a worthy honor. I 
urge all Members to support it.
  The only reason I wanted to take a little bit of time is, after Mr. 
Coble spoke I was reminded that at our last Coast Guard hearing Mr. 
Coble made the observation that he had served in the Coast Guard some 
period of time ago and he wondered what happened to the ship that he 
had actually served on. And as Mr. Coble left the room, I felt bad, and 
even though we're a bipartisan bunch here, one of the Members on the 
other side of the aisle said he thinks he saw the ship in a tall ships 
museum. And I think that that was an unfair slight to Mr. Coble and I'm 
sure that that's not true.
  I urge passage of the resolution.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. OBERSTAR. I yield myself the balance of our time to concur with 
the gentleman from Ohio, Mr. Speaker, the gentleman from North Carolina 
is not that old.
  His service with the Coast Guard was distinguished, noble, and a 
great asset to our community, as he brings to bear his service with 
that noble entity that goes back to the very foundations of our Nation 
when he participates in our Coast Guard hearings and markups. He 
deserves the term ``distinguished,'' both for his service in the House 
and with the United States Coast Guard. And we're pleased to have him 
with us here on the floor today.
  I congratulate Ensign Davis. I observed to Chairman Thompson that if 
each of us were to do as well in our elections with 3.96 percent, as 
she did in academics, we all would have something to cheer about.
  That is an extraordinary academic record. It is an extraordinary 
career that she has led in the Coast Guard Academy, both in the 
classroom, on the field of play, and in the community. She is a 
talented, gifted young woman and will be an officer of distinguished 
service to the Coast Guard, but a role model for other young women, and 
I hope especially African-American women, to serve in the United States 
Coast Guard. I wish her continued success as she embarks on a 
remarkable journey with the U.S. Coast Guard.
  Ms. EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in 
support of House Resolution 1241, congratulating Ensign DeCarol Davis 
as valedictorian of the Coast Guard Academy's class of 2008, with the 
distinction of being the first African American female to achieve this 
high honor.
  Ms. Davis's outstanding achievements truly exemplify the character 
and work ethic that we strive to see in all of our Nation's young 
people.
  The U.S. Coast Guard Academy not only maintains the highest academic 
standards but provides students with rigorous professional development 
and leadership training. After years of rigorous study and a commitment 
to excellence at the Academy, Ms. Davis' academic accomplishments have 
earned her the honor of valedictorian in a class of over 200 other 
outstanding cadets.
  In addition to making history by becoming the first African American 
woman to serve as class valedictorian of the Coast Guard Academy, Ms. 
Davis also earned awards in science and technology--academic fields 
historically dominated by men.
  In addition to being named valedictorian, Ms. Davis was also named a 
2007 Truman Scholar and was a recipient of the 2008 Connecticut 
Technology Council Women of Technology Award. A well-rounded student, 
Ms. Davis excelled at sports, and was selected as a 2006 Arthur Ashe, 
Jr. Women's Basketball First Team Scholar.
  No stranger to outstanding academic accomplishments, she also served 
as the 2004 valedictorian of Forest Park High School in her hometown of 
Woodbridge, VA.
  Making community service a priority as well, Ms. Davis regularly 
volunteered at a local elementary school, introducing students to 
science, technology, and engineering as career paths.
  At a time when Congress has encouraged the Academy to seek diversity 
in recruiting cadets, Ms. Davis stands as a testament to the quality of 
candidates that would result from this practice.
  It is truly a pleasure to honor such an exceptional young woman who 
has now gone on to dedicate her career to serving and defending our 
country. I have no doubt that the rigor and discipline utilized to 
propel her academic career will certainly aid her development and 
success at the U.S. Coast Guard.
  I congratulate this exceptional young woman for her service and 
commitment to excellence and wish her the very best.
  I encourage my colleagues to support H. Res. 1241.
  Mr. CUMMINGS. Mr. Speaker, as Chairman of the Subcommittee on Coast 
Guard and Maritime Transportation, I rise today in strong support of H. 
Res. 1241, as amended, which congratulates Ensign DeCarol Davis for her 
selection as the first African American--and the first African American 
woman--to serve as valedictorian of a graduating class at the Coast 
Guard Academy.
  I also commend Congressman Bennie Thompson, Chairman of the Committee 
on Homeland Security, for his work on this resolution and for his 
tireless efforts to increase diversity not only within the Coast Guard 
but throughout the Department of Homeland Security.
  Further, I commend Congressman Tom Davis, who represents Virginia's 
11th District--the district in which Ensign Davis graduated from Forest 
Park High School as class valedictorian--for his work on this 
resolution and for his service on the Homeland Security Committee.
  I recently had the privilege of meeting Ensign Davis, who spent her 
month of post-graduation leave volunteering with a non-profit in 
Washington, D.C. called D.C. Voices in a program that trains volunteers 
from the community to perform audits to catalog the needs of D.C. 
public schools.
  Ensign Davis is a remarkable--and remarkably poised--young officer.
  She has been selected as a Truman Scholar--a testament to her 
intellect and to her outstanding academic accomplishments.
  Ensign Davis has also won numerous distinctions for her athletic 
accomplishments--including selection as a 2006 Arthur Ashe Jr.

[[Page H6744]]

First Team Sports Scholar for basketball and selection to the 2007 ESPN 
The Magazine Academic All-District I college women's basketball first 
team.
  She combines excellence in the classroom and on the basketball court 
with a remarkable drive to give back to the community and to help 
create opportunities for others. In fact, it is her drive to serve 
others that led her to apply to the Coast Guard Academy.
  By virtue of her accomplishments at the Academy, she could have 
chosen any assignment in the Coast Guard. She chose the service's 
marine safety program.
  She told me that she made this choice because she wanted to spend her 
career working to ensure the safety of the maritime transportation 
system and preserving our Nation's marine resources.
  Mr. Speaker, the Subcommittee on Coast Guard and Maritime 
Transportation has been greatly concerned that as the Coast Guard 
expands to take on its critical new homeland security missions, the 
service's competence in its traditional missions--particularly the 
marine safety missions--is declining.
  I am confident, however, that with officers of the caliber and 
dedication of Ensign Davis joining the marine safety field, the future 
of this critical mission is bright indeed.
  Ensign Davis is truly an inspiring example of the best that the Coast 
Guard and our Nation have to offer. I look forward to watching the 
progress of Ensign Davis's career in the coming years--and I know that 
we will see remarkable things from this young officer.
  Mr. Speaker, H. Res. 1241, as amended, also encourages the Coast 
Guard to seek and enroll diverse candidates in the Academy's cadet 
corps.
  I--and many of my colleagues in the House--are deeply concerned that 
the Coast Guard Academy's student body does not reflect the diversity 
of our Nation. Only about 10 percent of the class of 2009, for example, 
is comprised of minorities.
  Our Nation's diversity is a strength--but when a school such as the 
Coast Guard Academy does not have a cadet corps that reflects that 
diversity, it does not benefit from that strength.
  In April, the House of Representatives passed the Coast Guard 
Authorization Act, H.R. 2830, by a vote of 395 to 7. This legislation 
included provisions that I authored that would alter the admissions 
process at the Academy to require that students be nominated by a 
Member of Congress.
  While I strongly support the actions that the Coast Guard is taking 
to expand the recruitment of diverse applicants, I also believe that 
enactment of H.R. 2830--with the provisions requiring nominations to 
the Academy--offers the best opportunity to expand diversity at the 
Academy. I urge the Senate to quickly act on this measure.
  Mr. OBERSTAR. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from Minnesota (Mr. Oberstar) that the House suspend the 
rules and agree to the resolution, H. Res. 1241, as amended.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the 
rules were suspended and the resolution, as amended, was agreed to.
  The title was amended so as to read: ``Resolution congratulating 
Ensign DeCarol Davis upon her serving as the valedictorian of the Coast 
Guard Academy's class of 2008 and becoming the first African-American 
to earn this honor, and encouraging the Coast Guard Academy to seek and 
enroll diverse candidates in the cadet corps.''.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

                          ____________________