[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 53 (Monday, March 30, 2009)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E803]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                           HONORING VERN MOSS

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. GEORGE RADANOVICH

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                         Monday, March 30, 2009

  Mr. RADANOVICH. Madam Speaker, I rise today to congratulate Vern Moss 
upon his being named as a ``Distinguished Life Member'' by the Veterans 
of Foreign Wars, Post 9896. Mr. Moss was honored on Saturday, January 
31, 2009.
  Vern Moss was born on September 2, 1939 in Yuba City, California. He 
spent much of his childhood on his uncle's dairy farm in Madera, 
California. After school, on the weekends and during the summers, Mr. 
Moss worked in the fields picking cotton, cutting grapes and bucking 
bales. He attended Pershing School, was a member of the first 
graduating class at Jefferson Junior High School and attended Madera 
High School. At age seventeen he left home to live with his aunt and 
uncle in San Jose; he graduated from San Jose High School in 1958. Upon 
graduation he moved to Visalia, attended College of the Sequoias, and 
worked at the Visalia Times-Delta.
  In 1963 Mr. Moss received word that he would be drafted, so he 
immediately joined the U.S. Air Force. He went to Lackland Air Force 
Base for basic training, followed by technical school at Greenville Air 
Force Base, Mississippi. His next assignment was Mountain Home Air 
Force Base, Idaho. While in Idaho, he attended college courses in the 
evening. After meeting the necessary requirements, Mr. Moss attended 
Park College and earned his Bachelor's of Arts degree. Upon returning 
to Mountain Home, he applied for Officer Training School and was 
accepted. He was commissioned a Second Lieutenant on February 6, 1967 
and directed to report to the 666 Radar Squadron, Mid Valley, 
California. He served as Administrative Officer, with numerous duties 
including Chief and Battle Staff Security Control. He was soon sent to 
Lowry Air Force Base, Colorado for further training.
  In October 1968, Mr. Moss was sworn into the U.S. Army at Fort Ord, 
California; he and his family were quickly transferred to Germany. Upon 
arriving at HQ TASCOM in Germany, he was made Deputy Commander, 5th 
Replacement Detachment and Deputy Chief, Personnel Management Branch. 
Soon after arriving, he was promoted to Unit Commander and Chief PMB. 
In January 1970, he moved his family back to the states before leaving 
for Vietnam. He first arrived in Cam Ranh Bay then was told to report 
to Saigon where he was assigned as the MACV J-6, Executive Officer. 
During this tour, he was awarded the Bronze Star, Joint Service 
Commendation Medal, Vietnam Campaign Medal with three stars, Vietnam 
Service Medal and the Vietnam Signal Corp devise (a foreign award).
  Upon returning to the United States Mr. Moss attended six months of 
school at Fort Benjamin Harrison, Indiana. He served as the Division 
Postal Officer and then was promoted to Chief, Personnel Management 
Division in the Division's Adjunct Generals Office at the 4th Infantry 
Division at Fort Carson, Colorado. An opportunity arose for him to take 
command of a unit, and he took it; the 4th Infantry Division's 
Headquarters Company Administrative Command, a unit with over nine 
hundred service members assigned to it. It was a short lived 
assignment; he was then reassigned to Germany.
  Shortly after arriving, he took command of one of the worst units in 
Germany. With the Inspector General due to arrive within one week, he 
assisted the unit as much as he could, but they failed all but two 
areas during the inspection. After the inspection he was determined to 
clean up his unit. He sent soldiers to Leavenworth Military 
Disciplinary Barrack and gave sixty-three expeditious discharges. Six 
months after taking control of the unit, a Commanding General and the 
Command Sergeant Major visited the unit; they passed the inspection 
with all areas satisfactory and with four commendable areas. From 
there, Mr. Moss became a Major and was selected to Command and General 
Staff College. He was given the opportunity to start a new unit at 
Wiesbaden to support the deploying Brigade 75.
  In 1976, Mr. Moss attended the ten month program at Command and 
General Staff College; he graduated in June 1977. His next position was 
to advise the New York National Guard and United States Army Reserve 
throughout New York State. After three years, he was nominated and 
selected to serve in the Organization of the Joint Chiefs of Staff in 
the Pentagon. His final position in the Army was at Fort Irwin where he 
was assigned to the Army's National Training Center and served as the 
Deputy Chief of Staff for Personnel and Community Activities and 
finally as the Installation Adjunct General.
  Mr. Moss retired from the military on October 1, 1983. Afterward, he 
and his family moved to Idaho; he obtained a position as a Bank Manager 
in Los Gatos, California. He moved up through different banks and 
finally ended in Chowchilla, California in 1985. He has been part of 
the Chowchilla community since; including serving on the City Council, 
County Supervisor, President of the Chowchilla Chamber of Commerce, 
President of Chowchilla Rotary and President of the San Joaquin Valley 
Rail Commission. Mr. Moss is also a life member of the Veterans of 
Foreign Wars, Post 9896, member of the American Legion and Trinity 
Pregnancy Resource Center Board (President).
  Madam Speaker, I rise today to commend and congratulate Vern Moss 
upon being named as a ``Distinguished Life Member'' by the Veterans of 
Foreign Wars, Post 9896. I invite my colleagues to join me in wishing 
Mr. Moss many years of continued success.

                          ____________________