[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 25 (Thursday, February 25, 2010)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E237]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




      IN TRIBUTE TO REPRESENTATIVE JOHN P. MURTHA OF PENNSYLVANIA

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                          HON. ROSA L. DeLAURO

                             of connecticut

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, February 24, 2010

  Ms. DeLAURO. Madam Speaker, I rise today to pay my respects to a 
tireless champion for soldiers, veterans, and the middle class, a 
venerable lion of this body, and a treasured friend, Congressman Jack 
Murtha.
  The first Vietnam veteran ever elected to the House of 
Representatives, Congressman Murtha dedicated his career to America's 
fighting men and women, and always worked to put our troops and their 
safety first. I consistently relied on his wisdom and his insights on 
matters of defense and national security.
  From his position as Chairman of the Defense Appropriations 
Committee, Jack's extraordinary dedication to the well-being of our 
troops and their families was evident in his actions every day. He knew 
that keeping our soldiers out of harm's way meant providing them with 
state-of-the-art equipment, from submarines to helicopters. And with 
that in mind, he helped to maintain a defense-industrial base that 
brought high-paying, high-skilled manufacturing jobs both to his home 
state of Pennsylvania and my own state of Connecticut. His legacy will 
live on not only in his service to military men and women, but through 
the millions of jobs he helped to create in our region.
  Jack was also concerned with the well-being of Americans waging 
another kind of battle, and he always supported critical funding for 
research on diseases such as cancer, AIDS, and diabetes. In short, he 
was a great ally to Connecticut, a great Pennsylvanian, and a great 
American, and he will be deeply missed. This House is smaller after his 
passing.

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