[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 91 (Thursday, June 17, 2010)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1138-E1139]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                          HONORING GARY RAFFIA

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. JOE COURTNEY

                             of connecticut

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, June 17, 2010

  Mr. COURTNEY. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor a man whose 
generosity and service to his community made this past Memorial Day an 
unforgettable one. Gary Raffia of Enfield designed and built a 
spectacular float for the town's Memorial Day Parade--one which served 
as a powerful tribute to our state's fallen heroes during the wars in 
Iraq and Afghanistan. Gary's star-shaped float was draped in a banner 
displaying the name and picture of every Connecticut soldier who paid 
the ultimate price for their nation since 2001. The perimeter of the 
float was decorated with American flags.
  Along with everyone present at Enfield's Memorial Day Parade, I was 
truly moved by Gary's tremendous act of citizenship. Not only did he 
design and build this float, but he paid for the entire project. Gary 
is a local farmer by trade and the son of a World War II veteran. It 
was his friend Teddy, also a veteran, and many others in the community 
that compelled Gary to build this float. His tribute to Connecticut's 
fallen soldiers was a selfless act that embodies the support and 
gratitude our troops deserve on Memorial Day and throughout the year. 
By creating this float and including it in the parade, Gary honored 
equally those soldiers who were fortunate enough to come home and those 
who were not.
  Gary is a man with a history of making his visions become a reality--
much to the benefit

[[Page E1139]]

of those around him. Once before, he built a shed with an opening where 
people in the community could come to drop off cans and bottles. All 
the money redeemed from the cans and bottles was donated to a local 
medical facility for children with cancer. Gary is quick to acknowledge 
his loyal friends who helped him with these projects and I too want to 
thank them for their hard work.
  I ask my colleagues to join me in honoring Gary and his friends as 
well as congratulating them for their service to the community.

                          ____________________