[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 111 (Tuesday, July 27, 2010)]
[House]
[Pages H6071-H6074]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




        CONGRATULATING COAST GUARD ACADEMY ON 100TH ANNIVERSARY

  Mr. CUMMINGS. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to 
the concurrent resolution (H. Con. Res. 258) congratulating the 
Commandant of the Coast Guard and the Superintendent of the Coast Guard 
Academy and its staff for 100 years of operation of the Coast Guard 
Academy in New London, Connecticut, and for other purposes.
  The Clerk read the title of the concurrent resolution.
  The text of the concurrent resolution is as follows:

                            H. Con. Res. 258

       Whereas the School of Instruction to the U.S. Revenue 
     Cutter Academy was established at Fort Trumbull in New 
     London, Connecticut, in 1910, which later became known as the 
     Coast Guard Academy after the consolidation of the Life 
     Saving Service and the Revenue Cutter Service in 1915;
       Whereas the Coast Guard Academy moved to its present 
     location along the banks of the Thames River in 1932;
       Whereas in 1946, the former German Navy training vessel 
     HORST WESSEL was acquired by the United States for use by the 
     Coast Guard and renamed EAGLE, which today travels around the 
     world each year;
       Whereas for 100 years, the Coast Guard Academy has called 
     New London, Connecticut, home, where it has trained and 
     shaped the leadership of the Coast Guard;
       Whereas today, the Coast Guard Academy is a highly 
     competitive educational institution that attracts driven, 
     committed leaders who go on to serve our Nation in the many 
     diverse roles played by our Coast Guard;
       Whereas the rigorous academic program of the Coast Guard 
     Academy provides a holistic education that includes 
     academics, physical fitness, character, and leadership, and 
     that trains cadets in the multiple roles of the Coast Guard's 
     multimission responsibilities;
       Whereas the Coast Guard Academy is an integral part of the 
     southeastern Connecticut community and its cadets participate 
     in many community service projects throughout the region, 
     working with school systems and serving as mentors for 
     children;
       Whereas the Coast Guard Academy is a vital link to the 
     maritime legacy of Connecticut and our Nation, and an 
     important part of our Nation's defense; and
       Whereas in 2010, in honor of its 100th year in New London, 
     Connecticut, the Coast Guard Academy will open its gates to 
     the public for events highlighting this milestone, including 
     concerts, art exhibits, an open house, and other events to 
     allow Americans to learn more about this unique educational 
     institution: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate 
     concurring), That Congress--
       (1) congratulates the Commandant of the Coast Guard and the 
     Superintendent of the Coast Guard Academy and its staff for 
     100 years of operation of the Coast Guard Academy in New 
     London, Connecticut;
       (2) honors the many men and women who have graduated from 
     the Coast Guard Academy and served on behalf of our Nation 
     over the last 100 years; and
       (3) encourages all Americans to learn more about the Coast 
     Guard Academy, its mission, and its long history of training 
     the men and women of the Coast Guard.


[[Page H6072]]


  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
Maryland (Mr. Cummings) and the gentleman from Tennessee (Mr. Duncan) 
each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Maryland.


                             General Leave

  Mr. CUMMINGS. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members 
may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their 
remarks and to include extraneous material on H. Con. Res. 258.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Maryland?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. CUMMINGS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  H. Con. Res. 258, authored by Congressman Courtney, celebrates the 
100th anniversary of the Coast Guard Academy in New London, 
Connecticut, and honors the many men and women who have graduated from 
the Academy and served our Nation with distinction over the past 100 
years.
  On September 15, 1910, what is today the Coast Guard Academy was 
established as the School of Instruction to the U.S. Revenue Cutter 
Academy at Fort Trumbull in New London. After the former Life Saving 
Service and the Revenue Cutter Service were merged in 1915 to form the 
modern U.S. Coast Guard, the school in New London formally became the 
U.S. Coast Guard Academy. In the 1930s, the Academy was moved to its 
present location on the Thames River in a new facility built 
specifically to house it.
  Today, the Coast Guard Academy combines instruction in academic 
subjects, physical fitness, and character and leadership development to 
create the holistic education that prepares the future officers of the 
United States Coast Guard to manage all of the Coast Guard's mission 
areas, including search and rescue, marine safety, homeland security 
and maritime domain awareness, and oil spill response.
  Mr. Speaker, as we celebrate the Academy's 100th anniversary, I also 
note that on June 28 the Academy's Class of 2014 was inducted: 199 male 
and 90 female cadets were sworn into the class. I am also proud to 
report that nearly 24 percent of this incoming class is composed of 
minorities, including 35 Hispanic Americans, 15 African Americans, and 
13 Asian Americans. By comparison, the Class of 2013, which was 
inducted in 2009, was comprised of only 15.5 percent minorities, and 
previous classes have been even less diverse.
  During my tenure as chairman of the Subcommittee on Coast Guard and 
Maritime Transportation, I have held four hearings in the subcommittee 
specifically to examine diversity in the Coast Guard, and particularly 
the decline in diversity at the Academy. Over the past year, the 
Academy has implemented new outreach initiatives in diverse communities 
that have enabled the Coast Guard to reach students who are qualified 
to attend the Academy and eager to serve our great Nation, but who have 
likely been unaware that the Coast Guard Academy even existed. These 
efforts are helping to ensure that the Coast Guard Academy is no longer 
our ``best kept secret in higher education.''

                              {time}  1140

  The Coast Guard Academy's diligent recruitment efforts have yielded 
great results, and this success reflects the commitment of the entire 
service to extend diversity at all levels. I commend Admiral Allen, the 
former commandant, as well as Admiral Papp, who was recently appointed 
as the commandant, as well as the Academy's leadership, including 
Superintendent Burhoe, for this achievement.
  That said, the next step must be putting in place the measures that 
will sustain this level of diversity and expand it in coming years so 
that the Academy and the Coast Guard's officers corps fully reflect the 
diversity of America.
  With that, I commend Congressman Courtney and I certainly thank my 
ranking member, Mr. LoBiondo. I urge all Members to vote for this 
wonderful resolution.
  With that, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. DUNCAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of House Concurrent Resolution 258, 
which congratulates the superintendent and staff of the United States 
Coast Guard Academy, as well as the commandant of the Coast Guard, on 
the 100 years of operation of the United States Coast Guard Academy.
  Established in 1910 as the instructional school to the U.S. Revenue 
Cutter Academy and since being renamed and relocated to its present 
location on the banks of the Thames River in New London, Connecticut, 
the United States Coast Guard Academy has, for the last 100 years, 
upheld the highest reputation in molding young men and women into 
officers that form the backbone of leadership in the United States 
Coast Guard.
  Many years ago, in fact, shortly after graduating from the University 
of Tennessee, I took a tour with a friend of mine up to new England and 
one of the things we did was tour the United States Coast Guard 
Academy. In more recent years, I have gone many times to various Coast 
Guard installations around the United States and have seen the work of 
the Coast Guard and seen demonstrations that they have performed, and I 
have great admiration and respect for all of the men and women in the 
United States Coast Guard.
  Often sort of an ignored or forgotten branch of our military service, 
I think in more recent years the Coast Guard has come into its own and 
more and more people recognize the great importance of the mission 
being performed by these outstanding men and women. The quality of 
character and leadership traits displayed by graduates of the United 
States Coast Guard Academy reflect on the exemplary job that the staff 
and faculty have been doing for the last 100 years and this resolution 
is at least small, a small way of recognizing all persons affiliated 
with the Coast Guard Academy for a job well done.
  I encourage all Members to support this resolution, and I thank my 
colleagues on the other side of the aisle and especially the gentleman 
from Connecticut (Mr. Courtney) for introducing it.
  I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. CUMMINGS. Madam Speaker, I yield 4 minutes to the distinguished 
gentleman from Connecticut (Mr. Courtney), the sponsor of this 
legislation.
  Mr. COURTNEY. I want to, first of all, thank Chairman Cummings and 
the ranking member for their help in moving this resolution forward.
  I particularly want to say thank you to Mr. Cummings, who is clearly 
someone who doesn't come from Connecticut but someone who, because of 
the mission and the duties of his chairmanship, has taken an 
extraordinary interest in the Coast Guard Academy. He has been up to 
the academy and addressed the student body in an event that was widely 
covered by the media, and I know Superintendent Burhoe and others 
really appreciate the strong interest that he has in the academy, and I 
want to thank Mr. Duncan for his kind words as well.
  We are very proud of the Coast Guard Academy in Connecticut. All you 
have to do is turn on the TV these days and you can see Admiral Thad 
Allen, the national incident commander at the Gulf of Mexico, showing 
extraordinary leadership skills, talent, both in terms of science and 
organization to get the best efforts to clean up the gulf.
  The new commandant of the Coast Guard service, Admiral Papp, is a 
graduate of the Coast Guard Academy, as is Admiral Allen; and it is 
clear that the academy has done just an outstanding job in terms of 
giving the graduates there the skills that they need in terms of 
science, math, maritime sciences, but as well just the leadership 
skills to make sure that this critical military branch gets the finest 
folks carrying out its mission every single day, whether it's 
interceding drug runners coming into the U.S. or, again, leading the 
efforts down in the Gulf of Mexico to clean up the spill.
  Chairman Cummings described very eloquently the history of the Coast 
Guard Academy, the merger which took place in the 1930s, and its 
present home in New London on the Thames River. I was driving by a 
couple of days ago and saw the first-year cadets out there sweating in 
100-degree heat doing calisthenics. They are also out there on the 
Thames River learning sailing skills.

[[Page H6073]]

  The Eagle, which is the tall ship our country is proud to display 
both at coastal cities up and down the east and west coast but also in 
other parts of the world, is a training facility for Coast Guard 
cadets. Again, every single graduate over the last several decades has 
had the experience of working on the Eagle which, again, is a proud 
symbol of our country and its great maritime mission and also it's 
great maritime future.
  What I would just say is lastly, again, partly because of Chairman 
Cummings' interest, you have seen, I think, recently an effort by the 
Coast Guard Academy to get much more involved in the community of the 
city of New London. It is a distressed city and has many challenges, 
but we now have Coast Guard cadets who are out there helping in terms 
of the school system, out there helping in terms of cleanups and 
environmental efforts in the city, providing entertainment with the 
great Coast Guard band at different local events throughout the city. 
Again, we are very proud of the fact that they are a very involved 
neighbor in the city of New London in southeastern Connecticut.
  Lastly, I would just say that the U.S. News and World Report, with 
its annual college survey, demonstrated the success of the Coast Guard 
Academy with its ranking of the Coast Guard Academy in the top 10 as 
far as small 4-year colleges. Any effort to widen the circle of young 
people--some may be listening here in the Chamber today, to learn about 
the Coast Guard Academy--it's free, but it's also the highest of 
quality in terms of the educational program that it provides. And, as I 
said earlier, it provides great leadership in terms of a great homeland 
security function that we need at so many different levels.
  So I want to thank again Chairman Cummings and Mr. Duncan for their 
support for this academy. I think it's an academy that deserves a bit 
of a spotlight today in terms of the great work that it's doing.
  I urge all Members to support this measure.
  Mr. DUNCAN. Madam Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the 
ranking member of the full committee, the gentleman from Florida (Mr. 
Mica).
  Mr. MICA. I thank our distinguished ranking member, Mr. Duncan, the 
gentleman from Tennessee, for yielding. I am pleased to join with the 
chairman of the Coast Guard Subcommittee, whom I have had the 
opportunity to work with in a number of capacities.
  In support of this resolution, I am pleased to be a cosponsor.
  The Coast Guard Academy, not a lot of folks know a lot about it. 
Everyone has heard of West Point, the Air Force Academy out in Colorado 
Springs. Everyone has heard of Annapolis and the U.S. Naval Academy 
close by here.
  I highly recommend to Members who have not had the opportunity to 
visit, to visit the Coast Guard Academy, one of our finest military 
service academies, unsung heroes. It has over 50,000 men and women in 
service and many of the leaders come from the Coast Guard Academy.
  One of the neat things I have to do as a ranking member of the full 
committee, Mr. Oberstar, the chairman, and myself get to serve on the 
Board of Visitors, as do some other Members from Congress; and you get 
to see firsthand the operations of the United States Coast Guard 
Academy.
  I have been there and had the opportunity to meet with their leaders. 
They are very fortunate to have Admiral Scott Burhoe, who is doing an 
outstanding job of providing leadership and direction and commitment 
that the Coast Guard has always had to the young men and women who 
attend and graduate there.
  The motto of the Coast Guard is Semper Paratus, and that's ``Always 
Ready,'' and that's the mission of the Coast Guard Academy, to make 
those young leaders always ready. They are our first line of defense 
nationally, the United States Coast Guard.
  We call on them, whether it's for safety or national security.

                              {time}  1150

  These are some of the most fantastic graduates, young men and women 
of this academy, and everyone who wears the label of being part of the 
Coast Guard. They don't whine. They don't whimper. They never come here 
asking for more compensation, more rights, more employee benefits. They 
get their mission assigned and they do their job. They are incredible. 
They are underpaid and overworked, but they are always ready when the 
Nation needs them.
  I am pleased again to join others in recognizing the leadership of 
Thad Allen. We saw, when we had the spill in the gulf, who was 
responsible as the first responder from the Federal level--the United 
States Coast Guard.
  I was dismayed when the Obama administration proposed its budget 
earlier this year before this spill and recommended cutting 1,100 Coast 
Guard positions, cutting back ships, helicopters, airplanes, and other 
assets that are so essential for the Coast Guard to carry out its 
mission. We give our men and women in the military, whether it's Coast 
Guard or any other service, the resources to do the job, and then we 
commit them to complete that job and they get it done.
  So I am also pleased that both sides of the aisle stepped up when 
those cuts were proposed and they did not accept that recommendation, 
and those cuts are not going to take place because of bipartisan 
support on both sides of the aisle.
  So, again, we are here to recognize the accomplishments not only of 
Thad Allen, but our new Admiral, the head of the Coast Guard, Bob Papp, 
an incredible gentleman.
  How blessed we've been to have people like Thad Allen who, I think 
way back when I became a ranking member, was dealt probably every 
difficult situation, starting off with unrest in Cuba and problems with 
Guantanamo, preparing for any possible mass migration, through the 
Deepwater controversy, things he had nothing to do with but inherited 
those challenges and stepped up to the plate every single time. And 
then as he's about to retire, as he's about to exit his command and Bob 
Papp take over, he was dealt the cards of the oil spill and stepped 
right into that, and he has provided leadership. We haven't provided 
all the direction, resources, or assets that we should to deal with 
that, nor the administration, but Thad Allen and others have been 
there.
  And Scott Burhoe continues to lead a great academy we can all be 
proud of.
  So I join my colleagues in recognizing 100 years of service to our 
Nation, the United States Coast Guard Academy.
  Mr. CUMMINGS. I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  I want to thank the ranking member of our full committee, Mr. Mica, 
and Mr. Duncan. Both of them made some very good points that I would 
just like to elaborate on a little bit.
  I call our Coast Guard our thin blue line at sea, and I think when we 
saw the oil spill situation, we realized that they are indeed our coast 
guard, they are guarding our coast.
  And Mr. Mica was absolutely right. I think that sometimes those that 
are performing some of the most important tasks are occasionally 
unseen, unnoticed, unappreciated and unapplauded, in the words of a 
Greek theologian, but they do the most important things. And this is a 
wake-up call, I think, to our Nation, when we see something like our 
oil spill, of how important the Coast Guard Academy is in training 
young folks to go out there and be leaders. But it is also a lesson to 
our Nation to give the United States Coast Guard the priority status 
that it gives the other armed service entities. It is very, very 
important.
  I know that as I travel around the country, every time I go into a 
port where the Coast Guard is stationed, I try to spend some time with 
them to let them know what a grateful Nation we are for what they do 
every day. But one of the things, Madam Speaker, that has always 
impressed me in a lot of the ceremonies that I've gone to where they 
were giving medals is how these men and women put their lives on the 
line and put their lives before others to save lives. I've heard 
stories of 20-foot seawalls where they were able to save people, and 
again, putting their life on the line, and then all the other things 
they do.
  I've often said that, since 9/11, their responsibilities have 
increased tremendously. And Mr. Mica is absolutely right, it is 
important that this Congress support the Coast Guard to the

[[Page H6074]]

Nth degree. It must be and has been a bipartisan effort to make sure 
they get the funding that they need, and we will continue to do that.
  So I, too, congratulate Thad Allen--Admiral Allen--and now Admiral 
Papp for all that they have done. When we look at Katrina, the agency 
that performed, without a doubt, the best was the United States Coast 
Guard, saving over 35,000 people, many of whom would have been dead 
today.
  And so I take this moment not only to salute 100 years of the 
academy, but like my colleagues, to salute a great organization, one 
that is very small but has a big heart.
  Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. DUNCAN. Madam Speaker, I will join with Ranking Member Mica and 
Chairman Cummings in their commendations, particularly of Admiral 
Allen, for whom all of us have such great respect, and say once again 
congratulations on this 100th anniversary to the United States Coast 
Guard Academy.
  Mr. OBERSTAR. Madam Speaker, I rise today in strong support of H. 
Con. Res. 258. I thank the gentleman from Connecticut (Mr. Courtney) 
for his work on this legislation.
  H. Con. Res. 258 congratulates the Commandant of the Coast Guard, the 
Superintendent of the United States Coast Guard Academy, and the 
Academy's staff on the Academy's 100th year of operation in New London, 
Connecticut.
  In 1910, the School of Instruction to the Revenue Cutter Service 
relocated from Curtis Bay, Maryland to New London at Fort Trumbull. The 
school became known as the Coast Guard Academy when the Life Saving 
Service and the Revenue Cutter Service were consolidated in 1915. In 
1932, the Academy moved to its present location in New London, 
Connecticut, on the West Bank of the Thames River.
  The Coast Guard Academy is the single accession point for all Coast 
Guard officers and home to the Coast Guard's Leadership Development 
Center, which touches virtually every aspect of the service through a 
host of training programs, including Officer Candidate School. 
Furthermore, the Coast Guard Academy is a highly competitive 
educational institution that provides a holistic education that 
includes academics, physical fitness, and leadership training as the 
Academy prepares its cadets for the Coast Guard's many diverse 
missions.
  In addition to congratulating the Commandant of the Coast Guard and 
the Superintendent of the Coast Guard Academy and its staff for 100 
years of operation of the Coast Guard Academy in New London, H. Con. 
Res. 258 honors the many men and women who have graduated from the 
Academy and encourages all Americans to learn more about the Academy, 
its missions, and its long history.
  As we celebrate this important anniversary, I also note that on June 
28, 2010, the Coast Guard Academy inducted the Class of 2014, which is 
one of the most diverse in school history. Of the 290 students who 
started this summer, 68 students--or 23 percent--are minorities. This 
is the second-highest percentage in the school's history and higher 
than the Class of 2013, which consists of 15 percent minority students.
  I urge my colleagues to join me in agreeing to H. Con. Res. 258.
  Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi. Madam Speaker, it is with great pleasure 
that I rise today to congratulate the U.S. Coast Guard Academy for its 
100 years of operation in New London, Connecticut.
  The Academy is one of our Nation's premier institutions of higher 
learning that attracts the best and brightest students who go on to 
serve our country with honor and distinction.
  The Academy's excellent curriculum and small class sizes provide 
cadets with the training and character development skills that are 
necessary for our Nation's leaders of tomorrow. Academy graduates are 
members of an elite group who have pursued diverse civilian career 
paths in engineering, government, education and even space exploration. 
With over 85 percent of graduates choosing to serve beyond their five-
year commitment, the Academy's graduates play an important part in 
fulfilling the Coast Guard's mission responsibilities related to 
homeland security. In the current threat environment, it is essential 
that the Academy continues to offer a rigorous academic program that 
produces diverse leaders who are highly trained to keep America safe 
and secure. One way to achieve greater diversity--especially 
geographical diversity--in the next hundred years is by adopting the 
congressional nomination processes that have served other U.S. military 
academies so well over the years.
  Again, I congratulate the leadership within the Coast Guard and the 
Academy for all of their accomplishments as they celebrate this 
important milestone.
  Mr. DUNCAN. Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. CUMMINGS. Madam Speaker, again I urge the Members to support this 
legislation. I think it's very important that we pause to recognize 
these wonderful, strong, courageous, and patriotic citizens of our 
Nation who, again, are our thin blue line at sea.
  Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Ms. Markey of Colorado). The question is on 
the motion offered by the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Cummings) that 
the House suspend the rules and agree to the concurrent resolution, H. 
Con. Res. 258.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the 
rules were suspended and the concurrent resolution was agreed to.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

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