[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.''
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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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