[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 162 (Wednesday, October 26, 2011)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1939]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   HONORING THE WORK OF ALEX KANKULA

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. STEVE ISRAEL

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, October 26, 2011

  Mr. ISRAEL. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay special tribute to Alex 
Kankula's dedication and commitment to helping our nation's veterans. 
Mr. Kankula is a distinguished veteran of both World War II and the 
Korean War serving in both the United States Navy and Coast Guard.
  After his discharge from active duty, Mr. Kankula selflessly 
dedicated the next thirty years of his life to improving the lives of 
our nation's veterans. Mr. Kankula has been a volunteer at the 
Northport VA Medical Center in New York for three decades. Over the 
years he's been an advocate for homeless veterans by working in halfway 
houses in four different Long Island towns. Seeing the tremendous need 
our homeless veterans face every day, he's worked in the community to 
collect clothing, food, house wares, and furniture for these veterans.
  Mr. Kankula's leadership also paved the way for the creation of two 
new programs at the Northport VA Medical Center. He recognized the need 
for nursing home patients to have a recreational outlet and established 
a wheelchair dock-fishing program. The nursing home patients look 
forward to this excursion and visit local waterways for a fun day of 
fishing several times a year. Mr. Kankula then went on to create an 
``Adopt a Vet'' program to ensure nursing home patients were always 
remembered on their birthdays and holidays. He connects the veteran 
patients with community members who send birthday cards, holiday 
greetings, and letters. The creation of these two programs has raised 
the morale of countless veterans.
  I offer my recognition of Alex Kankula's unwavering dedication to our 
nation's veterans. His patriotic spirit and selfless devotion has 
improved the lives of veterans and serves as an example for all 
Americans.

                          ____________________