[Congressional Record Volume 159, Number 162 (Thursday, November 14, 2013)]
[Senate]
[Pages S8045-S8046]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    TRIBUTE TO JAMES ``BOB'' CURRIEO

  Mr. McCAIN. Mr. President, I rise today to recognize the service and 
contributions to the State of Arizona and the Nation of James ``Bob'' 
Currieo. Bob spent his life serving our country as a soldier; a leader 
in the veterans community; and, for the last 17 years in my office, a 
valued advocate for constituents and veterans. Bob, 79 years young, 
retires this month.
  Serving the residents of Arizona is one of the great pleasures of my 
office. When my constituents request assistance in matters dealing with 
the government, I try, as all my colleagues do, to move quickly to 
provide a fair and effective path for them to seek redress. And, in 
this regard, I have been lucky to have had a constituent-advocate of 
Bob's experience and caliber.
  The experience that Bob brought to his working with me was informed 
by 22 years of service in the U.S. Army, retiring with the rank of 
sergeant major. Following decorated service in the Korean war, a 
fortunate assignment to the U.S. Army Combat Surveillance School at 
Fort Huachuca brought Bob to Sierra Vista and introduced him to a State 
that he would

[[Page S8046]]

quickly come to love and consider home.
  I first met him in 1982 while he was serving as the newly elected 
National Commander-in-Chief of the Veterans of Foreign Wars. He was 
then, and remains today, a quiet but powerful force--a man whose soft-
spoken words resonate among those around him. Despite his humble, 
modest demeanor, his talent for leadership and dedication to our 
Nation's veterans is immediately evident.
  In 1984, Bob was invited by the State Department to join a U.S. 
delegation as an observer of El Salvador's first election in 50 years. 
I was also on that trip, and remember a long discussion we had about 
veterans and politics, two of Bob's interests. In 1986, I asked him to 
join my Arizona staff. Ever in demand, he departed for a period to 
serve as an executive in the VFW in Washington, DC, where I kept tabs 
on him. In 1996, Bob was ready to return to Arizona and I leapt at the 
chance to have him back on my staff.
  From that time until just recently, he devoted himself to helping me 
work on behalf of veterans. On my many trips back home, as I checked in 
with Fort Huachuca, Davis Monthan, and our veterans communities, I 
always heard the same message, ``You are lucky to have a man like Bob 
Currieo on your team.'' I wholeheartedly agree.
  In the nearly 20 years that Bob served in my office, he opened more 
than 8,000 cases. That is 8,000 servicemembers, veterans, military 
spouses and families who called out for help--calls that I am proud 
were answered on my behalf by a man as capable and caring as Bob. I 
thank him for his contributions to my team, his wise counsel, and his 
unwavering friendship.
  As the late Coach Abe Lemons once said, ``The trouble with retirement 
is that you never get a day off.'' I know that my friend Bob won't face 
that dilemma--that he will remain active with the VFW and in his 
community as he embarks on the next exciting chapter of his life. I 
wish Bob and his wife Cecilia a long and happy retirement--filled with 
many joyful days and beautiful Tucson sunsets together.

                          ____________________