[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 135 (Friday, September 19, 2014)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1499]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        HONORING ALLISON HUGHES

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. PETER J. ROSKAM

                              of illinois

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, September 18, 2014

  Mr. ROSKAM. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize Mrs. Allison 
Hughes of Barrington, Illinois. Allison is co-founder of a charity 
called Heels on the Ground, whose mission is to improve and enrich the 
quality of life for the caregivers of America's wounded soldiers.
  Allison served our country for 8 years as an Army UH-60 pilot and was 
deployed in Iraq twice. Her husband, Special Forces Major Breg Hughes, 
was wounded on May 29, 2012 in Afghanistan when his Humvee drove over 
an IED, just days before Allison was due to give birth to the couple's 
second son. Breg sustained 3rd degree burns and severe injuries. While 
caring for her husband and raising two children, Allison has remarkably 
found the energy to co-found Heels on the Ground and work to support 
other caregivers.
  Heels on the Ground is a charity that seeks to provide support for 
caregivers through the creation of local support chapters, 
individualized mental and physical wellness plans, educational 
webinars, quarterly workshops for chapter leaders, and through Wounded 
Warrior caregiver retreats for small groups with the goal of developing 
skills learned in other channels. The goal is to teach caregivers how 
to manage the stress, anxiety, and the countless other demands that are 
placed on them in caring for their wounded spouses, often while 
juggling responsibilities for children, work, their own personal mental 
and physical wellbeing.
  Mr. Speaker and Distinguished Colleagues, please join me in 
recognizing Mrs. Allison Hughes for her impressive service to our 
country as both a woman in uniform and caregiver to one of our wounded 
servicemen. She has truly set an example for us all to live by.

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