[Congressional Record Volume 161, Number 29 (Friday, February 20, 2015)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E226-E227]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                  IN HONOR OF JAMES ``JIM'' D. TACKETT

                                  _____
                                 

                           HON. DOUG LAMBORN

                              of colorado

                    in the house of representatives

                       Friday, February 20, 2015

  Mr. LAMBORN. Mr. Speaker, Jim began his journey by enlisting and 
attending basic training December 1, 1972, assigned by the Army to a 
region in Alaska September of 1973, and left active duty December 22, 
1978. Arriving in Colorado in 1983 with his wife and two sons, Jim 
dabbled in car sales. He joined the Colorado National Guard in 1987 and 
stayed in until his retirement in 2002. His adventures with the 
Department of Veterans Affairs began as a work-study student at Fort 
Carson in March 1986 and then hired by El Paso County February 22, 1988 
as an Assistant Veteran Service Officer to assist veterans and 
surviving spouses with completing disability claims.
  During Jim's 27 years of service to veterans with the El Paso County 
Veteran Services, he received numerous awards for his outstanding 
efforts to serve local veterans and became a part of the community that 
he worked so tirelessly to help in any way he could. Jim has also been 
an invaluable advisor to me on all topics related to veterans' affairs. 
I greatly appreciated his service when he was a member of my Veterans 
Advisory Board for 8 years.
  In 1999, Jim collaborated with local veteran organizations to create 
the El Paso County Homeless Standdown Committee. He served on the 
standdown committee for 15 years and helped coordinate the annual 
Standdown event to assist homeless veterans.
  Since 2000 Jim has served as President of the Colorado Veterans 
Resource Coalition, a non-profit organization to assist with veterans' 
homeless issues, which is operated in collaboration with numerous other 
veteran service organizations. As part of this Coalition, Jim has 
provided executive oversight of the purchase and operation of the 
Crawford House, two transitional housing buildings, and an apartment 
complex, which provides services such as safe emergency housing for 
veterans who are homeless, receiving mental health care, and/or safe 
transitional low income housing.
  From 2003 to 2008, Jim served on the Executive Board and as the Vice 
President of the National Association of County Veteran Service 
Officers. During this time Jim ensured numerous Colorado County Veteran 
Service Officers were accredited through the National organization.
  Jim played a critical role in the planning of the new national 
cemetery in southern Colorado. In 2006, Jim was appointed to the Pikes 
Peak National Veterans Cemetery Committee and has been instrumental in 
the upcoming construction of a Veterans Cemetery in El Paso County that 
is anticipated to be open in 2018. Jim also served on a joint committee 
to name the new Colorado Springs VA Clinic.
  Jim was appointed as the El Paso County Veteran Service Officer in 
2008, and immediately began an expanded outreach program to ensure El 
Paso County veterans are aware of local veteran services and programs. 
Since this program, the Veteran Service Office has almost doubled the 
yearly office visits which has resulted in a 190 percent increase in 
the number of claims for veterans and their dependents, and has made 
the El Paso County Veteran Services Office one of the most active 
offices in the United States.
  In 2014, Jim served on my Veteran Affairs Clinic Naming Committee 
which honored our local hometown hero, WWII Medal of Honor recipient, 
PFC Floyd Lindstrom. He also served on the clinic's Grand Opening 
Committee to open one of the largest VA Community-Based Outpatient 
Clinics in the United States. During this year, Jim also coordinated 
with Home Depot to construct a Veterans Memorial at Bear Creek Regional 
Park that honors El Paso County Veterans and their outstanding service.
  Jim is one of the most intelligent, highly respected and dependable 
service officers in the great state of Colorado. He has given every bit 
of his heart and soul to the Pikes Peak community and he remains one of 
the most influential community leaders. I am very proud

[[Page E227]]

and grateful for his selfless service to the veterans in Colorado's 5th 
Congressional District.

                          ____________________