[Congressional Record Volume 162, Number 41 (Tuesday, March 15, 2016)]
[House]
[Page H1352]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
SHENANDOAH AREA COUNCIL BOY SCOUTS OF AMERICA'S 2016 DISTINGUISHED
CITIZEN OF THE YEAR
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from West
Virginia (Mr. Mooney) for 5 minutes.
Mr. MOONEY of West Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in recognition
of an outstanding member of my community in the Eastern Panhandle of
West Virginia's Second Congressional District, Ed Wilson.
This afternoon in Martinsburg, Ed Wilson is being named the
Shenandoah Area Council of the Boy Scouts of America's 2016
Distinguished Citizen of the Year. This award is given to exceptional
members of the community who have ``noteworthy and extraordinary
leadership.''
Past honorees include Senators Robert Byrd, Jay Rockefeller, Shelley
Moore Capito, and Joe Manchin, as well as Brigadier General V. Wayne
Lloyd, the former head of the 167th Airlift Wing in Martinsburg.
My friend, Ed Wilson, also truly personifies all that this award
embodies. Born in Woodbridge, New Jersey, Ed's journey of faith and
service included a very early milestone.
At the age of 10, he joined the St. Vincent de Paul Society. This
Catholic charitable organization, whose local chapter was founded by
his wife, Midge, offers not a handout, but a hand up. This same ethic
lies behind the mission of the Boy Scouts, who Ed has worked with for
so many years.
Ed served in the Navy for 3 years before earning a position with the
intelligence community as a linguist and analyst. Ed worked for the CIA
for 31 years, 24 of which were overseas. He was stationed around the
globe, in Europe, the Middle East, Central America, and Asia.
Finally, in 1977, Ed and his wife, Midge, moved to Falling Waters, in
Berkeley County, West Virginia, where they have been committed to
serving our community and its needs ever since.
Ed's work for our community has been called legendary by some, and I
couldn't agree more. He has served with 16 agencies, charitable
organizations, and community projects, including Big Brothers and Big
Sisters of the Eastern Panhandle, Catholic Charities, March of Dimes,
Martinsburg-Berkeley County Chamber of Commerce, Mountain State Apple
Harvest Festival, and the United Way of the Eastern Panhandle.
Ed likes to say that life is too important to be taken seriously. I
do agree, but I must add this. One of the serious reasons why the Boy
Scouts honors Ed is the importance of his lifetime of service.
Ed provides an important role model for young men about the
importance of commitment, virtue, culture, and just basic decency. With
that in mind, I not only congratulate, but also thank my friend, Ed
Wilson, for all he has done for our country and community.
We Need an All-Of-The-Above Energy Policy.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today to comment on a recent statement made by
the leading Democrat candidate for President and former Secretary of
State, Hillary Clinton, who just on Sunday night on CNN was asked about
her policies.
She said, ``I am the only candidate which has a policy about bringing
economic opportunity, using clean, renewable energy as the key into
coal country because we are going to put a lot of coal miners and coal
companies out of business.''
Mr. Speaker, we need a President who has an all-of-the-above energy
policy, not one who so blatantly discriminates against coal. This
attack and war on coal that Hillary Clinton plans to continue, just
like our current President, has devastated our State. We are in a
recession in West Virginia. We need a President who will fight for our
coal miners, promote the all-of-the-above energy policy, and utilize
our country's natural resources, including coal.
This is important to West Virginia and everyone in the country, so I
call upon all of us to look at the importance of this upcoming
discussion on this issue.
____________________