[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 71 (Wednesday, April 26, 2017)]
[Senate]
[Page S2549]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




               TRIBUTE TO STEVE STIVERS AND BRAD WENSTRUP

  Mr. BROWN. Mr. President, I would like to recognize my friend and 
colleague, Congressman Steve Stivers, and congratulate him on his 
promotion to brigadier general in the Ohio National Guard.
  Steve has served our State and our Nation in uniform for more than 
three decades. When his guard unit was called up in 2005, he served our 
country in Operation Iraqi Freedom. His leadership earned him the 
Bronze Star, and his service and sacrifice earned him the honor of a 
grateful nation.
  But Steve hasn't been content to only serve in uniform--he is working 
to support his fellow soldiers in Congress. He and I have worked 
together to make sure that servicemembers who suffer traumatic brain 
injuries have their medical records given from the DOD to the VA. We 
are working to designate the new Ohio veterans Museum in Columbus as 
the National Veterans Museum.
  As persuasive as Steve is, he is nothing compared to his mother. A 
few years ago, Steve's mother, Carol, brought to my attention the need 
to preserve the Parker House--a way station on the Underground Railroad 
located in Ripley, OH. She wanted to incorporate it into the National 
Park System.
  I worked with Steve, who of course couldn't say no to his mother, and 
others in the Ohio delegation, including Joyce Beatty, to preserve this 
house where a freed slave worked and helped others find their way to 
freedom. This January, the National Park Service award $50,000 to the 
Ohio History Connection to help preserve the sites throughout Ohio that 
played critical roles in the civil rights movement, including the 
Parker House.
  Steve is not the only member of our delegation to carry on the proud 
tradition of Ohioans serving our Nation in uniform. I would also like 
to congratulate my friend Brad Wenstrup on his promotion to colonel in 
the U.S. Army Reserve.
  Brad also served a tour in Iraq as a combat surgeon. He was awarded a 
Bronze Star and a Combat Action Badge and earned the honor and 
gratitude of all Ohioans. It is not just overseas where Brad serves our 
troops. He fulfills his Reserve duties, treating our wounded soldiers 
at Walter Reed, and fights to ensure our servicemembers and veterans 
have the support they deserve on the House Armed Services Committee and 
Veterans' Affairs Committee.
  Whether it is supporting our State's civil rights heritage or 
supporting our troops, Brad and Steve have always been dedicated public 
servants for Ohio. They are both so deserving of these promotions. We 
thank them and their entire families--Steve's wife, Karen, and children 
Sarah and Sam, and Brad's wife, Monica, and son Brad, Jr.--for their 
sacrifice for our country.

                          ____________________