[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 100 (Tuesday, June 13, 2017)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E813-E814]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      RECOGNIZING RICHARD J. SLOMA

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. JOHN KATKO

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, June 13, 2017

  Mr. KATKO. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize Colonel Richard J. 
Sloma, a Syracuse native and second-generation Polish-American, who has 
dedicated much of his adult life to serving this great country and our 
community. Colonel Sloma enlisted in the U.S. Army Reserve upon 
graduating high school and later went on to obtain his bachelor's 
degree from SUNY Oswego and his master's degree from the University at 
Albany. Colonel Sloma is currently a member of the Polish Legion of 
American Veterans--Post 14, the Syracuse Polish Home, the Polish 
American Historical Association, and serves as an Archivist for the New 
York State Archives in Albany.
   This year, Colonel Sloma will be honored at the 2017 Syracuse Polish 
Festival as the ``2017 Pole of the Year.'' He will be recognized for 
his dedicated service to our country.
   Colonel Sloma served on U.S. Army active duty assignments in New 
York State, North

[[Page E814]]

Dakota, and Italy. Colonel Sloma then joined the New York Army National 
Guard and was deployed to Afghanistan with the 27th Infantry Brigade 
from Syracuse in 2008. There, Colonel Sloma served as the Director of 
Intelligence for the Task Force Phoenix in Kandahar. Colonel Sloma 
later retired in 2013 with the rank of Colonel as the New York State 
Counterdrug Task Force Commander. Colonel Sloma had over 20 years of 
active duty experience and 31 years of total military experience, 
earning the Legion of Merit award, Bronze Star, Joint Meritorious 
Service Medal, Joint Commendation Medal, three Meritorious Medals, 
Afghanistan Campaign Medal, and the Airborne Badge.
   I am honored to recognize Colonel Richard J. Sloma for his service 
to our great nation and upon being named ``2017 Pole of the Year'' by 
the Syracuse Polish Scholarship Fund, Inc.

                          ____________________