[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 123 (Thursday, July 20, 2017)]
[House]
[Page H6137]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




            REMEMBERING AND HONORING CONGRESSMAN MARK TAKAI

  (Ms. GABBARD asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute.)
  Ms. GABBARD. Mr. Speaker, 1 year ago today, we lost a brother, a 
friend, and a colleague, someone who made a great impact on my home 
State of Hawaii and this country.
  My friend, Congressman Mark Takai, was someone who lived his entire 
life with a full heart committed to serving the people of Hawaii and 
his country. Always ready with a helping hand with creative new ideas 
and a hearty laugh, Mark was someone who was always on the move.
  I had the honor of serving with Mark all the way back in the Hawaii 
State Legislature, through our time serving together in the Hawaii Army 
National Guard and then, again, here in Congress where we both served 
on the Armed Services Committee.
  Mark, time and time again, made his decisions based on how best he 
could serve the people of Hawaii, and he took a lot of pictures along 
the way. Mark led by example with respect and with aloha understanding 
and passion building partnerships focused on seeing how he could get 
the job done.
  So on this day commemorating Mark, my heart is with his family: his 
wife, Sami; his kids, Matthew and Kaila; his parents, Naomi and Erik; 
our entire National Guard ``family,'' ``ohana,'' and the people of 
Hawaii as we remember Mark and honor his entire life and legacy of 
service.

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