[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 148 (Thursday, September 6, 2018)]
[House]
[Page H7879]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




            HONORING UNITED STATES NAVY CHIEF PETTY OFFICERS

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
Florida (Mr. Rutherford) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. RUTHERFORD. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor our United States 
Navy's chief petty officers and their families and loved ones who are 
gathering today at the Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Arena and Wall 
for CPO Pride Day. This annual event celebrating their service is held 
in different regions across the country, and I can tell you, it holds 
significance for me.
  Mr. Speaker, my father, James A. Rutherford, was a young sailor who 
was deployed abroad on the USS Waccamaw the day I was born in September 
of 1952. He proudly worked his way through the ranks to later attain 
the position of chief petty officer.
  Like so many military families both then and now, my father and other 
CPOs sacrificed a great deal to defend our freedoms.
  Mr. Speaker, chief petty officers are the backbone of the Navy, 
responsible for training junior officers. They lead a division of 
sailors and petty officers and inspire them to be part of something 
bigger than themselves.
  North Florida is incredibly proud to be home to so many sailors and 
their families, and our community gratefully celebrates chief petty 
officers today, for we owe them a debt of gratitude that can never be 
repaid.
  Congratulations and best wishes to them on this CPO Pride Day.

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