[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 129 (Wednesday, July 22, 2020)]
[House]
[Pages H3620-H3621]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    HONORING COLONEL CHARLES POWELL

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
Texas (Mr. Conaway) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. CONAWAY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the life of my 
friend, Colonel Charles Powell, who passed away peacefully on July 2, 
2020, in his home in San Angelo, Texas, at the age of 89.
  Charles was a true American hero who devoted his life to serving 
others, and his passing is a loss that will understandably reverberate 
throughout the community. His genuine love for God and others, 
dedication to his family, and service to his country and community set 
the gold standard of excellence that we should all strive for. Although 
he is leaving this Earth, his legacy will live on through countless 
lives he has impacted during his lifetime.
  Charlie was born in Nashville, Arkansas, on May 7, 1931, where he 
grew up and met his future wife, JoAnne. The two graduated together 
from Nashville High School in 1949.
  Charles went on to attend the United States Naval Academy in 
Annapolis, Maryland, and graduated, in 1954, with a bachelor's degree 
in general engineering. He was then commissioned into the United States 
Air Force and launched his 30-year career in military service.
  After graduating from pilot training, Charles took to the skies, 
supporting transatlantic and transpacific deployments of tactical 
forces; refueling missions supporting reconnaissance activities in the 
Cuban Missile Crisis; and, finally, volunteering to serve in Vietnam as 
a rescue crew commander and airborne mission commander. He also 
participated in the planning and execution of the Son Tay POW camp 
raid.
  Over the course of his career as a pilot, Colonel Powell logged over 
67,000 flying hours, flew 168 combat missions, is credited with 14 
combat saves, and was awarded a multitude of military honors.
  In addition to flying missions, Colonel Powell served in a variety of 
leadership capacities in the Air Force, from flight instructor of the 
Air Command and Staff College, chief of staff of Air University, and, 
finally, the wing commander of the technical training wing at 
Goodfellow Air Force Base in San Angelo, Texas.
  At the center of Charlie's world was JoAnne, and their love story is 
one for the ages. From meeting in grade school to graduating high 
school together and raising their daughter, Terri, as Charles' missions 
took him around the globe, their commitment to each other never 
wavered.

  San Angelo was forever changed when these two spitfires flew into 
town in 1980. Charles was appointed as the wing commander at Goodfellow 
Air Force Base, which was slated for closure at the time. Charles and 
JoAnne immediately leapt into action, developing the relationship 
between Goodfellow and the community of San Angelo and completely 
transforming the mission of the base. After Charles' 4 years as wing 
commander, Goodfellow was removed from the closure list. Today, the 
connection between the base and San Angelo stands as the premier 
example of effective military-civilian partnership.
  Thankfully, after Charlie retired from the service, the Powells never 
left San Angelo. Instead, they immediately set to work planting deep 
roots in the community and making San Angelo a better place to live. 
These two have been some of the most dedicated public servants our 
community has ever seen.

[[Page H3621]]

Through their innumerable service initiatives, they have been 
Goodfellow's most dedicated champions who served as the bridge between 
San Angelo and Goodfellow.
  Through it all, Charles and JoAnne stood together, side by side and 
hand in hand. They transformed countless lives, not the least of which 
was my own. I had the pleasure of meeting the Powells when I ran for 
Congress in 2004, and in 2005, I hired JoAnne on as the first member of 
my staff. At that point, I could never have imagined the depth of the 
impact that Charlie and JoAnne would have on me, my family, and every 
member of my team over the years to come.
  JoAnne is the most longstanding member of my staff, and she and 
Charlie have seen me through the ups and downs, all while tirelessly 
serving the constituents of the Concho Valley.
  Within my office, JoAnne took on the responsibility of shepherding 
young men and women through the congressional nomination process for 
applying to the United States military academies, while Charles chaired 
the board responsible for vetting and recommending them to me for 
nomination.

                              {time}  0945

  Their teamwork resulted in many young men and women from my district 
receiving appointments to these prestigious institutions of higher 
learning, further extending the tradition of service to our country to 
future generations.
  I cannot put into words the immense honor that it has been to have 
Charles and JoAnne as a part my family. My wife, Suzanne, and I feel 
tremendously lucky to have the opportunity to learn from them and to 
count them among our closest friends.
  Colonel Powell will be greatly missed, and I take comfort knowing his 
legacy will continue through the people he loved and the community he 
was so proud to call home.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Yoho).


        Public Apology to the Honorable Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez

  Mr. YOHO. Mr. Speaker, I stand before you this morning to address the 
strife I injected into the already-contentious Congress.
  I have worked with many Members in this Chamber over the past four 
terms, Members on both sides of the aisle,--and each of you know that I 
am a man of my word. So let me take a moment to address this body.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise to apologize for the abrupt manner of the 
conversation I had with my colleague from New York. It is true that we 
disagree on policies and visions for America, but that does not mean we 
should be disrespectful.
  Having been married for 45 years, with two daughters, I am very 
cognizant of my language. The offensive name-calling words attributed 
to me by the press were never spoken to my colleagues, and if they were 
construed that way, I apologize for their misunderstanding.
  As my colleagues know, I am passionate about those affected by 
poverty. My wife, Carolyn, and I started out together at the age of 19 
with nothing. We did odd jobs, and we were on food stamps. I know the 
face of poverty, and for a time, it was mine. That is why I know people 
in this country can still, with all its faults, rise up and succeed and 
not be encouraged to break the law.
  I will commit to each of you that I will conduct myself from a place 
of passion and understanding that policy and political disagreement be 
vigorously debated with the knowledge that we approach the problems 
facing our Nation with the betterment of the country in mind and the 
people we serve.
  Mr. Speaker, I cannot apologize for my passion or for loving my God, 
my family, and my country.

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