[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 140 (Thursday, August 5, 2021)]
[Senate]
[Page S5927]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         ADDITIONAL STATEMENTS

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                     REMEMBERING PATRICK J. SOLANO

 Mr. CASEY. Mr. President, today I wish to honor the 
distinguished life and career of Patrick J. Solano, who passed away on 
January 23, 2021. I am proud to remember Pat, a resident of Pittston 
Township, PA, decorated World War II veteran and lifelong public 
servant. Pat will be remembered at an annual golf tournament in Luzerne 
County on August 6.
  In 1942, Pat was drafted by the U.S. Army Air Corps after he 
graduated from Pittston Township High School. During his military 
career, he served as a flight engineer on 23 combat missions with the 
Eighth United States Air Force Heavy Bombardment Group, aboard the B-17 
Flying Fortress. For his service during World War II, he was awarded 
the Group Presidential Citation, the Air Force Medal with two oakleaf 
clusters, and the Europe Combat Theater Medal with two Bronze Stars.
  Pat's service to our country did not end with World War II, as he 
came home and embarked on a lifetime of public service at both the 
local and State level in Pennsylvania. He was recognized as a trusted 
political adviser for almost 50 years and served in the administrations 
of nine Governors of both political parties. His service to the 
Commonwealth of Pennsylvania crossed party lines, and he became known 
as a voice of reason and a unifying force in Harrisburg.
  He served in the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Regulation, 
later known as the department of environmental protection. Later, he 
was appointed the acting secretary for the department of conservation 
and natural resources when it was first created in 1995. Pat helped to 
shape the future of the department and its mission to conserve and 
sustain Pennsylvania's natural resources for present and future 
generations.
  My thoughts and prayers are with Pat's wife, Marie; his children, 
Mary Pat, Cathy, Anita, Rita, Liz, and Anne; his 11 grandchildren and 3 
great-grandchildren; and his countless friends.

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