[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 40 (Monday, March 7, 2022)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E222]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




   HONORING UNITED STATES NAVY MASTER CHIEF PETTY OFFICER FERDINAND 
        ``FERDIE'' GARCIA FOR THIRTY YEARS OF TREMENDOUS SERVICE

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. ELISE M. STEFANIK

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                         Monday, March 7, 2022

  Ms. STEFANIK. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor U.S. Navy Master 
Chief Ferdinand ``Ferdie'' Garcia for his unwavering service to our 
country and its leaders.
  Master Chief Ferdinand Garcia was born in the Philippines on November 
29, 1961. In 1990, Mr. Garcia immigrated to the United States and 
enlisted in the U.S. Navy just two years later. Ferdie graduated from 
recruit training and then attended Mess Management Specialist School, 
where he graduated in the top ten percent of his class and was promoted 
to Petty Officer, Third Class. After Basic Training School, Mr. Garcia 
worked in various food service positions on board the USS Saipan (LHA 
2) stationed out of Norfolk, Virginia. In 1996, Mr. Garcia began 
working as a Mess Management Specialist School Instructor at Lackland 
Airforce Base in San Antonio, Texas.
  In July 2000, Mr. Garcia was recruited into the Presidential Food 
Service and served as a Petty Officer, First Class in the White House. 
He served as an Oval Office Enlisted Aide under three U.S. Presidents, 
including Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, and Barack Obama. Throughout 
his service at the White House, Mr. Garcia advanced to Chief, Senior 
Chief, and was finally meritoriously promoted to Master Chief Petty 
Officer in 2008. For ten more years, he continued to serve as an 
Enlisted Aide to five different U.S. Navy Admirals.
  Master Chief Petty Officer Garcia's thirty years of selfless service 
in the U.S. Navy are marked with many medals and decorations, including 
the Meritorious Service Medal with Gold Star Device, numerous Navy 
Commendation Medals, and many Achievement Medals from the Navy, Marine 
Corps, and the Air Force.
  As Mr. Garcia closes his decades of service in the U.S. Navy ending 
his time at Walter Reed National Medical Center, I want to ensure he 
knows his country is extremely grateful for his service. On behalf of 
New York's 21st Congressional District, I am honored to congratulate an 
incredible public servant and my friend, Master Chief Petty Officer 
Ferdinand Garcia, on his retirement and wish him the best in his future 
endeavor.

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