[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 157 (Wednesday, September 28, 2022)]
[House]
[Page H8121]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     RECOGNIZING SAMANTHA GONZALEZ

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
Illinois (Mr. Bost) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. BOST. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to celebrate the service of one 
of my staffers on the Committee on Veterans' Affairs.
  Ms. Samantha Gonzalez has dedicated over 10 years of her career to 
our Nation's veterans, their families, and their survivors. She started 
on the committee as an intern and has worked her way up to being the 
communications director and senior health policy adviser.
  Samantha helped craft messages and advance a number of bills 
supporting veterans and their families--notably, the Choice and VA 
MISSION Acts, the Commander John Scott Hannon Veterans Mental Health 
Care Improvement Act, the PACT Act, and so many more landmark pieces of 
legislation.
  There is no doubt that the entire veteran community is better off 
because of her tireless work on their behalf.
  I thank Samantha for her commitment to America's veterans, and wish 
her the best of luck in her next adventure. She will be missed.


              national suicide prevention awareness month

  Mr. BOST. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to remind everyone that while 
National Suicide Prevention Awareness Month is concluding, we cannot 
afford to lower our guard. It dismays me that still so many veterans 
take their lives every day.
  In 2020, approximately 16 veterans died by suicide daily, another 
year with more than 6,000 veteran suicide deaths. We must stay 
vigilant.
  It took an incredible amount of work to get the Staff Sergeant Parker 
Gordon Fox Suicide Prevention Grant Program passed in legislation 
through Congress. I am pleased that the first grants were awarded just 
last week.
  Now, 80 community-based organizations in 43 States, D.C., and 
American Samoa will receive funding to provide or coordinate suicide 
prevention services for veterans and their families where and when they 
need it.
  Many veterans either cannot or will not access the VA, but their 
community knows how to find them, how to get them out of isolation and 
out of trouble and get them the care that can save their lives and 
offer them a future of hope. I am excited to see just what these grants 
can do.


                 celebrating the life of richard martin

  Mr. BOST. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to celebrate the life of Richard 
Martin, a good friend and great man who passed suddenly this week.
  You get to know people very closely in stressful conditions. Well, 
many of you know that I was a professional firefighter, and Richard 
always had my back.
  Richard and I both served on the Murphysboro Fire Department. Richard 
served with the department for 32 years, from 1984 until 2016. During 
that time, he was a member of the Firefighters Pension Board and served 
as the treasurer and president of the Murphysboro Firefighters Local 
3042.
  Never fully retiring, he went on to become the southern district's 
legislative representative for the Associated Fire Fighters of 
Illinois.
  Richard was dedicated to his family, his friends, his career of 
service, our hometown, Murphysboro, and the community. Our prayers are 
with his family, including daughter Olivia and sons Eli and Zeke during 
this difficult time.
  He was a close friend. He will be missed tremendously. His ability to 
teach others the art of fighting fire and doing it safely and the 
number of lives that he saved and the amount of property he saved will 
not be forgotten.

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