[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 178 (Thursday, November 17, 2022)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1163]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                 HONORING SENIOR CHIEF MICHAEL BELINKIE

                                 ______
                                 

                       HON. DONALD S. BEYER, JR.

                              of virginia

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, November 17, 2022

  Mr. BEYER. Madam Speaker, I rise today to acknowledge the retirement 
of Senior Chief Michael Belinkie after twenty years of service in the 
United States Navy. Born and raised in Richmond, Virginia, Senior Chief 
Belinkie grew up in a musical family with generations of cantors 
leading religious services at prominent synagogues in Richmond and New 
York. He further refined his talents as a classical tenor while earning 
a Bachelor of Arts degree in music and economics at the University of 
Virginia where he also performed with the Virginia Glee Club, Coro 
Virginia, and in the university's renowned acapella group, the Virginia 
Gentleman. While in college, Operafestival di Roma invited Senior Chief 
Belinkie to spend a summer abroad training and performing with other 
promising young opera singers from around the world.
  Acknowledging the challenges of pursuing a successful career in 
music, Senior Chief Belinkie graduated from George Mason University's 
School of Law. During his legal studies, he continued to perform 
locally in northern Virginia, and he ultimately auditioned for an 
opening for a tenor in the United States Navy Band. He learned he 
passed the Virginia Bar Exam a few weeks before shipping off to boot 
camp.
  Senior Chief Belinkie enlisted in the United States Navy in 2002 and 
has had the honor of performing for presidential inaugurations, state 
dinners, state funerals, and for foreign dignitaries. An avid sports 
fan, the United States Navy Band also allowed him to sing at two Super 
Bowls, the World Series, and countless other professional sports 
events. Known by fans throughout the United States for his incredible 
vocal range and high falsetto, videos of his renditions of a ``Jersey 
Boys'' medley, ``White Christmas,'' and others quickly went viral on 
social media, garnering more than 100 million views. In 2005, Senior 
Chief Belinkie sang the world premiere solo of ``A Season of Miracles'' 
by Marvin Hamlisch at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing 
Arts, with Hamlisch accompanying on piano.
  I give my heartfelt congratulations to Michael Belinkie, a lifelong 
Virginian, on his distinguished career and retirement from the United 
States Navy Band. I wish him well in his next endeavors and hope he 
continues to lend his talents to the great state of Virginia.

                          ____________________