[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 178 (Thursday, November 17, 2022)]
[House]
[Pages H8549-H8550]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                          HONORING JOANNA ROWE

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
North Carolina (Mr. McHenry) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. McHENRY. Madam Speaker, today, I come to the floor to honor a 
member of my team who has devoted the past 18 years to serving the 
constituents of North Carolina's 10th Congressional District, serving 
it with integrity and honor, especially for veterans and 
servicemembers.
  It is my true honor today to pay tribute to my friend and my lead 
veterans

[[Page H8550]]

and military caseworker, Joanna Rowe, who is retiring at the end of the 
year. Joanna has been with me since the beginning of my service here in 
the House in the beginning of 2005. Since day one, anyone who 
encountered Joanna instantly knew her passion for our veterans.
  We had veterans line up just to go sit down and talk to Joanna and 
have a conversation with her because of her warm spirit and what a 
wonderful person she is, and everyone understood that very quickly.
  The numbers tell that story about her passion for our veterans. 
During her service, Joanna has handled just shy of 6,000 veterans' 
cases and 362 Active-Duty military cases. She has helped 106 veterans 
obtain medals they were due for their service. She played an important 
role in helping establish the VA community-based outpatient clinics in 
Hickory and in Forest City, North Carolina, and was a key resource to 
county veterans service officers in 17 different counties during her 
service.
  Susan Hall, the veterans service officer in Rutherford County, said 
of Joanna: ``Joanna's commitment to serving the veterans of our 
community is exemplary. I will miss her greatly. The Congressman, as 
well as the people of Rutherford County and the great State of North 
Carolina have been blessed with the service of Joanna Rowe.''
  Joanna will be missed and will be missed by so many, not just the 
veterans, but her coworkers who love her dearly. And not just her 
coworkers, but me. Being able to work with her and to call her a friend 
and to learn from her has meant a great deal to me and to my wife 
Julia, as well as my kids.
  So we want to thank her for her service. I thank her for her loving 
spirit and the strength of her faith.
  It seems like just yesterday that she and I and her husband, Freddy, 
sat down for lunch in the fall of 2003 to talk about politics. I 
learned a lot during that first election to Congress from Joanna, and I 
thank her for her service and thank her for her friendship.
  Joanna, we know you won't be a stranger. Thanks so much. We love you.

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