[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 89 (Wednesday, May 22, 2024)]
[House]
[Page H3411]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                              {time}  1115
              HONORING THE LIFE AND SERVICE OF LEE COVINO

  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr.  Mike Garcia of California). The Chair 
recognizes the gentlewoman from New York (Ms. Malliotakis) for 5 
minutes.
  Ms. MALLIOTAKIS. Mr. Speaker, I rise to recognize the life of Lee 
Covino, a friend, a U.S. Army veteran, and a Staten Islander who 
dedicated his life to making our country and community a better place 
for those who served.
  Lee served our country in the U.S. Army during the Vietnam war. After 
his service, he attended the College of Staten Island on scholarship 
from the GI Bill. It was here that his passion for veterans' affairs 
flourished. He became a peer counselor for local veterans and, almost a 
decade later, began working as an intervention counselor for the VA's 
Vietnam Veterans Outreach Center, assisting nearly 1,000 Vietnam-era 
and combat veterans across Staten Island and Brooklyn.
  In July 1990, Lee was appointed to the cabinet of Staten Island 
Borough President Guy Molinari, where he served as the veteran affairs 
adviser and director of contracts and procurement. His service to our 
borough continued for another two decades, extending his tenure at 
Staten Island Borough Hall through the administrations of James 
Molinaro and James Oddo until his retirement in March 2014.
  In 2002, Mayor Michael Bloomberg appointed him to the city's Veterans 
Advisory Board, where he served until April 2015, retiring as the 
board's vice chairman.
  During his time at the borough and city halls, Lee played a major 
role in bringing the vet center and the Veterans Affairs clinic to 
Staten Island and obtaining a Staten Island bus link to Brooklyn's VA 
Medical Center.
  This week, New York City also will celebrate its 36th annual Fleet 
Week, a show of appreciation for our Nation's Navy, Marine Corps, and 
Coast Guard teams. Lee was instrumental in helping coordinate local 
activities and events for this grand recognition of our Armed Forces. 
He also worked tirelessly to expand veteran services to minority-based 
areas and assist veterans with resume development and learning computer 
skills so that they could find employment and readjust to civilian 
life.
  Lee's dedication to New York City veterans did not end with his 
official duties. After his retirement, he continued to serve as an 
invaluable resource for many elected officials, including myself, where 
he helped our office organize our veterans' roundtables and became 
reliable counsel for veteran-focused legislation and ideas.
  Because of the profound impact he has had on our community, Lee was 
installed into the College of Staten Island Alumni Hall of Fame in 1989 
and was set to be inducted into the New York State Veterans Hall of 
Fame later this year.
  He was a member of the VFW, The American Legion, Vietnam Veterans of 
America, Catholic War Veterans, AMVETS, New York City Veterans 
Alliance, the 369th Veterans Association, and he served as treasurer of 
the United Staten Island Veterans Organization, which sponsored our 
borough's annual Memorial Day parade.
  Here we are at the Staten Island Memorial Day parade in 2021, which 
Mayor de Blasio had originally canceled, citing COVID, until Lee's 
advocacy and leadership made the mayor reverse his decision, and we 
marched together honoring our fallen.
  On Monday, Memorial Day, we, the community, will march again, and 
Lee's absence will be noticed and his presence immensely missed.
  Lee was a true American patriot who dedicated his entire life to the 
service of others, and I know I speak for our entire community and city 
when I say his commitment to fighting for our veterans is extremely 
appreciated.
  My office sends its deepest condolences to his daughter, Mariel, and 
three grandchildren, Melina, Michael, and Samantha, as they grieve this 
tremendous loss. They should rest assured that, today, they are in the 
history books of the United States Congress and that his legacy of 
service and dedication will inspire us all as we continue to advocate 
for the rights and well-being of our veterans.

                          ____________________