[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 108 (Thursday, June 27, 2024)]
[House]
[Page H4324]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  HONORING JUNE VETERAN OF THE MONTH, SERGEANT MAJOR THOMAS HUMPHRIES

  (Mr. BURCHETT asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. BURCHETT. Madam Speaker, I rise to recognize Sergeant Major 
Thomas Humphries as Tennessee's Second District June 2024 Veteran of 
the Month.
  Sergeant Major Humphries joined the Marine Corps in January 1983 and 
spent years working on helicopters at Marine Corps Air Station New 
River in North Carolina and Naval Air Station Atlanta.
  He then spent a couple years as a drill instructor at Parris Island, 
where he completed boot camp a decade before.
  He went back to serve in New River again, then moved to Palms, 
California, after he was promoted to first sergeant. In 2003, he was 
deployed to Iraq and participated in Operation Iraqi Freedom.
  He was then promoted to sergeant major and served in Fort Lewis, 
Washington, and a few years later, he retired from the Marine Corps in 
2007 after more than 24 years of service.
  Sergeant Major Humphries became a veterans benefit representative 
with the Tennessee Department of Veterans Affairs until July 2012 and 
then became the Knox County veterans service officer when I was mayor.
  He represented almost 30,000 veterans living in Knox County during 
that time and he used his knowledge of the VA system to help veterans 
get the benefits they deserve.
  He is now taking a well-deserved retirement. He truly cares about our 
veterans and troops and used his career to serve them however possible.
  Madam Speaker, I congratulate him on a great career, and I wish him 
the best in retirement.
  The Marine Corps motto is ``Semper Fidelis,'' which means ``always 
faithful,'' and Tom has always been faithful to his country and his 
beloved corps, his fellow veterans, and he has been a good friend of 
mine.

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