[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 146 (Thursday, September 19, 2024)]
[House]
[Page H5461]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
HONORING THOMAS F. CARLIN
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from
Texas (Mr. Veasey) for 5 minutes.
Mr. VEASEY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the life and legacy of
a good friend of mine who was a U.S. Army veteran, in the Vietnam war,
and a union leader in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, Thomas F. Carlin. We
called him Tom Carlin.
Tom was a great guy who sacrificed and worked so hard for the working
men and women of the DFW area.
In addition to serving in Vietnam, Tom worked for American Airlines
for 40 years, and he held various leadership positions throughout his
union career, including vice president of the Texas AFL-CIO for nearly
35 years.
Later in life, Tom battled the effects of Parkinson's disease, which
he picked up when he was in Vietnam as a result of his exposure to
Agent Orange, which so many of our veterans have suffered from, from
the 1960s during the Vietnam war.
Because of his work in labor, Tom was also honored with induction
into both the Texas AFL-CIO and the Texas Labor Management Hall of
Fame.
Tom has just been a great guy, a great friend, and a great supporter.
I have known him and his wife, Peggy, very well.
Tom was so proud of his son, who is a pilot for Delta Airlines,
Tommy. Tommy has been with Delta for a while now. I have never met
Tommy in person, but because Tom was so proud of him and talked about
his only child, I felt like I have known Tommy forever.
That is the kind of family that Tom and Peggy put together, just
great people who not only cared about their own family but their union
family, veterans, and all north Texans. That is what Tom worked hard
for, creating a better way of life for everybody.
Mr. Speaker, I give my condolences to the Carlin family, all of his
union brothers and sisters, and everybody in north Texas because people
will miss Tom Carlin and his big Irish smile and friendliness that he
always brought to the table.
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