[Congressional Record Volume 171, Number 215 (Friday, December 19, 2025)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1238]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]





 RECOGNIZING UNITED STATES COAST GUARD CWO4 JAMES McINNIS AS DECEMBER 
                       2025 VETERAN OF THE MONTH

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. LISA C. McCLAIN

                              of michigan

                    in the house of representatives

                       Friday, December 19, 2025

  Mrs. McCLAIN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today with profound respect and 
gratitude to recognize the distinguished service of Chief Warrant 
Officer 4 James McInnis, United States Coast Guard, as our Veteran of 
the Month for December 2025 from Michigan's 9th Congressional District. 
His more than two decades of dedicated service exemplify the highest 
traditions of our Armed Forces.
  CWO4 McInnis devoted more than 24 years to honorable service in the 
United States Coast Guard after enlisting in 1980 and completing basic 
training in Cape May, New Jersey. He began his career aboard 
operational cutters in the Great Lakes, supporting essential missions 
including fisheries enforcement, search and rescue, icebreaking, and 
aids to navigation. These missions were vital to the safety of mariners 
and the protection of our waterways.
  As he advanced through the enlisted ranks, CWO4 McInnis served in 
increasingly responsible operational and supervisory roles. He 
supported buoy tending and lighthouse operations throughout the Great 
Lakes and later coordinated extensive search and rescue efforts across 
large maritime regions, overseeing thousands of cases while leading and 
mentoring Coast Guard personnel.
  Upon promotion to Chief Warrant Officer, Mr. McInnis assumed officer-
level responsibilities across multiple Coast Guard missions. He led law 
enforcement teams supporting international drug interdiction operations 
aboard United States Navy and allied vessels, deploying to the 
Caribbean, eastern Pacific, and the Middle East. He also served as an 
Aids to Navigation Officer in several major ports, supervising cutters 
and crews responsible for maintaining critical waterways and restoring 
navigation systems following hurricanes and other emergencies.
  In the later years of his career, CWO4 McInnis returned to senior sea 
and staff assignments, conducting offshore buoy tending, environmental 
response, and complex recovery missions. He concluded his Coast Guard 
service in the Great Lakes region, overseeing operations, training, and 
navigation systems while supporting the Coast Guard Auxiliary.
  Throughout his distinguished career, CWO4 McInnis earned numerous 
awards, including four Coast Guard Commendation Medals, five Coast 
Guard Achievement Medals, the Navy Achievement Medal, the 9/11 Medal, 
two Southwest Asia Campaign Medals, the Kuwait Liberation Medal from 
Kuwait, six Sea Service Ribbons, three Good Conduct Medals, and both 
the Expert Pistol Medal and Expert Rifle Medal.
  Following his retirement in July of 2004, Mr. McInnis continued his 
commitment to service through education. Using a degree earned while on 
active duty, he taught in Wisconsin's prison system and later, as 
Education Director, led the introduction of an associate degree pilot 
program within state prisons for the first time since 1994. That 
program has since expanded statewide and continues to provide life-
changing educational opportunities. He retired from the Wisconsin 
Department of Corrections in 2024 and returned to Michigan with his 
wife, Anne, to enjoy traveling and cheering for the Detroit Lions.
  Mr. Speaker, Chief Warrant Officer 4 James McInnis' lifetime of 
service reflects steadfast dedication to our Nation and our 
communities. His military leadership and postservice contributions have 
strengthened lives and protected our freedoms, and it is my distinct 
honor to recognize him as our Veteran of the Month for December 2025.

                          ____________________