[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 149 (2003), Part 8]
[House]
[Pages 11217-11218]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                      HONORING JOHN P. BROWN, III

  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Chocola). Under a previous order of the 
House, the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Strickland) is recognized for 5 
minutes.
  Mr. STRICKLAND. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to celebrate a favorite son 
of Ohio, a husband, father, grandfather, public servant, and State 
AMVETS President. I am speaking of John P. Brown, III.
  Mr. Speaker, John's life story imbues the kind of selflessness and 
sacrifice that is indicative of so many of our veterans. He served two 
tours in Vietnam. He was chosen to serve in the

[[Page 11218]]

elite Honor Guard at the U.S. Naval Station in Philadelphia. John's 
contributions did not end there, though. He and his wife have raised a 
wonderful family, including three children, Charlene, Stephanie and 
Christopher, and seven grandchildren.
  For 31 years, John worked for Ameritech and its predecessors. And 
more recently, he worked as a military liaison for Ohio's 17th 
Congressional District.
  In Ohio, John's name is synonymous with veterans advocacy. He has 
given, and he continues to give, greatly to many, many veterans causes. 
He is a former vice commander for Ohio AMVETS. He is the local post 
commander, the founder and trustee of the Mahoning Veterans Memorial. 
He has been the host of a veterans radio talk show for 19 years; and 
for the last year, he served honorably as the commander of Ohio AMVETS.
  John's love of country and commitment to military service is shared 
by his wife, Jan C. Brown, who is retired from the United States Air 
Force. Together, J.P. and Jan Brown answer in the affirmative the 
challenge presented by President John F. Kennedy, ``Ask not what your 
country can do for you, but what you can do for your country.''
  Obviously, I could talk for quite some time about John's 
accomplishments and contributions, but I think it is more important for 
us to recognize what a decent, honorable, and rare man John is as a 
person.
  The truth is that our democracy simply could not function without the 
sacrifice, dedication, and just plain hard work of people like John 
Brown. Many veterans are in his debt today, and so are many, many 
Ohioans.
  Mr. Speaker, I go to John for guidance and advice regarding veterans 
health care and other issues important to our Nation's veterans, and he 
helps me be a better Congressman.
  In recognition of John's many accomplishments, he is being honored at 
an AMVETS testimonial dinner in Youngstown, Ohio, on Saturday Evening. 
I cannot be at that event; but today, on this floor of the United 
States House of Representatives, I salute my friend, John P. Brown, 
III; and I honor his service to our country.

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