[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 150 (2004), Part 3]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages 3514-3515]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




         RECOGNIZING COLONEL H. WILLIAM CARD FOR HIS LEADERSHIP

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. RUBEN HINOJOSA

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, March 4, 2004

  Mr. HINOJOSA. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to invite my colleagues to 
join the Harlingen Hispanic Chamber of Commerce in saluting the 
extraordinary life and service of Colonel William ``Bill'' Card. 
Colonel Card is a modern day ``Renaissance man''. He has been a 
citizen, soldier, educator, entrepreneur, community leader, and mayor, 
and is an example of what is best in America.
  Bill Card was born into a military family where dedication to service 
and country were deeply ingrained. At the age of 17, he enlisted in the 
U.S. Marine Corps and was sworn in by his father, Brigadier General 
Horace W. Card. While still in college, he was called to duty aboard 
the USS Pennsylvania berthed at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. It was on Sunday, 
December 7, 1941 that Bill was first tested in battle as he manned the 
guns to defend his ship against enemy aircraft. In 1942, Bill was 
commissioned as a second lieutenant and by 1944 was a captain and took 
part in the campaign of Saipan Island.
  After the war, Bill continued to serve in the Marines as an artillery 
instructor. When the Korean War broke out, Captain Card took part in 
the landing at Inchon and the liberation of Seoul. By 1954, Bill was a 
Lieutenant Colonel and served as Battalion Commander, Training and Test 
Regiment at Quantico, Virginia. In 1962, he was deployed to Cuba during 
the missile crisis and was subsequently promoted to full colonel.
  In 1968, Colonel Card came to Harlingen, Texas as director of 
Development of the Marine Military Academy. As an instructor, he was 
always willing to share his knowledge and the values of integrity, 
honor, courage, dedication and perseverance with the young cadets. Upon 
his retirement from the Marine Corps, he

[[Page 3515]]

began a new career as a businessman and community leader in Harlingen.
  Bill Card jumped right in to community affairs. He served as the 
Mayor of Harlingen from 1987 to 1998. He has served as the President of 
the Rio Grande Valley Chamber of Commerce, the Harlingen Rotary Club, 
the United Fund, and the Lower Rio Grande Valley Development Council. 
He has been an officer in numerous organizations including the Easter 
Seal Chapter of Cameron County, the American Heart Association, the 
Lower Rio Grande Valley YWCA, the Muscular Dystrophy Association, the 
Marine Military Academy and the Harlingen Community Care Emergency 
Foundation. He currently serves on the Rio Grande Valley Health 
Services District Board, a new entity seeking to resolve the border 
region's indigent health care crisis. This list goes on and on.
  He has deservedly received numerous awards including Citizen of the 
Year of the Rio Grande Council of the Boy Scouts, the 1973 ``Boss of 
the Year'' by the National Secretaries Association and the 1980 
``Banker of the Year'' for Small Business Administration Region VI. He 
even received the ``Road Hand Award'' from the Texas Department of 
Transportation for proving his ability and stamina in toiling long, 
strenuous hours for Texas roads. He has also never forgotten his first 
love, the Marines, and spearheaded the capital campaign that raised $14 
million for new barracks, classrooms, student services and athletic 
facilities for the Marine Military Academy.
  Bill Card never does anything half-heartedly. The discipline and 
focus he learned in the Marines has been carried with him in civilian 
life. The people of Harlingen and the Rio Grande Valley are deeply 
indebted to him for his commitment to improving life for every 
resident. As a result of his leadership, Harlingen completed a new air 
terminal at Valley International Airport. The city has a new public 
library, a new public museum and an expanded municipal auditorium. His 
vision of thinking of the Rio Grande Valley as one economic entity has 
brought economic growth and increased cooperation to the whole region.
  Despite accomplishing enough for two lifetimes, Bill and his wife 
Garrison have found the time to raise four beautiful children and are 
the proud grandparents of six grandchildren. I am very proud to call 
him my friend. I urge my colleagues to join me in commending Colonel 
Card and expressing our gratitude for his distinguished service to 
South Texas and to this great Nation.

                          ____________________