[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 152 (2006), Part 12]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 16266]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                      TRIBUTE TO MR. RALPH BOZELLA

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. MARILYN N. MUSGRAVE

                              of colorado

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, July 27, 2006

  Mrs. MUSGRAVE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the patriotism and 
military service of Mr. Ralph Bozella of Longmont, Colorado.
  Soon after graduating with his teaching certificate during the 
tumultuous years of the Vietnam war, Mr. Bozella's life forever changed 
one Monday in the late summer of 1970. The ink was barely dry on the 
teaching contract he signed the Friday before when Mr. Bozella received 
notice that he had been drafted for service in Vietnam.
  Before long, Mr. Bozella found himself at Bien Hoa Air Base near 
Saigon, Vietnam. From there he was sent to Chu Lai and assigned to a 
light infantry brigade within the Americal Infantry Division. Mr. 
Bozella was assigned to search and patrol the area to protect nearby 
villages during the rice harvest.
  On these patrols into the Vietnamese jungles Mr. Bozella courageously 
volunteered to be the patrol's point man. In this capacity he walked 
first to find booby traps before they found the rest of the patrol.
  Eventually, Mr. Bozella transferred to the U.S. Army Education Center 
where he taught and tested soldiers in a GED program. With his 
background in education, Mr. Bozella was grateful that he was able to 
positively impact soldiers in such an incredibly difficult situation.
  Following Mr. Bozella's return from the horrors of the war in 
Vietnam, he encountered an unsupportive society and was ostracized by 
his peers. Despite these difficulties, Mr. Bozella earned a masters 
degree in adult and community education from Colorado State University 
and went on to serve his community in various roles as an educator and 
administrator.
  Mr. Bozella has been intimately involved in several veterans' 
organizations, serving as chairman of the Colorado Board of Veterans 
Affairs and as a State officer with the American Legion.
  Mr. Speaker, I am grateful for Mr. Bozella's selfless service to our 
Nation. I urge my colleagues to join me in recognizing a man worthy of 
our honor, Mr. Ralph Bozella. I am deeply saddened by the way he was 
treated when he came home from Vietnam. After the passing of the years 
I hope that the respect and honor that his is afforded today will help 
heal those wounds.

                          ____________________