[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 154 (2008), Part 16]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 22873]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




              RECOGNIZING THE JERSEY CITY FIRE DEPARTMENT

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. STEVEN R. ROTHMAN

                             of new jersey

                    in the house of representatives

                       Friday, September 26, 2008

  Mr. ROTHMAN. Madam Speaker, I rise to recognize and congratulate the 
Jersey City Fire Department on receiving the U.S. Department of Defense 
Employer Support Freedom Award.
  From their beginnings in 1829 through today, the Jersey City Fire 
Department's primary focus has been on protecting and supporting the 
community. This is readily apparent in how they treat their employees, 
particularly those who have chosen to serve in the U.S. military 
Reserves. Fire Captain Leonard DiStaso has been working for the 
department since 1997 in addition to serving in the Marine Corps 
Reserve. In the past 5 years, Captain DiStaso has been deployed to Iraq 
twice and both times the Jersey City Fire Department was there to 
support him and his family:
  The Jersey City Fire Department went above and beyond the call of 
duty to make sure that Captain DiStaso was able to keep in contact with 
his family, while the department made sure to take care of them at 
home. His coworkers at the fire department stayed in touch with his 
family and helped them with snow shoveling and other necessities. In 
addition, the Jersey City Fire Department also raised thousands of 
dollars to buy phone cards for him and his fellow Marines in Iraq, as 
well as for wounded Marines at the National Naval Medical Center in 
Bethesda, Maryland. In fact, they even gave Christmas gifts to the 
families of all the Marines in his unit.
  I commend the Jersey City Fire Department for their commitment to the 
community and their employees. This group of dedicated individuals is 
exceedingly deserving of the Department of Defense Employer Support 
Freedom Award, which recognizes employers who provide exceptional 
support to employees serving in the National Guard or Reserve. This is 
the U.S. Government's highest recognition for efforts made in the 
civilian lives of America's citizen-servicemembers, which make up 
roughly half of the Nation's Armed Forces.
  I am so proud to represent the men and women of the Jersey City Fire 
Department and hope every Member of Congress will join me in 
recognizing them for their outstanding commitment to the community.

                          ____________________