[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 156 (2010), Part 11]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 15976]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                       TRIBUTE TO JOSEPH CALDERON

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. TOM LATHAM

                                of iowa

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, September 16, 2010

  Mr. LATHAM. Madam Speaker, I rise to recognize Joseph Calderon, a 
Navy and Army veteran from Boone County, Iowa, and to express my 
appreciation for his dedication and commitment to his country.
  The Boone News Republican is currently running a series of articles 
that honors one Boone County veteran every Tuesday from Memorial Day to 
Veterans Day. Joseph Calderon was recognized on Tuesday, August 17. 
Below is the article in its entirety:

                 Boone County Veterans: Joseph Calderon

                        (By Alexander Hutchins)

       Joseph Calderon, 75, was drafted into the Army in 1959. It 
     was a requirement for his naturalized citizenship, and he 
     feels proud of both his native and adoptive countries to this 
     day.
       Calderon grew up in a poor, but educated, family in La Paz, 
     Bolivia, the highest national capital in the western 
     hemisphere. His father always stressed the value of 
     education, and a lifetime of hard work helped Calderon earn 
     entry into a La Paz university to study medicine. At the time 
     of his studies, political instability gripped the nation. The 
     government frequently shut down the university where Calderon 
     studied, as the school was the source of much of the 
     insurrection against those in power. Frequent interruptions 
     to instruction influenced many medical students at the 
     university to leave.
       ``Most of my classmates decided to go to other parts of the 
     world,'' Calderon said. ``Some of them went to Argentina, 
     many went to Brazil, a lot of them went to Europe, to Spain. 
     And I, since I was so interested in and reading so much about 
     the U.S., decided to come to the U.S. My father thought that 
     it was a crazy idea, because he asked me ``who do you know up 
     there?'''
       Being 22 and adventurous was his impetus.
       ``Ever since I was a child, for as long as I remember, I 
     always wanted to be a doctor just to help people,'' Calderon 
     said. ``There was nothing else that interested me more than 
     to wear my white coat some day and taking care of patients.''
       He applied to immigrate to the U.S. and moved to Nebraska. 
     Calderon was drafted into the Army in 1959 after working in a 
     mental institution in Hastings, Nebraska. While in the Army, 
     Calderon worked in a hospital as a medic and was stationed in 
     bases around the nation.
       ``The irony of my life is that, even though I had no idea 
     that I was going to he drafted into the Army, the moment I 
     put on that uniform I felt so proud because 1 used to see in 
     movies in my hometown John Wayne and other actors wearing 
     their uniform, and I'd dream that I'd get to wear a uniform 
     some day in my lift,'' Calderon said.
       Having recently immigrated, his English was very limited. 
     Calderon said he followed the example of the men around him 
     at first, and with attention and practice he became much more 
     proficient in English. He met a good friend, Jerry Butler, in 
     1959. The men struck up a friendship, and Butler mentioned he 
     was from Eldora, Iowa, before the men were deployed. Butler 
     went to Korea and Calderon went to Fort Gordon in Augusta, 
     Ga. They would be separated for some time, though not 
     indefinitely.
       After serving as a medic in Ft. Gordon, Calderon was 
     discharged from the Army and worked to complete the medical 
     studies he had begun in Bolivia. He returned to Omaha after 
     being discharged and worked as an orderly and then a surgical 
     technician. Due to financial issues and age limits, Calderon 
     was not able to attend medical school in the U.S. He applied 
     to a medical school in Mexico, was accepted and applied for 
     his license to practice medicine upon graduating five years 
     later. Calderon completed post-graduate training in Canada 
     and returned thereafter to work in Saint Joseph's hospital in 
     Omaha. In 1979, 20 years after first joining the Army, 
     Calderon enlisted in the Navy.
       ``That was very, very, very rewarding,'' Calderon said of 
     his 20 years in the Navy.
       He had seen a billboard advertising the Navy as an 
     adventure in Omaha, and after researching the service, 
     Calderon decided the Navy fit his life goals. The recruiter 
     was impressed with Calderon and appreciated his medical 
     training, thus Calderon was soon shipped to the Naval 
     hospital in Camp Pendleton. He served several tours at 
     Pendleton, staying with the Marines each time thanks to the 
     requests of the Marines themselves.
       ``I worked with the Marines for 15 years,'' Calderon said.
       Eventually Calderon would be reassigned, and he traveled 
     the world for a time, as well as directing a number of Navy 
     clinics.
       ``I also had the privilege to participate in Desert Storm 
     when Iraq invaded Kuwait. So I was the main medical planner 
     for one of the large units on the east coast in Camp Lejeune, 
     North Carolina, which was a Marine Corps base,'' Calderon 
     said.
       He also provided humanitarian aid in Central America and 
     received mandatory retirement from the Navy in 1999 at the 
     rank of Captain.
       ``In essence, I had a wonderful time with the Navy. I 
     enjoyed every day of my life working in the Navy,'' Calderon 
     said. ``I didn't want to retire because I was still active, 
     healthy and very well liked.''
       Unfortunately he would have to retire, but it would open a 
     new chapter of his life.
       Calderon would leave the medical world after his tour in 
     the Navy, leaving a field that has become very complex and 
     burdened with paperwork. He and Mary Kay, his wife, moved 
     back to Mary Kay's hometown of Boone.
       ``I always tell people that I have so many projects, I have 
     no time to be busy,'' Calderon said happily.
       He paints pictures, many on subjects pertinent to his home 
     country. He reads non-fiction, collects stamps and 
     international currency and he and Mary Kay travel frequently 
     to Europe, Ireland, and next year they hope to travel to 
     Bolivia. Calderon is also a member of the American Legion and 
     the Marine Corps League.
       Calderon retired to Iowa, much to the surprise of his 
     colleagues. Both his sons, David and Roberto, live in 
     California, but Calderon retired to Iowa because of the 
     people. He said he has never felt at a disadvantage in the 
     U.S. because he endeavors to act with respect and 
     intelligence.
       ``I want to show and I want to tell people that immigrate 
     from a different country that once they come into this 
     country, they need to dedicate their lives to the county that 
     has given them tutelage, so to speak, or the ability to be 
     successful,'' Calderon said.
       He feels strongly that the work and service he has given to 
     the United States is the reason he has been rewarded with 
     success and kindness.
       ``1 still care for Bolivia, but Bolivia hasn't given me 
     anything. The United States has helped me, and I have given 
     back to my country. I'm proud to fly a U.S. flag at my house, 
     and mainly to respect the laws of this country,'' Calderon 
     said.
       Calderon still follows some of the traditions and ideas of 
     his native country, but he strives to act as an American in 
     public. He also presents a booth about the culture and 
     history of Bolivia at cultural fairs in Iowa.
       Calderon said the legal process for immigration may be 
     strict, but it is the law and it should be followed and 
     respected. Federal laws on immigration should be enforced to 
     ensure that people entering the country can contribute to 
     society, he said.
       ``The demands are difficult and numerous to get into this 
     country, but while it takes work, it can be done, and it's 
     the way I and others have come here,'' Calderon said.
       Calderon recently contacted Jerry Butler, his friend from 
     the Army in 1959. Calderon and Butler met on Butler's farm in 
     Eldora. The two men had a reunion, and after all the years 
     and miles apart their friendship showed to be just as strong 
     as it was fifty years ago.

  I commend Joseph Calderon for his many years of loyalty and service 
to our great nation. It is an immense honor to represent him in the 
United States Congress, and I wish him all the best in his future 
endeavors.

                          ____________________