[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 156 (2010), Part 2]
[House]
[Pages 1801-1802]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




               REMEMBERING REPRESENTATIVE JACK P. MURTHA

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Kingston) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. KINGSTON. Mr. Speaker, I rise as a friend and mourn and share the 
loss not just to the Murtha family, the State of Pennsylvania, but to 
the entire Nation, and certainly every man and woman wearing a uniform.
  I was proud to know Jack Murtha, proud to serve in the U.S. Congress 
with Jack Murtha. He was a bipartisan guy. He was a knowledgeable guy. 
He was a hardworking guy.
  The military budget in appropriations is over $500 billion. It is a 
very thick bill. You have to know airplanes from submarines, from tanks 
to battleships. Jack Murtha knew that, and he would study it very 
deeply.
  Jack Murtha, though, beyond being a professional Congressman, taught 
this Chamber many things.
  For one thing, I learned as a guy who came up through some partisan 
battles and some nonpartisan battles that the Murtha-McDade 
relationship almost cast a certain circle around the State of 
Pennsylvania that made it a special place, that the Pennsylvania 
delegation had something that the other States did not have, and that 
was two great leaders--Republican and Democrat--who kind of set the 
tone not just for the entire State but for the rest of us to see how 
things could be. And indeed, the Pennsylvania delegation has still had 
great fellowship because of that legacy.
  It was also reflected in his relationship with Bill Young. I can't 
tell you what a joy it has been for all Members of Congress who come 
and often see the battles that are so epitomized on the talk shows and 
the name calling and so forth, and you think that is Congress. And then 
you go into a committee room and you see Bill Young and Jack Murtha 
working together, not always agreeing but always affectionate and 
always having great respect for what the other one had to say.
  And indeed, I can tell you as somebody who served here 18 years, 
sometimes you couldn't tell who was chairman. They were that close and 
that united and that focused on what was best for the troops. What a 
great relationship. And again, what a great example for the rest of us.
  Jack Murtha was an old-school guy. He liked to have his bill done in 
a hurry. In fact, the chairman, Mr. Obey is there, and he knows while 
it was one of the largest bills, it was also one of the fastest bills 
to be passed so many times. He knew exactly where he wanted to go long 
before the hearing started.
  I remember I had an amendment that had to do with electronic 
verification of social security numbers for people working on Federal 
contracts. The chairman didn't like it. And I remember Mr. Murtha--I 
submitted it, I worked the committee, the subcommittee very carefully, 
and he said, ``Kingston, we're not going to do that.''

[[Page 1802]]

That was it. That was my hearing. And when he said that, you knew that 
was it. The curtain was closed. The case was over.
  And this same chairman could turn around and say to you, you've got a 
problem in Hinesville, Georgia, little old Hinesville, Georgia, a speck 
on the map, that because it's the home of Fort Stewart, the 3rd 
Infantry was expecting two more brigades, went out and built a lot of 
roads and schools and infrastructure in preparation for another 
brigade.
  And then the Pentagon made a turn and decided not to send it to them. 
And who stood up for Hinesville, Georgia? Jack Murtha. Who did I go to 
and say, Look, if we're going to make this happen, we've got to do 
something to help these people because the Pentagon has done them 
wrong. They stood tall for the military but now the military has let 
them down. We're not going to let that happen. And Jack Murtha pulled 
through. Not just on that issue but time and time again.
  Jack Murtha loved the United States of America. Jack Murtha loved the 
military. Jack Murtha loved the soldiers. He stood up not just for 
them, but for their families over and over again.
  Congress has lost a great leader, as has the State and the United 
States of America. But the American soldiers have lost a true friend 
and a passionate guy who would do anything for the man and woman in 
uniform.
  I say God bless Jack Murtha and his memory and everything he has done 
for the United States of America.

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