[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 156 (2010), Part 5]
[House]
[Pages 5941-5942]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                HONORING THE LIFE OF GENERAL MIKOLAJCIK

  (Mr. BROWN of South Carolina asked and was given permission to 
address the House for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. BROWN of South Carolina. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the 
life of my good friend, General Thomas Mikolajcik, known to many of his 
friends as General Mik, for his lasting commitment to our Nation's 
military and veterans.
  After 27 years of active duty in the Air Force, General Mik returned 
to Charleston, where he served as chairman of the Charleston Chamber of 
Commerce's Military Affairs Committee. In 2005, he was diagnosed with 
ALS. At that time, the disease was not recognized as a service-
connected disorder by the VA. Because of the high incidence rate among 
veterans, General Mik worked tirelessly with me, the entire VA 
Committee, and General Peake to change VA regulations to make ALS a 
presumptive disease. He also played an instrumental role in the 
establishment of the National ALS Registry.
  Because of his valiant efforts, no veteran will ever have to fight 
for disability after they have been diagnosed with ALS. General Mik 
always put service to our country and his fellow countrymen first, and 
he will be greatly missed.

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