[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 156 (2010), Part 5]
[House]
[Pages 7079-7080]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                              {time}  1930
RECOGNIZING MAJOR SPEROS KOUMPARAKIS' SERVICE AS DEPUTY DIRECTOR OF THE 
               UNITED STATES MARINE CORPS LIAISON OFFICE

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Price) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. PRICE of North Carolina. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor a 
man who has served his country and this institution with distinction as 
an officer of the United States Marine Corps. I will be joined in this 
tribute by my friend and colleague from the House Democracy 
Partnership, the gentleman from California (Mr. Dreier).
  Major Speros Koumparakis joined the Marine Corps Office of 
Legislative Affairs in October 2006. He was hired immediately for a 
yearlong fellowship by the gentleman from Missouri (Mr. Akin). After 
completing his fellowship, Major Koumparakis joined the House Liaison 
Office as a legislative liaison officer, and was promoted subsequently 
to deputy director of this office.
  Like many of my colleagues, I have had the distinct honor and 
pleasure of getting to know Major Koumparakis over the past 2\1/2\ 
years as he served as the interface between the Marine Corps and the 
U.S. House of Representatives on matters large and small. Throughout 
this time, I have been deeply and consistently impressed by his 
dedication, his professionalism, his ethnic of service, and above all 
his integrity--qualities which exemplify the ideals promoted by the 
United States Marine Corps.
  Major Koumparakis has displayed a unique ability to develop 
relationships of trust and confidence with many Members and staff of 
the House, combined with an uncanny ability to deliver results. Anybody 
who has ever interacted with him on a policy matter of importance to 
the Marine Corps, an issue affecting a constituent servicemember, or a 
logistical challenge arising in the course of an overseas delegation 
can't help but be struck by his equanimity in the face of crisis and 
his infectious confidence that everything will be resolved as 
expeditiously as possible. If anybody can pull it off, one is led to 
conclude, certainly it must be Major Speros Koumparakis.
  I have witnessed these traits personally in my capacity as chairman 
of the House Democracy Partnership, a bipartisan commission that works 
to strengthen legislative institutions in 15 developing democracies 
around the world. Along with my distinguished colleague and friend, 
David Dreier, the commission's founding chairman and now its ranking 
member, I have led or traveled on numerous congressional delegations 
which Major Koumparakis has planned, coordinated and escorted.

[[Page 7080]]

By our count, House-wide he has escorted no less than a dozen HDP 
congressional and staff delegations over the last 2 years, and he has 
contributed in various ways to our programming right up until the very 
end of his tour. House-wide, Major Koumparakis has organized more than 
50 congressional and staff delegations during his tour in the House 
Liaison Office, including trips for high-ranking Members such as the 
House minority leader and the leadership of the House Armed Services 
Committee. But we like to think that he reserves a special place in his 
heart for the House Democracy Partnership, often forgoing travel to 
more glamorous destinations in order to escort our commission to 
countries such as Liberia, Afghanistan and Timor Leste, where the need 
for the kind of institutional support we can provide is the greatest.
  On these trips, Major Koumparakis has not only excelled as an expert 
travel coordinator, diplomat and logistician, he has also established 
himself as an adviser to HDP's work, and an integral part of our 
programming with partner legislatures. And, of course, he has 
demonstrated his legendary ability to solve problems and deliver 
results in the most difficult circumstances.
  Let me give one striking example. On one occasion last year, we had a 
particularly ambitious around-the-world itinerary that included a stop 
in Hungary to commemorate the fall of the Iron Curtain followed by 
working visits with the legislatures of Mongolia, Indonesia and Timor 
Leste. But, unfortunately, our arrival in Budapest was delayed twice by 
a vote on a major bill here and then weather. By the time we were 
finally bound for Mongolia, we had nearly exhausted our window to pass 
through Chinese air space. We faced the prospect of having to divert 
our mission and forgo the opportunity to make progress with the 
Mongolian parliament. Well, Major Koumparakis came to the rescue. 
Working literally through the night, he somehow managed to persuade an 
official of the U.S. Embassy in Beijing to rouse a Chinese official at 
his personal residence, on a weekend, no less, and call in a favor to 
get us the clearance we needed. That is an anecdote that says a lot 
about the major. It is a small example of his dedication and creativity 
and good humor. He has just been an indispensable member of the House 
Liaison Office, and he leaves some very large shoes to fill.
  Now in recognition of his service and leadership potential, he has 
been assigned to what can only be assigned as a hardship billet in 
Buenos Aires, Argentina, where he will attend a command and staff 
program at the Argentine Naval War College. As he departs Capitol Hill 
for this next step in his career, we bid him farewell with heartfelt 
respect and admiration.

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