[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 156 (2010), Part 9]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages 12740-12741]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                       IN HONOR OF RICHARD GARZA

                                 ______
                                 

                             HON. SAM FARR

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                         Thursday, July 1, 2010

  Mr. FARR. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor a public servant who 
has spent the past 36 years serving our troops and veterans. Richard 
Garza, Director of Monterey County Military and Veterans Affairs 
Office, has assisted countless constituents with the Departments of 
Defense and Veterans Affairs. Today, Richard begins his retirement, but 
he will always continue to be an advocate for the men and women who've 
worn our nation's uniform.
  Richard Garza was born in Brooklyn, New York in 1948. In 1961, he 
moved to the San Francisco Bay Area and has been a California

[[Page 12741]]

resident since. From 1968 to 1970, Richard was drafted and served in 
the United States Army. After his period of service, he continued his 
education. He received a Bachelor's of Arts in Interdisciplinary Social 
Science from California State University, San Francisco and a Master's 
of Public Administration from California State University, Hayward.
  Richard began his public service career in 1974 as a Benefits 
Counselor and Program Administrator with the United States Department 
of Veterans Affairs. In 1980, he continued serving veterans as the 
Veterans Service Officer of Sonoma County. Since 2003, Richard has been 
with the Military and Veterans Affairs Office of Monterey County. As 
Director of the county office, he has assisted veterans with the 
Department of Veterans Affairs, and welcomed home returning troops from 
Iraq and Afghanistan. Moreover, Richard is the first individual in the 
State of California to become a Certified Veterans Advocate through the 
National Association of County Veterans Service Officers.
  Madam Speaker, Richard Garza has dedicated his life to taking care of 
our veterans and troops. I know I speak for the whole House when I both 
commend him for his dedication to public service and congratulate him 
on the occasion of his retirement.

                          ____________________