[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 157 (2011), Part 15]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 21381]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




  HONORING G. KENNETH CARPENTER AND HAROLD FARRINGTON, JR., ON THEIR 
                 INDUCTION TO THE VETERANS HALL OF FAME

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. JOE COURTNEY

                             of connecticut

                    in the house of representatives

                       Monday, December 19, 2011

  Mr. COURTNEY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor, recognize, and 
congratulate G. Kenneth Carpenter and Harold Farrington, Jr., on their 
induction into the Veterans Hall of Fame.
  In 1967, Kenneth volunteered to serve his country in Vietnam. After 
returning home, he found his calling and joined the clergy. During his 
25 years as Senior Minister at Mystic's Union Baptist Church, Mr. 
Carpenter dedicated himself to his community. He helped found the 
Mystic Area Shelter & Hospitality, providing a safe haven to more than 
800 people and preventing hundreds more from becoming homeless. He also 
led the group that created the Sunshine Kitchen in Groton, which served 
free meals to local people in need for 18 years. In addition, Mr. 
Carpenter co-founded the Southeastern Connecticut Clergy Association to 
encourage people of different faiths to work together and volunteered 
to counsel veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder.
  Harold Farrington, Jr., served in the Army's combat infantry in 
Vietnam. In 1968, he returned home after a mortar round blew up in his 
left hand. Mr. Farrington spent five years undergoing painful bone and 
skin grafts and tendon transplants. Harold was so impressed with the 
care he received from the Veterans benefits counselor that he decided 
to go work for the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. Over the next 
30 years, Mr. Farrington was dedicated to ensuring that veterans and 
their families were able to receive the disability compensation, 
benefits, and services to which they were entitled. Harold established 
Veteran's Services offices at the Naval Submarine Base in Groton, the 
Coast Guard Academy in New London and the Naval Station in Newport, RI, 
to help service-members transition to civilian life.
  The exemplary contributions that G. Kenneth Carpenter and Harold 
Farrington, Jr., have made to their communities after leaving the 
military, have earned them a place in the Veterans Hall of Fame. Mr. 
Speaker, I ask that my colleagues join me in congratulating these two 
men and applauding their dedication to serving Connecticut and the 
nation.

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