[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 157 (2011), Part 4]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 5190]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                     A TRIBUTE TO ALBERT B. WASHKO

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. ADRIAN SMITH

                              of nebraska

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, April 5, 2011

  Mr. SMITH of Nebraska. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in honor of Mr. 
Albert B. Washko. Al concluded 21 years of dedicated service to the 
Department of Veterans Affairs when he retired on March 31, 2011.
  Ensuring our nation's veterans were provided with the world-class 
benefits and services they earned was not a mission Al took lightly as 
evidenced by his dedication to serving the men and women who served in 
uniform.
  Over the course of his time with the Department of Veterans Affairs, 
Al held positions which took him from coast to coast. Before he was 
named the Director of the V.A. Nebraska-Western Iowa Health Care System 
in 2003, Al oversaw 23 medical centers in New York, New England, and 
Puerto Rico as Director of V.A. Northeast Region. He also worked at 
V.A. Medical centers in Albany, New York; Palo Alto, California; and 
Albuquerque, New Mexico. Al has served on numerous hospital, social 
service agency, and community boards which demonstrated his commitment 
to public service both on and off the job.
  Over the course of his career, Al helped fulfill President Abraham 
Lincoln's promise ``to care for him who shall have borne the battle, 
and for his widow, and his orphan.'' While the V.A. loses a valued 
member of its team with Al's retirement, his impact on our nation's 
veterans will be felt for years.
  I ask my colleagues to join me today in commending the career of Mr. 
Albert B. Washko as he begins his well-deserved retirement.

                          ____________________