[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 158 (2012), Part 12]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages 16538-16539]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




      IN HONOR OF THE CONNECTICUT VETERANS HALL OF FAME INDUCTEES

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. JOE COURTNEY

                             of connecticut

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, December 5, 2012

  Mr. COURTNEY. Mr. Speaker, on November 28th twelve new members were 
inducted into the Connecticut Veterans Hall of Fame. I am happy to 
represent three of them in Congress. Manuel Michael Cardoza Jr. of 
Preston, Paul Francis Dillon of Gales Ferry, and Herbert Thomas Schacht 
of Quaker Hill have all served their country with distinction both in 
and out of uniform and each is well-deserving of their recent 
induction.
  Manuel Cardoza served in the United States Army from 1951 to 1953, 
including eight months stationed in Korea. Since returning home over 
fifty years ago, Manuel has actively assisted his fellow veterans. He 
served as a commander of the Veterans of Foreign Wars posts in Norwich 
and Preston, as well as the American Legion Post 4. As a corporal 
medical technician in Korea, Manuel showed his

[[Page 16539]]

commitment to public health through the organization of numerous health 
screenings throughout the state. He also served as President of the 
Connecticut Sickle Cell and New London Chapter Disease Research 
Foundation and sat on the Backus Hospital Board of Directors.
  Paul Dillon is a retired Navy master chief radioman who served from 
1956 to 1980. During his service in the Vietnam War, Dillon and many of 
his shipmates fell ill with diseases related to Agent Orange. Paul was 
troubled by the treatment and lack of care received for some of his 
colleagues. This inspired him to devote countless volunteer hours with 
veteran and military groups and to become a leader in the National 
Association for Uniformed Services. Even while he was battling prostate 
cancer, Paul worked hard to ensure that other Vietnam veterans received 
the benefits and treatments that they needed. He continues to assist 
retired service members and their families each Wednesday at the 
Retired Activities Office on the submarine base in Groton.
  Herbert Schacht spent three years as a medical/surgical tech in 
during World War II, working stateside in Army hospitals. Upon leaving 
the military in 1946, Herbert returned home to work at the Waterford 
Country School. Although he intended to stay for a few short months, 
Herbert spent the next forty years aiding children with special needs 
and mental health issues. After retiring as the school's director, 
Herbert continued to dedicate much of his free time to volunteer work. 
He worked as a SCORE counselor where he assisted small businesses get 
off the ground, participated in AIDS work in Africa, and assisted an 
adoption service in Guatemala.
  As veterans return home from serving abroad, they bring valuable 
skills and strength back to their communities and continue their 
services to the country. Their induction into the Connecticut Veterans 
Hall of Fame is a powerful statement of their service to our country 
both in active duty and as veterans. It is a small elite who receive 
this honor, and they will be forever remembered at the State Capitol in 
Hartford as true leaders and examples for future generations. I ask my 
colleagues to join with me in recognizing and congratulating these 
extraordinary veterans.

                          ____________________