[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 158 (2012), Part 4]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages 5154-5155]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                             DR. ED GOLDEN

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. SAM GRAVES

                              of missouri

                    in the house of representatives

                       Wednesday, April 18, 2012

  Mr. GRAVES of Missouri. Mr. Speaker, it is with great pleasure that I 
rise today to recognize Dr. Ed Golden for his outstanding service to 
his nation and his community.
  Dr. Golden has truly dedicated his entire life to serving others. He 
served in the United States Navy for ten years, where he served aboard 
four ships and two shore stations, and became a Vietnam combat veteran.

[[Page 5155]]

  After battling an addiction to alcohol, his two sons motivated him to 
turn his life around. He earned his Masters Degree in Counseling 
Psychology, and a Doctorate in Theology from Southwest University. Dr. 
Golden became a Certified Substance Abuse Counselor, as well as an 
ordained Unity Minister. He currently serves as Chaplain for the Inter-
City Fire Protection District in Kansas City, the Blue Springs Police 
Department, and the Central Jackson County Fire Protection District. He 
also serves as CEO of Operation Thermal Reunion, Inc., a not-for-profit 
organization that raises funds to purchase thermal imaging cameras for 
fire fighters.
  Dr. Golden has been nominated twice for Citizen of the Year by the 
local Chamber of Commerce, and twice for Volunteer of the Year by the 
Blue Springs Police Department. He was named Civic Leader of the Year 
in 2010 by the Missouri Municipal League, and has received two Lifetime 
Presidential Volunteer Service Awards for his work in the community.
  Dr. Golden has served more than 38 years as a speaker in the field of 
Addiction Recovery throughout the United States, and he helped to write 
and teach the ``How to Cope'' program for families with an active 
substance abuser. He is the Founder of Celebration of Life Counseling & 
Consulting, and the author of The Unhooked Celebration, a book on 
nicotine addiction recovery. He has also been published in magazines 
and other periodicals.
  Incredibly, this is only a fraction of Dr. Golden's accomplishments. 
However, the accomplishment that he is perhaps most proud of is one for 
which he has never received recognition. During his time in the Navy, 
Dr. Golden moved up quickly in the ranks and eventually became the 
leading petty officer in the communications division for the USS 
Vermillion.
  Being the only person in the division who knew how to work the new 
electronic equipment, Dr. Golden spent two years writing a training 
program on shipboard electronics. Under his leadership, 13 of 14 of the 
radiomen who took the exam for the next rate had the highest scores in 
the fleet, and they received a nearly flawless inspection. He is 
extremely proud of the work that he did for the Navy, and he had 
expected to receive a commendation, as well as a Radioman First Class 
rating for his work. Unfortunately, he ended up receiving an honorable 
discharge and never received the honors that he had earned.
  Mr. Speaker, I ask that you join me in applauding Dr. Ed Golden for 
his commendable service to the United States Navy. He poured his time, 
skill and heart into building a program that would serve his division 
well, and he deserves our gratitude. I also ask that you join me in 
recognizing the lifetime of service that he has demonstrated throughout 
his career. It is an honor to serve a man like Ed Golden in Congress, 
and I know his colleagues, family and friends join with me in thanking 
him for his commitment to others and wishing him happiness and good 
health in his future endeavors.

                          ____________________