[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 158 (2012), Part 7]
[Senate]
[Page 10084]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                      RECOGNIZING MICHAEL P. JOLIN

 Mr. WHITEHOUSE. Mr. President, earlier this month the Rhode 
Island Bar Association honored CPT Michael P. Jolin, Esq., with its 
Victoria M. Almeida Servant Leader Award. I am proud to join in 
congratulating Mike for this well-deserved distinction.
  Mike Jolin has served his country and the people of Rhode Island with 
competence, courage, and compassion throughout his career. When I was 
Rhode Island attorney general, I appointed Mike as special assistant 
attorney general. He went on to serve as the deputy chief of Legal 
Services for the Rhode Island Department of Business Regulation. In 
both roles he performed admirably, upholding the laws of our State and 
protecting our citizens.
  Meanwhile, Mike worked with neighbors and local officials in 
Pawtucket to maintain standards in the city's rental properties and 
protect tenants' rights as chair of the Pawtucket Nuisance Task Force, 
and to promote broadly shared economic empowerment for the residents of 
the Woodlawn neighborhood as a member of the board of the Woodlawn 
Community Development Corporation. He also served ably on the board of 
City Arts, helping to bring art education to the children of 
Providence.
  In the U.S. Army Reserve and Rhode Island National Guard, Mike served 
as a judge advocate, performing critical legal, administrative, 
ethical, and regulatory operations and analysis. He was responsible for 
the creation of the Rhode Island National Guard's first full-time legal 
assistance program as well as the Rhode Island Bar Association's U.S. 
Armed Forces Legal Project. These two programs have provided high-
quality and often free legal services to hundreds of Rhode Island 
service men and women, veterans and their families.
  Even after deploying to Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring 
Freedom with Combined Joint Interagency Task Force 435, Mike remained 
closely involved with the Armed Forces Legal Project, working from 
abroad to help address the unmet legal needs of Rhode Island's military 
women and men.
  Now back on American soil, Mike continues to serve Rhode Island, 
conducting outreach to the veteran and military communities in my Rhode 
Island office and helping constituents connect with resources of the 
federal government.
  The creed of one of our Armed Forces' special operations units says, 
``I do not advertise the nature of my work, nor seek recognition for my 
actions.'' Mike's work exemplifies this spirit, demonstrating the 
understanding that mission success absolutely depends on the individual 
successes of those around him.
  On behalf of all the staff in my Providence and Washington offices, I 
commend CPT Michael P. Jolin, Esq.--in the words of the Victoria M. 
Almeida Servant Leader Award citation--for his clear demonstration of 
``the principles and values of servant leadership'' and for being ``a 
beacon of light and hope to others by illuminating the path to greater 
justice for all.'' We are lucky to have him as part of our team--as are 
the people of Rhode Island.

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