[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 159 (2013), Part 2]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 1902]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                         HONORING RILEY MILLER

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. SAM GRAVES

                              of missouri

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, February 27, 2013

  Mr. GRAVES of Missouri. Mr. Speaker, I proudly pause to recognize 
Riley Miller. Riley is a very special young man who has exemplified the 
finest qualities of citizenship and leadership by taking an active part 
in the Boy Scouts of America, Troop 249, and earning the most 
prestigious award of Eagle Scout.
   Riley has been very active with his troop, participating in many 
scout activities. Over the many years Riley has been involved with 
scouting, he has not only earned 39 merit badges, but also the respect 
of his family, peers, and community. Most notably, Riley has led his 
troop as the assistant patrol leader, librarian and patrol leader. 
Riley has also contributed to his community through his Eagle Scout 
project. Riley designed and constructed landscaping around the base of 
Holy Trinity Catholic Church in Weston, Missouri, including the 
placement of river stones around the base, building a cover of an 
unused heating duct and constructing three small containment walls.
   Mr. Speaker, I proudly ask you to join me in commending Riley Miller 
for his accomplishments with the Boy Scouts of America and for his 
efforts put forth in achieving the highest distinction of Eagle Scout.

                TEXAS NAVY SERVING THE REPUBLIC OF TEXAS

                                 ______
                                 

                              HON. TED POE

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, February 27, 2013

  Mr. POE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, on March 2, 1836, Texas declared her 
independence from Mexico, and on April 21, 1836 at the Battle of San 
Jacinto--the most important military victory in Texas history--Texas 
actually became a Republic all unto herself and remained so for nine 
glorious years.
   On the marshy plains of San Jacinto, the victory over Santa Anna and 
the Mexican Army under General Sam Houston and the Boys can be credited 
not only to the Texas Army on land but also to the forces patrolling 
the Gulf of Mexico--the first Texas Navy.
   The Texas Navy was established on November 25, 1835 to protect 
supply lines between Texas and New Orleans from Mexican naval ships. A 
tiny fleet of four schooners, named the Independence, Brutus, 
Invincible and Liberty, were purchased to protect and supply the new 
Republic. The Navy had its own Commodore, Captain Charles Hawkins, 
appointed by the Republic's own president, David G. Burnet.
   Commodore Hawkins was born in New York in 1802. At the age of 16, 
Hawkins enlisted in the United States Navy as a midshipman and began 
his military career in the Atlantic before transferring to the West 
Indies. On board a ship in the West Indies, Hawkins met Commodore David 
Porter, a hero of the War of 1812. Commodore Porter got himself into 
some mischief after invading a town in Puerto Rico in 1825 and was 
court-martialed. He resigned, chose to go command the Mexican Navy 
fleet and recruited the feisty, young sailor Hawkins to join him in the 
Mexican Navy.
   Hawkins spent the next several years as a Mexican naval commander, 
fighting against Spaniard ships opposing Mexico's Independence in the 
Gulf of Mexico. The Mexican Navy soon began to have doubts about 
American officers serving aboard their ships; these worries caused 
Hawkins to resign and move to Texas in 1828. Once in Texas, Hawkins 
worked as a river captain on the Chattahoochee.
   Hawkins' path to the Texas Navy started when he met General Sam 
Houston in San Felipe. Houston was impressed with Hawkins' experience 
and his desire to serve as navy captain to the new Texas Republic. 
Houston referred Hawkins to Governor Henry Smith, who then sent Hawkins 
to New Orleans to begin command over the Independence. At the age of 
34, as Commander of the Texas Navy, Hawkins sailed the Independence to 
the Gulf of Mexico to patrol the coast between Galveston and New 
Orleans.
   Meanwhile, General Sam Houston was busy building the Texas Army to 
defeat Santa Anna near the San Jacinto River and Buffalo Bayou at 
Lynch's Ferry. On the afternoon of April 21st, General Sam and the 
Boys, 700 Texas Freedom fighters, marched double time, in a single line 
of independence--taking on a professional army over twice their size.
   Santa Anna's army, caught napping, was routed. Most of the enemy was 
killed or wounded. The rest were captured or disappeared. The victory 
was stunning. The rest, as they say, is Texas history. But one of the 
most important factors in that Texas victory, mentioned briefly by some 
historians, was the maritime activity and success of the first Texas 
Navy.
   Commodore Hawkins and his brave crew of gutsy, scrappy sailors 
changed the course of Texas history on April 21, 1836. The Texas Navy 
helped win Texas independence by preventing Mexican ships from 
supplying Santa Anna, seizing gunpowder on Mexican ships and delivering 
aid to General Sam Houston's army. The heroic acts of the first Texas 
Navy resulted in one of the largest land transfers in world history and 
gave way to a new independent nation--the Republic of Texas.
   Texas still has an ``Honorary'' Texas Navy. In the 1980s, the 
Governor of Texas appointed me as an Admiral in the Texas Navy. 
(Everyone in the Navy is an Admiral.) During my tenure as a judge, I 
ordered offenders to be ``enlisted'' in the ``Texas Navy.'' The 
probationers were skilled welders, painters, plumbers and electricians. 
They were required to help in the restoration efforts of the Battleship 
Texas. This became another effective tool that both served the public 
and the probationer--a few went on to be hired by the Texas Parks and 
Wildlife Department. The probationers became a part of the history of 
the great ship ``Texas''. After being dry docked in Galveston in the 
80's, many much needed repairs were made by different organizations and 
thousands of volunteers--all to help preserve the Battleship Texas.
   The Texas Navy is one of the unique historical traditions of our 
great State.
   And that's just the way it is.

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