[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 159 (2013), Part 8]
[House]
[Page 11724]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                  WELCOMING CHAPLAIN MAJOR HOWARD BELL

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Without objection, the gentleman from 
Illinois (Mr. Shimkus) is recognized for 1 minute.
  There was no objection.
  Mr. SHIMKUS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Chaplain Howard Bell 
who led us in the opening prayer.
  The tradition of the opening prayer began with the Continental 
Congress in 1774 when Reverend Jacob Duche of Philadelphia offered a 
prayer at its start. Since that time, the House has enjoyed over 200 
years of service from the Chaplaincy of the House and our guest 
chaplains.
  Chaplain Bell has faithfully served in churches in Missouri and 
Illinois since 1988. While serving his church, Chaplain Bell was 
commissioned a chaplain captain in the United States Air Force Reserves 
in 2002 and was assigned as an Individual Mobilization Augmentation to 
the 375th Air Wing at Scott Air Force Base.
  In 2008, he was deployed to Afghanistan and assigned to the 455th Air 
Expeditionary Force at Bagram Airfield as the hospital chaplain, where 
he received the Army Commendation Medal. Since then, he has received 
the Air Force Commendation Medal, the International Security Assistance 
Force Medal, and the Afghanistan Enduring Freedom Medal. Chaplain Bell 
was also appointed wing chaplain of the 932nd Airlift Wing, where he 
supervises the ministry for nearly 1,200 airmen in the wing.
  He is married to Reverend Penelope Barber and has two children, David 
and Rachel. Currently, he is the pastor of the Farina United Methodist 
Church in Farina, Illinois, and of the Louisville United Methodist 
Church in Louisville, Illinois.
  It is my honor to welcome a man who encompasses so many of the 
wonderful qualities of the people of Illinois, and I would like to 
personally thank Chaplain Bell for offering this morning's prayer.

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