[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 160 (2014), Part 6]
[Senate]
[Page 7823]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                         TRIBUTE TO LINDA PAPP

  Ms. LANDRIEU. Mr. President, it is with great pleasure that I wish to 
pay special tribute to an invaluable public servant, Mrs. Linda Papp. 
Coast Guard first lady, career educator, mother, and grandmother--Linda 
has tirelessly worked for more than 39 years to improve the lives of 
Coast Guard military families.
  Linda is a native of East Lyme, CT, and is the oldest of Frank and 
Doris Kapral's six daughters. Her father, Frank, is a retired Coast 
Guard captain and fondly known throughout the service as ``Coach 
Kapral'' for his two decades leading the Coast Guard Academy football 
team. Linda holds a bachelor's and master's degree in education, and is 
the proud mother of three children, Lindsay, Caitlin and Jillian, and 
two granddaughters, Penelope and Ruby.
  As the wife of the 24th Commandant, ADM Robert J. Papp, Linda serves 
as the Coast Guard's Ombudsman-at-Large and regularly travels to meet 
with Coast Guard families. She advocates on behalf of families to the 
First Lady of the United States, Members of Congress, Department of 
Defense, and other Federal, State and local leaders to improve the 
quality of life for thousands of servicemembers. She relentlessly 
focuses on improving military housing, member and family access to 
quality health care, and the Coast Guard's Ombudsman Program.
  Of her 39 years as a military spouse, she spent 14 of those years 
watching six different Coast Guard cutters pull away from the pier. She 
understands that the strength and resilience of family members on the 
home front provides critical support to all of our Coast Guard men and 
women who stand the watch. She supports our men and women in uniform 
and those who keep the home fires burning and who every day face the 
unique challenges of a military lifestyle. They will always have a 
special place in her life, and in her heart.
  I ask my colleagues to join me in paying special tribute to Mrs. 
Linda Papp. Our Coast Guard and our country are served well by 
honorable and giving military spouses like Linda who truly care about 
the health and well being of those who serve. We wish Linda, Admiral 
Papp, and their family all the best as we honor one of our dear 
friends.

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