[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 160 (2014), Part 8]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 11649]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                         IN MEMORY OF PAT TORO

                                  _____
                                 

                            HON. GRACE MENG

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, July 9, 2014

  Ms. MENG. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in memory of my constituent, Pat 
Toro, decorated Vietnam veteran, longtime former president of the 
Queens chapter of the Vietnam Veterans of America, and retired law-
enforcement officer. Pat passed away on Thursday, July 3, at the age of 
sixty-four, after a long battle with leukemia.
  Pat served his country as a Marine during the Vietnam War. Upon his 
return to the United States he continued to serve his community as a 
criminal investigator for the Port Authority of New York and New 
Jersey. In addition to being the President of the Queens chapter of the 
Vietnam Veterans of America, Pat held the positions of Southern 
District Leader and National Director at Large.
  During his tenure with the Vietnam Veterans of America, Pat was 
profoundly dedicated to improving the quality of life and preserving 
the history of his fellow veterans. He started a program to provide 
dignified burials for indigent veterans, which gave ninety people the 
proper respect they had earned. One of Pat's goals was to construct a 
memorial that would honor the more than 400 fallen Vietnam veterans 
from Queens. Although this project remains on hold, completing it would 
be a fitting honor to Pat's memory.
  There is not a better example of unbridled patriotism and service 
than Pat Toro, who was inducted into the New York State Veterans Hall 
of Fame in 2006.
  I ask that my colleagues in the House of Representatives join me and 
rise in memory of the courageous and benevolent American hero, Pat 
Toro, who provided an immeasurable service to some of the most 
deserving Americans.

                          ____________________