[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 161 (2015), Part 9]
[House]
[Pages 11797-11798]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                   ELDRIDGE WILLIAMS, TUSKEGEE AIRMAN

  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Emmer of Minnesota). The Chair 
recognizes the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Curbelo) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. CURBELO of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in honor of one of 
my constituents, Lieutenant Colonel Eldridge Williams, a Tuskegee 
Airman who passed away this month at the age of 97.
  Born in Texas in 1917, Lieutenant Colonel Williams graduated from 
Xavier University in 1942 and immediately applied for the Army flight 
program. He was commissioned as a second lieutenant in Miami Beach in 
1942.
  Lieutenant Colonel Williams trained Tuskegee Airmen who flew overseas 
to escort bomber planes across Europe. Though he didn't make it 
overseas, he flew at the Tuskegee Institute and trained other pilots 
until the end of World War II. He continued to serve during the 1948 
Berlin Airlift and the Korean war.
  In 1949, Mr. Williams moved to Richmond Heights, a community in South 
Miami-Dade established for Black servicemen returning from the war. Mr. 
Williams taught physical education at Richmond Heights Middle School 
and was soon after promoted to administrator, serving as director of 
desegregation for Miami-Dade County Public Schools. He retired from the 
school system in 1985, but remained committed to overseeing programs 
aimed at assisting kids that had dropped out of school.
  President George W. Bush presented Mr. Williams and the other living 
Tuskegee Airmen with a Congressional Gold Medal in 2007. This was an 
honor long overdue to these trailblazing heroes.
  On behalf of a grateful Nation, I send my deepest condolences to Mr. 
Williams' loved ones and the many lives touched by his positive 
influence. May they take solemn pride in a life well lived.


                FIU Veterans and Small Farmers Outreach

  Mr. CURBELO of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize 
Florida International University and their outreach to those in our 
agriculture community.
  I recently learned of a new program created by FIU to give veterans, 
along with minority and women farmers, the opportunity to expand their 
knowledge of the agriculture business.
  The Veterans and Small Farmers Outreach program will provide direct 
benefits to not only our brave men and women returning from harm's way, 
but also to the countless small farms in Homestead, an agriculture-
focused community in south Florida.
  The students currently enrolled in the Veterans and Small Farmers 
Outreach program at FIU have the opportunity to learn more about 
tending crops and raising livestock through apprenticeships throughout 
Miami-Dade and Broward Counties.
  I am confident these students will soon enter our workforce and be 
productive members of the agriculture community. We will all truly 
benefit from the fruits of their labor.
  I thank FIU for their continued innovation in bettering the south 
Florida community and wish only the best of luck to the hard-working 
students of this newly created program.


                                  Iran

  Mr. CURBELO of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to express my 
serious concerns over the Iran deal that was recently announced.
  So far, it appears that this agreement is bad for the United States 
and bad for our allies in the region. As I have said before, a weak 
deal that gives Iran any possibility of achieving a nuclear weapon is 
unacceptable.
  Key components of the nuclear program are still in place. Iran will 
still be allowed to have centrifuges and continue research and 
development on them. The Natanz and Fordow facilities will remain in 
place to purportedly continue their nuclear activities for peaceful 
purposes.
  In addition to these troubling facts, the Iranian regime is going to 
receive an exorbitant amount of money that they will undoubtedly use, 
at least in part, to fund Hamas and Hezbollah.
  Mr. Speaker, from what I can tell, this deal does not prevent Iran 
from having the parts needed to reach the nuclear threshold capability 
down the road and it will boost the regime's ability to support terror 
in the region.
  I strongly urge my colleagues to continue to carefully monitor this 
situation and consider the security interests of the United States and 
our allies as we continue analyzing this deal.


                    Eagle Scout Rank Congratulations

  Mr. CURBELO of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate two 
students from my district, Daniel Auster and Sebastian Torra, who have 
both achieved the rank of Eagle Scout with Troop 69 of Homestead, 
Florida. This prestigious accomplishment has only been achieved by 4 
percent of Boy Scouts nationwide.
  Daniel was the first scout in Troop 69 to attain an Eagle Palm pin in 
the last 15 years. His fellow troop member, Sebastian, completed 173 
volunteer hours at Jack D. Gordon Elementary School for his Eagle Scout 
project, both impressive accomplishments.
  Daniel and Sebastian are exemplary of the Boy Scout slogan ``Do a 
good turn daily.'' I applaud their hard work and dedication to achieve 
this honor. They truly embody the Boy Scouts' commitment to our 
community. I am

[[Page 11798]]

always pleased to see young people with such dedication to giving back 
and making our neighborhoods better.
  Once again, congratulations to Daniel and Sebastian.

                          ____________________