[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 162 (2016), Part 11]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages 15638-15639]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                 RECOGNIZING MR. WILLIAM ``BILL'' HALD

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                           HON. DOUG LaMALFA

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                       Thursday, December 1, 2016

  Mr. LaMALFA. Mr. Speaker, I would like to recognize Mr. William 
``Bill'' Hald of Grass Valley, California, an artist and a veteran from 
the North State.
  Bill served in the United States Navy from 1967 through 1973. After 
graduating 2nd in his class, he served as a computer fire control 
missile technician aboard the USS Ramsey, a Brooke-class destroyer 
escort for the USS Hancock aircraft carrier in the Western Pacific. Mr. 
Hald was one of the six crewmembers required to use the Ramsey's Tartar 
Missile System--but during his first tour he was the sole technician 
able to use the system's analog computer, resulting in long days and 
nights. Throughout his tour in the Western Pacific, the USS Ramsey 
earned 5 Battle Stars in addition to a number of citations and campaign 
ribbons. After his service, Bill returned to the North State and began 
to sculpt, sometimes using patriotic symbols, such as the bald eagle.
  Bill's wife Camille placed one of his sculptures, We The People, up 
for the 2016 National Veterans Administration Creative Arts 
Competition. This annual competition focuses on the use of the creative 
arts to assist in rehabilitative treatment for enrolled Veterans 
recovering from, and coping with physical and emotional disabilities. 
The competition has 51 categories, including sculptures. We The People 
quickly gained recognition, placing first in local and regional 
competitions. On October 16, 2016, at the National Veterans Creative 
Arts Festival in Jackson, Mississippi, We The People won first place in 
the sculpture category.
  We The People portrays a bald eagle perched atop four books: the Holy 
Bible, on top, followed by three books labelled Legislative, Executive 
and Judicial to represent the first three Articles of the Constitution 
of the United States. The right talon of the eagle is placed on the 
Holy Bible, while it stands ``on

[[Page 15639]]

the wall,'' over the Constitution in a protective stance. In total, 
Bill spent over a year crafting the 100 pound pure bronze sculpture in 
his garage. There are 5,000 accurately handcrafted feathers on the 
piece. I am deeply grateful to Bill for his service in the United 
States Navy, but also for the incredible devotion and patriotism that 
he has shown to his country after his service ended.




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