[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 162 (2016), Part 3]
[Senate]
[Page 3432]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                   RECOGNIZING THE ``USS MONTPELIER''

  Mr. LEAHY. Mr. President, as a native of Montpelier and as one who 
attended the christening of the USS Montpelier, I was so happy to see 
an article in the Times Argus regarding its return to the United States 
after a 6-month deployment last month. Steve Martin and Debra Smith 
have both been involved for years and supported the crew of the USS 
Montpelier. Marcelle and I had a memorable time at a picnic they held 
for the crew in Middlesex. As a Vermonter, they both make me proud, and 
I wanted my fellow Senators to see what they have done.
  I ask unanimous consent that the Times Argus article be printed in 
the Record.
  There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in 
the Record, as follows:

                  [From the Times Argus, Feb. 8, 2016]

                    USS Montpelier Returns to States

                           (By Josh O'Gorman)

       Norfolk, Va.--The USS Montpelier has returned home to the 
     United States following a six-month deployment.
       Friday afternoon, the submarine--the third naval vessel to 
     share the name of Vermont's capital--docked at Naval Station 
     Norfolk after logging more than 38,000 nautical miles during 
     its most recent deployment.
       The crew of the Los Angeles-class fast-attack submarine, 
     which includes 15 officers and 129 enlisted crew, spent the 
     recent deployment supporting national security interests in 
     Europe and the Middle East, with stops in Bahrain, France, 
     Greece and the United Arab Emirates.
       ``I have been connected with this amazing group of men for 
     14 or 15 years now,'' said Debra Smith, of Middlesex, who 
     chairs the Veterans and Family Support Committee for the 
     Montpelier VFW.
       Smith's support for the sailors of the USS Montpelier began 
     with her efforts to keep them entertained while at sea. 
     Smith, who used to operate Capital Video in Montpelier before 
     it closed, would send the sailors movies to watch during 
     their down time.
       Most recently, Smith organized an effort in which students 
     from Hardwick Elementary School are making ``Welcome Home'' 
     and Valentine's Day cards, which are expected to go out in 
     the mail to the crew this week.
       Both Smith and Steve Martin, also of Middlesex, have been 
     passengers of the 360-foot submarine, which was commissioned 
     in 1993 and which launched the first Tomahawk cruise missiles 
     during the 2003 invasion of Iraq.
       ``It was pretty awesome,'' Martin said. ``It's pretty tight 
     in there. We spent the day out at sea and when they surfaced 
     we were able to go up on the bridge with the captain.''
       He also described the steepness with which the submarine 
     dives and surfaces.
       ``You're keeping your balance and your face is a few feet 
     from the floor,'' Martin said.
       Next month, Smith and Martin will take a road trip that 
     will include a stop in Norfolk to visit the boat and its 
     crew.

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