[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 163 (2017), Part 8]
[Senate]
[Page 11901]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                        TRIBUTE TO JOHN MICHELS

  Mr. WYDEN. Madam President, Team Wyden will shortly lose one of its 
stalwarts, but before John Michels of my Portland office takes his 
well-deserved retirement after two decades of service to the people of 
Oregon, I want to take just a few minutes to recognize his many, many 
contributions.
  John joined my office in the late 1990s through a work-study program 
run by the Department of Veterans Affairs. He had previously worked in 
construction, and he served as a jet engine mechanic in the U.S. Navy 
before coming to my office, so suffice it to say that he was no 
stranger to long hours and tough assignments.
  As a member of Team Wyden, John put his shoulder to the wheel to help 
other veterans when backlogs, bureaucracy, or red tape held up the care 
or the recognition they had earned. In his years of service, John has 
managed thousands of cases for Oregon constituents struggling with one 
Federal agency or another.
  John has also always been a practical soul and has a passion for 
tinkering and fixing things. He brought these skills to bear as our 
resident IT expert and computer whisperer in Oregon.
  Anybody who has worked in the government can tell you it can be 
tough. The pace can be grueling, the cynicism can be frustrating, and 
the bureaucracy can be maddening, but as John will attest, there are 
few more rewarding experiences than helping a veteran receive overdue 
recognition or bringing a new VA facility to a rural community or 
ensuring seniors and people with disabilities receive the Social 
Security benefits they so richly deserve.
  John is not the type of person to trumpet his service from the 
rooftops, but he has an enormous heart and a passion for public 
service. The bottom line is that John has found ways to help me help 
countless people across Oregon.
  Now, as John knows, we never really let anybody leave Team Wyden, so 
I am sure we will still call upon his wealth of knowledge and 
experience. In the meantime, I want to thank him for all the help he 
has provided over these past two decades. I have been fortunate to have 
him on my team, and we will all miss him greatly.

                          ____________________