[JPRT, 111th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
John P. Murtha
LATE A REPRESENTATIVE FROM
PENNSYLVANIA
MEMORIAL ADDRESSES
AND OTHER TRIBUTES
HON. JOHN P. MURTHA
1932-2010
HON. JOHN P. MURTHA
[GRAPHIC(S) NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]
Memorial Addresses and
Other Tributes
HELD IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
AND SENATE
OF THE UNITED STATES
TOGETHER WITH MEMORIAL SERVICES
IN HONOR OF
JOHN P. MURTHA
Late a Representative from Pennsylvania
One Hundred Eleventh Congress
Second Session
U.S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE
WASHINGTON: 2010
Compiled under the direction
of the
Joint Committee on Printing
CONTENTS
Biography.............................................
v
Proceedings in the House of Representatives:
Tributes by Representatives:
Altmire, Jason, of Pennsylvania................
22
Baca, Joe, of California.......................
41
Bishop, Sanford., Jr., of Georgia..............
32
Brady, Robert A., of Pennsylvania..............
69
Braley, Bruce L., of Iowa......................
57
Brown, Corrine, of Florida.....................
61
Capuano, Michael E., of Massachusetts..........
62
Carney, Christopher P., of Pennsylvania........
25
Cohen, Steve, of Tennessee.....................
67
Dahlkemper, Kathleen A., of Pennsylvania.......
27
DeLauro, Rosa L., of Connecticut...............
68
Doyle, Michael F., of Pennsylvania.............
17
Driehaus, Steve, of Ohio.......................
63
Edwards, Donna F., of Maryland.................
59
Farr, Sam, of California.......................
42
Frelinghuysen, Rodney P., of New Jersey........
14
Harman, Jane, of California....................
37
Hinchey, Maurice D., of New York...............
31
Hirono, Mazie K., of Hawaii....................
38
Holden, Tim, of Pennsylvania...................
16
Holt, Rush D., of New Jersey...................
33
Jackson Lee, Sheila, of Texas..................
10, 77
Johnson, Eddie Bernice, of Texas...............
75
Jones, Walter B., of North Carolina............
59
Kanjorski, Paul E., of Pennsylvania
...................................
3, 5, 6, 15
Kaptur, Marcy, of Ohio.........................
51
Kildee, Dale E., of Michigan...................
73
Kilpatrick, Carolyn C., of Michigan............
29
King, Steve, of Iowa...........................
10
Kingston, Jack, of Georgia.....................
12
Larson, John B., of Connecticut................
22, 75
Lee, Barbara, of California....................
35
Lewis, Jerry, of California....................
40
Lipinski, Daniel, of Illinois..................
34
Lowey, Nita M., of New York....................
55
Maloney, Carolyn B., of New York...............
72
McCarthy, Carolyn, of New York.................
74
McCollum, Betty, of Minnesota..................
36
Mollohan, Alan B., of West Virginia............
70
Moran, James P., of Virginia...................
49
Murphy, Patrick J., of Pennsylvania............
26
Obey, David R., of Wisconsin...................
19
Pascrell, Bill, Jr., of New Jersey.............
34
Pelosi, Nancy, of California...................
45
Pitts, Joseph R., of Pennsylvania..............
5
Quigley, Mike, of Illinois.....................
42
Rahall, Nick J., II, of West Virginia..........
47
Rangel, Charles B., of New York................
72
Rothman, Steven R., of New Jersey..............
56
Shuster, Bill, of Pennsylvania.................
69
Skelton, Ike, of Missouri......................
39
Stupak, Bart, of Michigan......................
64
Thompson, Glenn, of Pennsylvania...............
8
Visclosky, Peter J., of Indiana................
21
Wasserman Schultz, Debbie, of Florida..........
40
Welch, Peter, of Vermont.......................
65
Young, C.W. Bill, of Florida...................
11
Proceedings in the Senate:
Tributes by Senators:
Dodd, Christopher J., of Connecticut...........
80
Reid, Harry, of Nevada.........................
79
Memorial Services:
Statuary Hall, U.S. Capitol........................
100
Westmont Presbyterian Church.......................
83
BIOGRAPHY
PENNSYLVANIA'S LONGEST SERVING MEMBER OF CONGRESS
U.S. Representative John P. ``Jack'' Murtha dedicated
his life to serving his country both in the military and
in the Halls of Congress. He had a long and distinguished
37-year career in the U.S. Marine Corps, retiring from the
Marine Corps Reserve as a colonel in 1990.
He served the people of Pennsylvania's 12th
Congressional District from 1974 until his death in 2010.
At the time of his death, Congressman Murtha was the
eighth most senior Member of the 435-Member U.S. House of
Representatives. Of the nearly 10,600 men and women who
have served in the U.S. House of Representatives since
1789, only 61 have served longer than him. On February 6,
2010, he became the longest serving Member of Congress
from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
When he was a young boy, Congressman Murtha's great-
grandmother, Mary Bell, told him, ``We are put on this
Earth to make a difference.'' He lived by that motto every
day of his life.
He had two childhood career goals and was successful in
achieving both: he wanted to become a colonel in the
Marine Corps and a Member of Congress.
EARLY LIFE AND MILITARY SERVICE
John Patrick Murtha, Jr., was born on June 17, 1932, in
New Martinsville, WV. Early in his life he and his family
moved to Pennsylvania. He grew up in Westmoreland County
where he completed the requirements to become an Eagle
Scout and where he worked as a newspaper delivery boy and
at a gas station. He graduated from Ramsay High School in
Mount Pleasant and later attended the Kiskiminetas Springs
School and Washington and Jefferson College, where he
played football.
During the Korean war, he decided to interrupt his
college education and enlist in the Marine Corps out of
deep patriotism and love for his country. In boot camp he
earned the American Spirit Honor Medal, an award given to
fewer than 1 in 10,000 recruits. He was selected after
basic training to become a junior drill instructor at
Parris Island and in early 1953 was selected to attend
Officer Candidate School at Quantico, VA. He was then
assigned to the Second Marine Division, Camp Lejeune, NC.
His unit was assigned to go to Korea, but the armistice
was signed before his unit deployed. He was released from
active duty in February 1955 and joined the Marine Corps
Reserves.
On June 10, 1955, in Alexandria, VA, John Murtha married
the former Joyce Bell, who was from Richlands, NC. They
met while he was stationed at Camp Lejeune.
Mr. and Mrs. Murtha settled in Johnstown, PA. In August
1956, Mr. Murtha opened the Johnstown Minute Car Wash.
He was promoted to captain in 1956, and in 1959 he
assumed command of the 34th Special Infantry Company,
Marine Corps Reserves, in Johnstown.
He attended the University of Pittsburgh on the GI bill,
and graduated in 1962 with a degree in economics. He later
did graduate work in economics and political science at
the Indiana University of Pennsylvania.
In 1966, he was promoted to major and volunteered for
active duty for service in Vietnam. For the next 12 months
he served as the S-2 intelligence officer for the 1st
Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division.
During his tour of duty he was awarded the Bronze Star
with Combat V, two Purple Hearts, and the Vietnamese Cross
of Gallantry. He returned home from Vietnam in late 1967
and rejoined the Reserves.
He was promoted to lieutenant colonel in 1970 and
colonel in 1974. Upon his retirement from the Marine Corps
Reserve in 1990, he was awarded the Navy Distinguished
Service Medal by the commandant of the U.S. Marine Corps.
ENTRY INTO POLITICS AND SERVICE IN THE PENNSYLVANIA
GENERAL ASSEMBLY
In 1968, Mr. Murtha was recruited by Democratic Party
officials to run for the U.S. House of Representatives
against popular incumbent Republican John Saylor. While
Mr. Murtha was unsuccessful in his first race, he was
elected to the Pennsylvania House of Representatives on
May 20, 1969, in a special election to fill the remainder
of the term of Representative Edward W. McNally who died
in office. State Representative Murtha was reelected in
1970 and 1972. He represented Pennsylvania's 72d District,
which at the time included the city of Johnstown, some of
its suburbs, and a portion of Westmoreland County.
As a State representative, Mr. Murtha was influential in
the passage of Act 120, a law that expanded training
requirements for municipal police officers in the
Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. A strong proponent of
protecting and cleaning up the environment, Representative
Murtha supported legislation that required operators of
abandoned surface mines to remove environmental hazards
and to plant vegetation to prevent erosion. These
measures, while unpopular in his district, helped to clean
up Pennsylvania's waterways. He also focused on
legislation that helped the steel industry. Believing that
if people were old enough to fight for their country they
were also old enough to vote, he voted in favor of the
26th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which
standardized the voting age at 18.
WORK IN THE U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
After the unexpected death of Congressman Saylor in
1973, Representative Murtha was nominated by the
Democratic Party to run in a special election to represent
Pennsylvania's 12th Congressional District. On February 5,
1974, he won the special election by just 122 votes. The
Speaker, Carl Albert, was out of the country, so Thomas P.
``Tip'' O'Neill, the majority leader, administered the
oath. Tip O'Neill eventually became Speaker himself and
was also Congressman Murtha's mentor. In fall 1974,
Congressman Murtha was reelected to a full term by over
25,000 votes.
Congressman Murtha served on the House Armed Services
Committee from March 1974 to January 1975, the House
Committee on Standards of Official Conduct from January
1979 to January 1981, and the House Appropriations
Committee from January 1975 until his death in February
2010. As a member of the House Appropriations Committee,
he served on the Subcommittee on Military Construction,
Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies from January 1975
to January 1979; the Subcommittee on the Interior,
Environment, and Related Agencies from January 1975 to
January 2005; the Subcommittee on the Legislative Branch
from January 1977 to January 1979, from January 1981 to
January 1995, and again from January 1999 to January 2001;
and the Subcommittee on Defense from January 1979 until
his death. He became chairman of the Defense
Appropriations Subcommittee in January 1989 and served in
that role until January 1995 when he became the
subcommittee's ranking member. He once again became
chairman in January 2007 and would serve in that capacity
until his death.
After helping the Democrats regain control of the House
of Representatives in 2006, Congressman Murtha made an
unsuccessful bid to become House majority leader.
One of the pivotal moments of Congressman Murtha's
congressional career was his response to the catastrophic
Johnstown flood of 1977. After President Carter declared
the region a Federal disaster area, the Pennsylvania
National Guard was mobilized and placed under Congressman
Murtha's direction. He then worked with Speaker O'Neill
and Congress to pass legislation that gave the Federal
Government authority to rebuild damaged public facilities
and to provide grants and loans to property owners for
repairs and construction. He rolled up his sleeves,
personally cleared mud, and surveyed the damage. He
assured that aid got to those that needed it most, and
found temporary housing for those whose homes had become
uninhabitable. In the aftermath of the flood, Congressman
Murtha made it his mission to provide necessary Federal
aid to assist the region and to work to prevent jobs from
leaving the area.
As Congressman from the 12th Congressional District of
Pennsylvania from 1974 to 2010, Congressman Murtha at
various times represented all or parts of Allegheny,
Armstrong, Cambria, Clarion, Fayette, Greene, Indiana,
Jefferson, Somerset, Washington, and Westmoreland
Counties.
JOBS
Congressman Murtha worked hard to bring tens of
thousands of family-sustaining jobs to western
Pennsylvania. After the widespread and devastating loss of
coal and steel jobs that were the lifeblood of the area,
he pushed the region in a new direction. He was intent on
diversifying the economy by attracting health care,
defense, medical research, tourism, and high-tech jobs
that would insulate the region from future economic
downturns. His efforts transformed communities and brought
much needed jobs to the 12th Congressional District.
He cofounded the Congressional Steel Caucus in 1979 to
preserve what remained of America's steel industry by
fighting subsidized steel imports. Throughout his career
he supported legislation that funded alternative energy
technology including wind energy, fuel cell technology,
and a coal-based jet fuel.
Congressman Murtha strongly supported the United Mine
Workers of America (UMWA) Career Center in Washington, PA.
The center has aided coal miners who have lost their jobs
by providing access to job training and counseling.
He played a major role in heritage preservation and
tourism efforts throughout Pennsylvania. He created a
heritage region that became a model for the National
Heritage Area Program, which today includes both the
Rivers of Steel and Path of Progress in southwestern
Pennsylvania. He secured funding to preserve heritage
sites such as Fort Necessity, Frank Lloyd Wright's
Fallingwater, the Johnstown Flood Museum, the Johnstown
Flood National Memorial, and the Allegheny Portage
National Historic Site. He also authored legislation
establishing the Flight 93 National Memorial in Somerset
County, PA.
Throughout his career, Congressman Murtha sought funding
to improve the region's infrastructure in an effort to
attract and retain jobs. Believing that it was essential
for business growth, he constantly sought funding to
improve and modernize western Pennsylvania's sewage and
water systems. He was a staunch advocate of the continued
replacement, repair, and upkeep of the Monongahela River
locks and dams. Through the Army Corps of Engineers, he
directed over $600 million to the system. In order to
facilitate economic development, he directed funding to
multiple area highway projects, and he supported the
establishment of industrial and tech parks throughout
western Pennsylvania.
MILITARY AND DEFENSE LEADERSHIP
Congressman Murtha was highly respected for his
comprehensive knowledge of military and national security
issues. He was a trusted adviser to Presidents of both
parties and was one of the most effective advocates for
America's national defense. In his position as the
chairman of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on
Defense, he oversaw appropriations for the Department of
Defense, which included the Air Force, Army, Marine Corps,
and Navy, as well as the intelligence community.
As the first Vietnam war combat veteran elected to
Congress and a career reservist, he had firsthand
knowledge and experience that enabled him to be a
recognized expert in the Congress on defense issues.
Congressman Murtha used his position as the House's most
senior defense appropriator to fight for America's men and
women in uniform. He was known for his hands-on approach,
routinely visiting military bases to hear directly about
equipment, training, housing, health care, and other
services available to our troops and their families. He
regularly visited wounded troops at Walter Reed Army
Medical Center and Bethesda Naval Hospital. He routinely
visited combat zones to assess the needs of our troops and
to gauge the progress of wars and conflicts from those who
know it best--the troops themselves.
Congressman Murtha worked tirelessly to ensure that our
troops had every advantage possible when put in harm's
way, including protective equipment and weapon systems
that are both reliable and state of the art. He fought to
strengthen body armor, to improve efficiencies at military
depots, and to provide our troops with the crucial
equipment necessary to respond to biological and chemical
warfare.
In a 2009 trip to Fort Benning, Congressman Murtha heard
from a group of noncommissioned officers that the Army
uniform in use in Afghanistan was not providing adequate
camouflage. In his next appropriations bill, he required
that the Department of Defense study the current uniform
and determine if a different camouflage pattern would be
more suitable. Because of Congressman Murtha's efforts, an
improved camouflage pattern became the standard in
Afghanistan.
Knowing that quality personnel are our military's
backbone, he aggressively advocated increased pay,
pensions, improved health care and quality-of-life
amenities and recognized they were the keys to retaining
well-trained personnel.
FOREIGN POLICY LEADERSHIP
Congressman Murtha traveled around the world leading
congressional and Presidential fact-finding missions,
meeting with foreign leaders, monitoring international
elections, and representing the U.S. Congress abroad.
In 1975 President Ford asked Congressman Murtha to be
part of the first congressional fact-finding mission to
Vietnam after U.S. forces had been withdrawn. He later
returned in 1978 to acquire information on Americans
missing in action from the Vietnamese and to bring back
the remains of those who had been found.
In 1982 and 1983, Speaker Tip O'Neill sent Congressman
Murtha to Beirut, Lebanon, to assess President Reagan's
decision to deploy U.S. Marines in the midst of civil
unrest. Upon returning, he warned that our troops were in
a vulnerable position and that the force was inadequate to
accomplish the mission outlined by the State Department.
He argued for the withdrawal of the Marines from Beirut.
Congressman Murtha was part of a congressional
delegation that visited the Soviet Union in 1984 shortly
before Mikhail Gorbachev rose to power. The delegation
reinforced the openness of the United States to pending
economic and military changes. He later worked to provide
funding that was essential to long-term global stability
by decommissioning nuclear equipment and destroying
warheads.
President Reagan named Congressman Murtha and Senator
Dick Lugar as cochairmen of a 20-member Presidential
delegation to monitor the Philippine elections of 1986.
The delegation personally observed voting fraud and
manipulation and determined that the election had been
stolen by the Marcos regime. After the delegation
convinced President Reagan to delay certifying the
election, Ferdinand Marcos fled the country and Corazon
``Cory'' Aquino became president.
Congressman Murtha served as chairman or cochairman of
four separate presidential election-monitoring delegations
to El Salvador. He was one of the strongest and most
influential supporters of a democratic El Salvador when
Communist insurgents threatened to overrun the
democratically elected government.
In 1989, President George H.W. Bush named Congressman
Murtha chairman of the U.S. delegation to monitor the
elections in Panama. It quickly became clear that the
election was fraudulent and that Panama's military
dictator, Manuel Noriega, had removed the constitutionally
elected president and held onto power by declaring his
party the election winner. At President Bush's urging,
Congressman Murtha traveled to Panama on several more
occasions and met secretly with the ``defeated''
candidates. He helped facilitate messages between them and
the Bush administration regarding support for an American
intervention. He later inspected the buildup of U.S.
forces that invaded in December 1989 and deposed Noriega.
Congressman Murtha played a key role in the defeat of
the Soviet Union in Afghanistan during the 1980s. He
worked with Congressman Charlie Wilson on the Defense
Appropriations Subcommittee to secretly provide funding
for the CIA to supply arms to the Afghan fighters. Stinger
missiles, provided through this funding, were successful
in shooting down Soviet helicopters and aircraft and
turned the tide for the Afghan resistance.
During the Persian Gulf war, Congressman Murtha, as a
moderate Democrat, was vital in attracting swing votes
that assured passage of a House resolution supporting the
U.N. resolution on the conflict. He made two trips to the
gulf region to assess the situation and troop morale, and
was invited numerous times by President George H.W. Bush
to the White House to be briefed and to provide advice.
When President George H.W. Bush ordered 25,000 U.S.
troops to Somalia in December 1992, Congressman Murtha
opposed the decision. He believed the deployment signaled
a major shift in military policy and that troops would not
be able to be redeployed easily. He traveled to Somalia on
three inspection trips, which he found to be invaluable in
assessing the situation. In July 1993, he wrote President
Clinton a letter recommending a phased withdrawal of our
troops. Although his advice was not heeded, history proved
him right.
From 1996 through 1998, Congressman Murtha made several
trips to Bosnia to inspect the U.N. forces. In September
1996, President Clinton asked him to cochair a U.S.
delegation overseeing the first post-war election and to
certify that the election was fair and that the Bosnian
Muslims, Croats, and Serbs were able to openly
participate. He also traveled to Bosnia with President
Clinton for Christmas in 1997 and 1998.
Congressman Murtha voted to give President George W.
Bush authorization to use military force against Iraq in
October 2002, a decision he would later come to deeply
regret. He inspected the buildup of U.S. troops in the
gulf region weeks before the invasion and 5 months later
in August 2003. He found severe shortages of body armor,
electronic jammers, and spare parts for vehicles. He wrote
to President Bush in September 2003 warning that, ``We
have severely miscalculated the magnitude of the effort we
are facing,'' and said that he agreed with an assessment
by former Deputy Secretary of Defense Dr. John Hamre, that
we had a ``narrow window of opportunity available to
deliver progress in terms of economic infrastructure,
security, and basic service improvements.'' He received a
reply 7 months later from the Department of Defense
saying, ``We have made substantial progress in the very
ways that you suggest.''
After voicing his concerns and suggestions directly to
the Bush administration with no substantive response, he
made the decision to publicly argue for the redeployment
of U.S. forces from Iraq on November 17, 2005. Since then,
he became one of Congress' most outspoken critics of the
war in Iraq, convinced that the conflict could only be
solved politically, diplomatically, and economically by
the Iraqis, not the American military. His stance and
beliefs validated those who had already been opposed to
the war and also helped to change public opinion. These
efforts ultimately led to major policy changes in Iraq.
Overall, he made eight visits to Iraq over the course of
the war.
He was the author of ``From Vietnam to 9/11: On the
Front Lines of National Security.'' This autobiography
told the story of his involvement with international
affairs and the lessons he learned from those experiences.
VETERAN ISSUE LEADERSHIP
As the first Vietnam combat veteran to be elected to
Congress, Congressman Murtha deeply understood the need to
take care of America's veterans. Throughout his career he
often spoke with veterans, veterans groups, and family
members of veterans to ensure that they were treated
fairly and with honor and respect.
In 2000, Congressman Murtha visited Gettysburg
battlefield. As a result of the visit, he recognized the
deplorable state of maintenance and care of the priceless
artifacts from the battle which included weapons, battle
flags, and uniforms. Over the next decade he ensured
funding was added to numerous interior appropriations
bills to establish a new and modern visitor center and to
preserve priceless artifacts. These efforts helped
refurbish the Gettysburg cyclorama, store artifacts in a
climate-controlled facility, and restore the battlefield
to its original state.
In 2001, Congressman Murtha visited the Normandy
battlefield and cemetery in France. He found that the
existing visitor center was inadequate to accommodate the
millions of guests that visited each year, and that it
neither conveyed how important the battle was to
liberating Europe nor the enormous sacrifice made by
Allied forces. Congressman Murtha worked with Congressman
David Obey and Congressman David Hobson to provide funding
for a new interactive visitor center, which was dedicated
in June 2007.
In 2003, he worked to create the ``Helmets to Hardhats''
Program, an initiative that works to connect transitioning
active-duty and reserve-component soldiers with the
construction industry. The program is designed to help
those with military experience get hired in civilian
construction trades that are facing critical labor
shortages.
Concerned with the mental health of our troops and
veterans, Congressman Murtha helped develop the Defense
and Veterans Head Injury Program which supports research
and tracks those with head injuries to better evaluate
various treatment methods. He earmarked over $1.4 billion
for traumatic brain injury and psychological health
research and counseling. He worked to establish long-term
treatment facilities for veterans facing severe mental
illnesses across the country.
He also worked to start a partnership between Conemaugh
Health System in Johnstown and Walter Reed Army Medical
Center. He successfully obtained over $30 million for
their work in neuroscience and pain research, which is
revolutionizing the military's treatment and management of
pain.
In 2008, Congressman Murtha worked to include provisions
for the GI bill for the 21st century in a supplemental
defense appropriations bill. The legislation increased GI
bill benefits to all members of the military, including
members of the Reserve and National Guard, who have served
on active duty for at least 3 months since September 11,
2001.
HEALTH CARE LEADERSHIP
During his time in office, Congressman Murtha expanded
medical research and improved access to preventative
medicine and quality health care.
In 1990, Congressman Murtha worked with Congressman Bill
Young of Florida to create the Department of Defense
Marrow Donor Program, which later became the National
Marrow Donor Program.
In 1991, he, along with Senator Jay Rockefeller of West
Virginia, introduced the Coal Industry Retiree Health
Benefit Act, also known as the Coal Act. This bill, which
was ultimately incorporated into the Energy Policy Act of
1992, established the United Mine Workers of America
(UMWA) 1992 Benefit Plan. The plan provides health
benefits to retired and disabled miners and their spouses.
After the establishment of the benefit plan, Congressman
Murtha fought for the continued solvency of the fund when
it was in danger of bankruptcy.
He was also a staunch supporter of the Black Lung
Benefits Program. He helped pass the legislation that
enabled miners who worked underground for 25 years to
automatically qualify for black lung benefits. He also
directed funding for research on lung disease and the
development of an artificial lung to help miners suffering
with black lung disease, and pressed for passage of
legislation to make dust monitors in mines tamperproof.
In 1992, Congressman Murtha helped create the
Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs (CDMRP)
within the Department of Defense to manage funding for the
research of diseases and illnesses prevalent in the
military. This program developed into a unique partnership
between Congress, the military, and the public, in which
doctors, scientists, and health advocates collaborate on
innovative ideas and high-impact research.
The first program funded through the CDMRP was the
breast cancer peer-reviewed research program. In the early
1990s, a group of military spouses came to Congressman
Murtha and told him that the military health care system
was paying no attention to the disease. At the time, even
mammograms were not being offered at many of our military
hospitals. As the chairman of the Defense Appropriations
Subcommittee, Congressman Murtha put $25 million into the
Pentagon budget for breast cancer research that year. When
the Secretary of Defense called to ask what he should do
with this money, Congressman Murtha's response was simple,
``Offer mammograms.'' This initial funding was so
successful that the following year Congressman Murtha put
$210 million into the program. Under his leadership,
Congress has earmarked over $2.5 billion for the
Department of Defense peer-reviewed breast cancer research
program. These funds have enabled over 5,500 proposals
from scientists and doctors across the Nation to receive
funding for innovative projects that have made a
significant impact on the detection and treatment of the
disease.
In 1993, Congressman Murtha helped create TRICARE, a
nationwide-managed military health care program. The
beneficiaries of this program include active duty military
personnel, military retirees, their dependents, and some
members of the Reserves.
In 2003, the Air Force Surgeon General informed
Congressman Murtha that 144,000 Air Force personnel and
members of their family had diabetes. Determined to
reverse the diabetes epidemic that affected the military,
he provided funding for diabetes prevention, education,
and outreach programs.
He fought for a patient's bill of rights, prescription
drug benefits, and increased Medicare benefits. When
Pennsylvania's Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP)
was slated to be eliminated by Federal regulations, he
convinced the Clinton administration to be more flexible
and ultimately saved the program. When Medicare refused to
pay for preventive health care such as mammograms and flu
shots, he directed funding to pay for these procedures.
In 2009, Congressman Murtha supported the Affordable
Health Care for America Act believing that every American
should have access to quality affordable health care.
ENVIRONMENTAL LEADERSHIP
Since his election in 1974, Congressman Murtha worked to
clean up the environment and reduce pollution. As a member
of the Appropriations Subcommittee on the Interior, he
traveled to various national parks throughout the country
and promoted the well-being of America's natural treasures
and wildlife. Locally, he understood that clean water was
important for safety, the environment, and business
growth.
Congressman Murtha led the fight to maintain funding for
the Abandoned Mine Reclamation Fund, which has provided
millions of dollars to Pennsylvania to reclaim abandoned
mine hazards, including mine fires, subsidence under
communities, open pits and shafts, high walls and coal
refuse piles. He was instrumental in creating the
Appalachian Clean Streams Initiative, which provided
millions of dollars of funding dedicated to cleaning up
abandoned mine drainage. Also, he was integral in creating
the Oven Run Project, which improved water quality and
returned fish and other aquatic life to previously dead
sections of the Stonycreek River outside of Johnstown.
Congressman Murtha worked tirelessly to revitalize
brownfields, providing money to clean up abandoned
industrial sites and attract new businesses to these
properties.
Congressman Murtha created the Kiski Basin Initiative to
bring in Forest Service money for community tree planting
and pushed to make the Kiski Basin Pennsylvania's first
Forest Legacy area. He also worked to protect native trees
by pursuing funds to control invasive species such as
Japanese knotweed.
In 2005, Congressman Murtha helped to attract Gamesa, a
Spanish windmill manufacturer, to Ebensburg through an
initiative to develop wind power at remote military bases.
Gamesa's windmills are found throughout southwestern
Pennsylvania, creating clean, renewable energy.
Congressman Murtha was also instrumental in creating the
National Defense Center for Environmental Excellence, part
of Concurrent Technologies Corporation in Johnstown, which
helps manufacturers reduce environmental impact by
identifying more environmentally friendly materials,
coatings, or manufacturing methods.
Congressman Murtha worked with Speaker Nancy Pelosi and
other Members of Congress to ensure that Fort Baker and
the Presidio in the San Francisco area transitioned from
military installations to protected land in the National
Park system.
To protect the environment from the negative effects of
global climate change, Congressman Murtha was an early
supporter of carbon capture and sequestration technology.
In 2009 he worked with other Members of Congress to ensure
that a bill he originally cosponsored, the Carbon Capture
and Storage Early Deployment Act, was incorporated into
the American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009, which
was passed by the House.
OTHER LEGISLATIVE PRIORITIES
In 1998, in the wake of the unsuccessful prosecution of
House colleague and friend Joseph McDade, and due to
numerous published examples of Federal prosecutorial
misconduct, Congressman Murtha took on the Department of
Justice to require its prosecutors to abide by State
ethics rules. Congressman Murtha introduced an amendment
that reversed the 1989 ``Thornburgh Memo,'' and codified
that Federal prosecutors must abide by the ethics rules of
jurisdiction in which they practice. After many Members of
Congress cited examples of prosecutorial misconduct, the
amendment passed resoundingly.
A staunch advocate of law enforcement personnel,
Congressman Murtha worked to ensure that police
departments throughout Pennsylvania received Federal
funding for necessary equipment and training.
Concerned about the future viability of Social Security
and the retirement savings of Americans, he authored
legislation allowing children to have a Roth IRA so that
family members and friends can contribute to a child's
nest egg from day one while receiving a tax credit.
As a strong supporter of Second Amendment rights,
Congressman Murtha ensured that the Civilian Marksmanship
Program, a program that provides marksmanship training,
sponsors shooting competitions, and provides sales of M-1
rifles to qualified individuals, received Federal funding.
The program promotes firearms safety training and rifle
practice for all qualified U.S. citizens through a network
of affiliated shooting clubs across the United States.
He also supported changing the way in which the Social
Security COLA was calculated, so that it more accurately
reflects the needs of seniors. Congressman Murtha voted
for every minimum wage increase during his tenure in
Congress and voted against the North America Free Trade
Agreement (NAFTA) in order to try to preserve
manufacturing jobs in his district. He also voted for the
Family Medical Leave Act to ensure that workers could take
time off for illness, to take care of a sick family
member, or for the birth of a child without fear of losing
their jobs.
PERSONAL LIFE, CIVIC INVOLVEMENT, HONORS, AND FAMILY
When not at work, Congressman Murtha enjoyed nature,
gardening, fishing, and playing golf. He was an avid
reader, enjoyed crossword puzzles, and watched sports. He
cared deeply about the quality of life in his community
and was a strong supporter of civic organizations and the
arts. He also gave guest lectures for students at area
colleges and universities.
He was a member of the Marine Corps League, the Veterans
of Foreign Wars, the American Legion, and the Military
Order of the Purple Heart. He was also a life member of
the National Rifle Association and was awarded the coveted
Kentucky Rifle.
In 2006, Congressman Murtha received the prestigious
John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Award. He has received
countless awards including the Department of the Navy
Distinguished Public Service Award; the National Breast
Cancer Coalition Leadership Award; the Congressional Medal
of Honor Society's National Patriots Award; the Spirit of
Hope Award from the United Service Organization (USO); the
Edmund S. Muskie Distinguished Public Service Award; the
highest honor from the Marine Corps League, the Iron Mike
Award; and Pennsylvania's two highest honors, the
Distinguished Service Medal and the Meritorious Service
Medal. In 2009, he was inducted in the Pennsylvania
Department of Military and Veterans Hall of Fame. He was
named Pennsylvania Chamber of Business and Industry's
Government Leader of the Year and Pittsburgh's Riverperson
of the Year. He has received honorary degrees from the
Indiana University of Pennsylvania, Mount Aloyisus
College, Northeastern University, Saint Francis
University, Seton Hill University, Suffolk University, the
U.S. Army War College, Washington & Jefferson College, and
Waynesburg University.
He died on February 8, 2010, from complications of
gallbladder surgery, and is buried in Grandview Cemetery
in Johnstown, PA.
Congressman Murtha is survived by his wife Joyce; his
daughter Donna; his twin sons, John and Patrick; their
wives, Kathy and Lynn; his grandchildren, Jack, Anne, and
Clayton; his two brothers, Robert ``Kit'' and Jim; and
many nieces and nephews and their families. He is preceded
in death by his parents, John, Sr. and Mary Ray, and his
brother Charles.
?
MEMORIAL ADDRESSES
AND
OTHER TRIBUTES
FOR
JOHN P. MURTHA
Proceedings in the House of Representatives
Friday, February 5, 2010
Mr. KANJORSKI. Madam Speaker, on behalf of
Representative Jason Altmire, Representative Robert A.
Brady, Representative Christopher P. Carney,
Representative Kathleen A. Dahlkemper, Representative
Charles W. Dent, Representative Michael F. Doyle,
Representative Chaka Fattah, Representative Tim Holden,
Representative Tim Murphy, Representative Todd Russell
Platts, Representative Allyson Y. Schwartz, Representative
Joe Sestak, Representative Bill Shuster, Representative
Glenn Thompson, and myself, we rise today to acknowledge
and celebrate a milestone in the Commonwealth of
Pennsylvania.
Thirty-six years ago today, our colleague,
Representative John ``Jack'' P. Murtha, was elected to the
U.S. House of Representatives to fill the seat vacated by
the death of former Representative John P. Saylor.
Tomorrow, he surpasses the career of our former
colleague, Representative Joseph M. McDade, and officially
becomes the longest serving Member of Congress ever from
the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
Jack has dedicated his life to serving our country both
in the military and in the Halls of Congress. A former
Marine, he became the first Vietnam war combat veteran
elected to the U.S. Congress.
When he arrived here in 1974, he quickly attracted the
attention of then-majority leader, and future Speaker, Tip
O'Neill, who became Jack's mentor. Tip taught him that
``all politics is local,'' which has enabled him to become
an effective advocate for his own congressional district
and for initiatives throughout our State.
Jack's contributions to Pennsylvania are endless. When
Pennsylvania's Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP)
was slated to be eliminated by Federal regulations, Jack
convinced the Clinton administration to be more flexible
and ultimately saved the program. When our steel industry
was in crisis, he convinced the Reagan administration to
impose higher tariffs on foreign steel, giving domestic
producers an edge. When the Philadelphia Shipyard was
threatened with closure, he secured funding to keep ship
production going. When the U.S. Army was forming Stryker
Brigades, Jack helped convince Army leaders to field one
within the Pennsylvania National Guard, creating the first
and only brigade of its kind in the Reserve component.
When the National Park Service wanted to construct a new
museum and visitor center at Gettysburg, he secured
funding to make the project possible. When a decades-long
mine fire threatened the residents of Centralia, PA, Jack
worked to secure funding to buy the town and relocate the
residents. When the health care benefits of retired miners
were in trouble, he twice secured funding to help save
their benefits from termination. When Flight 93 crashed in
Stonycreek Township, PA, Jack was there the next day to
survey the scene and later introduced legislation, which
was enacted, establishing a national memorial to honor the
passengers and crew. When he found out that diabetes was
becoming an epidemic in the military and throughout
Pennsylvania, Jack secured over $150 million for research,
prevention, education, and outreach programs.
As the dean of our congressional delegation, Jack
exemplifies the hard work and dedication seen throughout
our Commonwealth. He has always been there when
Pennsylvania needed him. Jack is emblematic of the hard-
working Pennsylvanians that he has represented for 36
years, as well as those that each of us represent. He has
led our delegation with passion and perseverance. . . .
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
PRAYER
Chaplain Phillip Lee, Marine Forces Reserve, New
Orleans, LA, offered the following prayer:
Almighty God, Supreme Judge of the world, thank You for
our military members, for the security they provide to our
Nation and the hope they bring to hurting places on
distant shores. Give each one clear ears, sharp eyes, a
keen mind and a heart full of courage to accomplish the
mission they are assigned. Heal them when they are
injured; sustain their families and friends as they too
endure war's tragedies and tensions caused by spiritual
wickedness in high places and the darkness of this world.
Today help us to silence the roaring lions and charging
bears who seek to rule the globe with terrorism. Empower
us by every righteous means to foster peace on Earth and
good will to all. Guide those entering this room today to
be faithful, and full of faith, while performing their
duties on behalf of the American people. And as weariness
tugs at the soul, may each person mount up as on the wings
of an eagle.
We ask that You give particular comfort to the family of
John Murtha today, former Marine and citizen Congressman
for 19 terms who passed away yesterday.
By Your grace, anchor us now in the Rock who leads us to
be holy, reconciling us to Your purposes and ways. Remind
us never to forget that we are Americans promoting
freedom, responsible for our actions, and dedicated to the
principles that make us free; free indeed. Keep us
trusting in You, God, and then the United States of
America.
We ask You all this, Supreme and Eternal Commander in
Chief, because Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and
the glory forever. Semper Fi. Amen.
Monday, February 22, 2010
MOMENT OF SILENCE IN MEMORY OF REPRESENTATIVE JOHN P.
MURTHA OF PENNSYLVANIA
Mr. KANJORSKI. As most Members of this Chamber know, we
recently lost a dear friend and colleague. Congressman
Jack Murtha passed away on February 8 after complications
from gallbladder surgery.
Jack recently became the longest serving Member of
Congress from Pennsylvania ever. Jack was dedicated to his
country, our military troops, and the people of
Pennsylvania that he represented for 36 years. He will be
greatly missed by our delegation, our State, and the
entire Nation.
On Wednesday, there will be a special order following
votes in memory of Jack Murtha. Anyone wishing to speak
may contact my office for that privilege.
In closing, I respectfully request a moment of silence
in memory of our dear friend, Jack Murtha.
I yield to the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Pitts).
Mr. PITTS. Madam Speaker, I first got to know Jack as a
freshman legislator in the Pennsylvania House of 1973-
1974, where he and I served together until he was elected
to Congress in 1974. We were both Vietnam veterans--the
only two in the State house, so we had something in common
that we chatted about.
Jack served his community in western Pennsylvania as
both the State and Federal Representative for nearly four
decades, and he will be missed by his hometown of
Johnstown and residents of the 12th Congressional
District.
He served his country as a Marine drill instructor. As
an officer, he remained in the Reserves after leaving
full-time service in 1955. He volunteered to return to
full-time service in 1967, and he served honorably in
Vietnam, earning a Bronze Star with Valor and two Purple
Hearts.
Even after being elected to the U.S. House of
Representatives, Representative Murtha continued his
service in the Reserves, finally retiring as a colonel in
1990. Just a few weeks ago, he became the longest serving
Pennsylvania Member of the House of Representatives.
He will be dearly missed by his wife of 54 years and his
children and grandchildren that he leaves behind. I join
with my colleagues in the Pennsylvania delegation to
extend our condolences to his family and friends.
Tonight, we honor his service.
The SPEAKER. Will all Members please rise for a moment
of silence.
Mr. KANJORSKI. Madam Speaker, I offer a privileged
resolution and ask for its immediate consideration.
The Clerk read the resolution, as follows:
H. Res. 1084
Resolved, That the House has heard with profound sorrow
of the death of the Honorable John P. Murtha, a
Representative from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
Resolved, That the Clerk communicate these resolutions
to the Senate and transmit a copy thereof to the family of
the deceased.
Resolved, That when the House adjourns today, it adjourn
as a further mark of respect to the memory of the
deceased.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gentleman from Pennsylvania
is recognized for 1 hour.
Mr. KANJORSKI. Madam Speaker and colleagues, it is with
great sadness as well as a great deal of honor that I rise
this evening to commemorate and to celebrate the life of
our friend and colleague, Congressman John Murtha of
Pennsylvania's 12th District.
As we mourn the loss of Jack Murtha and remember his
life, I pass along my thoughts and prayers to his family
and friends. Just days before his passing, Jack became the
longest serving Member of Congress ever from Pennsylvania.
I am privileged to have had the opportunity to work
closely with Jack during our time together in Congress,
and I am honored to have called him my friend. I thought
the other day, upon returning from Pittsburgh and the
funeral in Johnstown, that Jack and I had spent more than
5,000 days together, and more than 2 or 3 hours each day,
during our service in Congress together. That is probably
longer than most husbands and wives spend together. And
maybe that accounts for the fact that I feel such a loss.
I looked up to Jack for his dedication to our country
and our military troops, his strength to work in a
bipartisan way, and his passion for his work and the
Pennsylvanians he represented. Throughout his career in
public service, Jack has been a symbol of the hard-working
Pennsylvanians throughout the Commonwealth.
Jack dedicated his life to serving our country both in
the military, in the Halls of Congress, and the State
legislature of Pennsylvania. A former Marine, he became
the first Vietnam combat veteran elected to the U.S.
Congress.
When he arrived here in 1974, he quickly attracted the
attention of then-majority leader and future Speaker Tip
O'Neill, who became Jack's mentor. Tip taught him that all
politics is local, which enabled him to become an
effective advocate for his own congressional district and
for initiatives throughout our State.
Jack's contributions to Pennsylvania are endless. When
Pennsylvania's Children's Health Insurance Program, CHIP,
was slated to be eliminated by Federal regulations, Jack
convinced the Clinton administration to be more flexible,
and ultimately saved the program. When our steel industry
was in crisis, he convinced the Reagan administration to
impose higher tariffs on foreign steel, giving domestic
producers an edge.
When the Philadelphia Shipyard was threatened with
closure, he secured funding to keep ship production going.
When the U.S. Army was forming the Stryker Brigades, Jack
helped convince Army leaders to field one within the
Pennsylvania National Guard, creating the first and only
brigade of its kind in the Reserve component. When the
National Park Service wanted to construct a new museum and
visitors center at Gettysburg, he secured funding to make
the project possible.
When a decades-long mine fire threatened the residents
of Centralia, PA, Jack worked to secure funding to buy the
town and relocate the residents. When the health care
benefits of retired miners were in trouble, he twice
secured funding to help save their benefits from
termination.
When Flight 93 crashed in Stonycreek Township, PA, Jack
was there the next day to survey the scene, and later
introduced legislation which was enacted establishing a
national memorial in honor of the passengers and crew.
When he found out that diabetes was becoming an epidemic
in the military and throughout Pennsylvania, Jack secured
over $150 million for research, prevention, education, and
outreach programs.
Jack led our Pennsylvania delegation for 36 years with
passion and dedication. The legacy that he has left will
surely live on as a symbol of the great work that one man
can do, and is something that we can all strive to
achieve. The Pennsylvania delegation is honored to pay
tribute to his life this evening and say goodbye to a dear
friend and colleague.
Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from
Pennsylvania (Mr. Thompson).
Mr. THOMPSON of Pennsylvania. Madam Speaker, I thank my
good friend, Mr. Kanjorski, for yielding and this
opportunity to take time to remember and to recognize the
life and public service of Congressman John Murtha.
As a freshman, and being here 14 months, I had the
opportunity to just get to know the Congressman when I
joined this Chamber a little over a year ago. And I will
say that although Congressman Murtha was the dean of the
delegation, and someone who had been here almost four
decades, he reached out to an individual who was a
freshman, a rookie. Whenever I saw Congressman Murtha, he
was always quick to ask how things were going, how people
were treating me, and was there anything he could do for
me. He had that bipartisan approach. He was first and
foremost from Pennsylvania, as opposed to identifying
himself as part of a party.
As I had gotten to know Congressman Murtha we had some
common ties. I found out he had such a sense of public
service. As Mr. Kanjorski mentioned, he certainly will be
missed by the people of Cambria County and throughout his
entire congressional district. And his sense of public
service I believe really grew out of his experiences in
scouting. Congressman Murtha was an Eagle Scout. And
within scouting, learned those principles of leadership
and citizenship and service, went on to serve as a
decorated war hero in the U.S. Marines, and continued that
service right up until 1990, retiring as a colonel.
And today, we remember Congressman Murtha in his public
service as he went on to be the longest serving Member in
the U.S. House of Representatives from Pennsylvania.
All of our prayers go out to Congressman Murtha's wife
and his family as we take this time to pause and give
thanks and honor the life of Congressman John Murtha.
APPOINTMENT OF MEMBERS TO THE COMMITTEE TO ATTEND FUNERAL
OF THE LATE HONORABLE JOHN P. MURTHA
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the order of the
House of January 6, 2009, the Speaker on February 16,
2010, appointed the following Members of the House to the
Committee To Attend the Funeral of the Late Honorable John
P. Murtha:
The gentleman from Pennsylvania, Mr. Kanjorski
The gentlewoman from California, Ms. Pelosi
The members of the Pennsylvania delegation:
Mr. Holden
Mr. Doyle
Mr. Fattah
Mr. Pitts
Mr. Brady
Mr. Platts
Mr. Shuster
Mr. Gerlach
Mr. Tim Murphy
Mr. Dent
Ms. Schwartz
Mr. Altmire
Mr. Carney
Mr. Patrick J. Murphy
Mr. Sestak
Mrs. Dahlkemper
Mr. Thompson
Other Members in attendance:
Mr. Larson (CT)
Mr. Becerra
Mr. Crowley
Ms. Wasserman Schultz
Mr. Rangel
Mr. Dicks
Ms. Kaptur
Mr. Levin
Mr. Mollohan
Ms. Slaughter
Mr. Taylor
Mr. Andrews
Mr. Moran (VA)
Mr. Bishop (GA)
Ms. Corrine Brown (FL)
Ms. Eshoo
Mr. Kennedy
Mr. Berry
Ms. Kilpatrick (MI)
Mr. Kucinich
Mrs. McCarthy
Mr. Pascrell
Mr. Reyes
Mr. Rothman
Mr. Capuano
Mr. Holt
Mr. Weiner
Mr. Ryan (OH)
Ms. Matsui
Mr. Cohen
Mr. Courtney
Ms. JACKSON LEE of Texas. I would like to thank my dear
friend, Mr. Kanjorski, for offering a privileged
resolution.
My simple words are that this House was privileged to
have a man like John Murtha walk these halls and this
floor. I know that as he is honored on Wednesday night
with a special order, we will gather to celebrate and
commemorate a life well lived not only for his family, but
for his country and for the people that he loved and the
military that he served and respected. . . .
Mr. KING of Iowa. Mr. Speaker, I move that the House do
now adjourn.
The motion was agreed to; accordingly (at 10 o'clock and
12 minutes p.m.), under its previous order and pursuant to
House Resolution 1084, the House adjourned until tomorrow,
Tuesday, February 23, 2010, at 10:30 a.m., for morning-
hour debate, as a further mark of respect to the memory of
the late Honorable John P. Murtha.
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the
House, the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Young) is
recognized for 5 minutes.
Mr. YOUNG of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I rise this evening
to speak to the memory of one of my close friends, one of
my colleagues, my partner, and a man with whom I have
spent so many hours, so many days and for so many years as
we've worked together on the national defense
appropriations bill, and I'm speaking of the late Chairman
Jack Murtha.
In keeping with his legislative management style, I'll
be brief because, as we presented our defense
appropriations bills, the last meeting that we would have
somewhere in the Chamber here would be, ``Hey, look, this
is a good bill. It's not controversial. Let's pass it
quick. We ought to be able to get it done in 8 or 10
minutes,'' which we normally did.
Jack was a good leader, a good chairman. When we had
discussions on the hundreds and hundreds of issues in that
bill, his concern always was what is best to keep America
safe, and what is best to give our soldiers the tools that
they need, the technology that they need to do their job,
to carry out their mission, and to protect themselves
while they're doing that.
I expressed my condolences and my sadness to his wife,
Joyce, and their children. I know of the sadness that they
experienced here a couple of weeks ago as Jack left the
Congress, left the family, and left this life. I really
was saddened and regretted and felt extremely bad that I
was not able to attend his funeral, but Beverly and I had
a tragic event of our own during that same period.
I wanted to mention that Beverly, my wife, knew Jack
Murtha very well because we would oftentimes be at the
same military hospital with him visiting troops, wounded
troops and their families. I remember the first day that
my wife ever ran into Jack Murtha at Walter Reed Hospital.
She had been talking with the wife of a soldier who had
serious physical problems, and the family had financial
problems.
She said, ``Hey, Mr. Murtha, give me your wallet.'' And
Jack Murtha took out his wallet and handed it to her, and
she took out all of the money and handed it to the
soldier's wife and then gave Jack back his empty wallet.
And so she also had a special relationship.
But we were not able to attend Jack's funeral. During
that same period of time, my son Billy and his wife,
Ashley, had become pregnant some time ago, and everybody
was excited about that. Then one day, they picked us up at
the airport coming back from Washington, and we had lunch
together. They announced that they had just been to the
doctor, and we were going to have twin granddaughters. You
talk about being excited and cheers and tears. But that
was not to be. Twenty weeks into the pregnancy, something
happened. Things went wrong. The two little girls, Taylor
Ann and Riley Grace, were born alive and lived only a
couple of hours until their little hearts quit beating.
So we were going through that same grief at about the
same time that Joyce and her family were going through the
grief of losing Jack Murtha.
I lost a friend. Congress lost a powerful legislator. He
didn't speak on the floor very often. He was never
boisterous. You never saw him--well, seldom--shouting and
waving his arms, but he knew what was going on. And he
affected what was happening in the legislation.
Some of our colleagues used to joke that he would sit
back in this corner while I sat back in that corner so
that between the two of us, we could watch everything that
was happening in the House Chamber at any given time.
Well, there might have been something to that, but it was
a good relationship.
So again, I express my condolences. My own sadness of
losing this friend, of losing this great American. Mr.
Speaker, I think Jack has left an emptiness that probably
will not be filled for a long time, if ever. And I think
those on the House floor, as we proceed with
appropriations bills in the future, will recognize that
without Jack Murtha here, things are a lot different.
God bless the family.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the
House, the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Kingston) is
recognized for 5 minutes.
Mr. KINGSTON. Mr. Speaker, I rise as a friend and mourn
and share the loss not just to the Murtha family and the
State of Pennsylvania, but to the entire Nation, and
certainly every man and woman wearing a uniform.
I was proud to know Jack Murtha, proud to serve in the
U.S. Congress with Jack Murtha. He was a bipartisan guy.
He was a knowledgeable guy. He was a hard-working guy.
The military budget in appropriations is over $500
billion. It is a very thick bill. You have to know
airplanes from submarines, from tanks to battleships. Jack
Murtha knew that, and he would study it very deeply.
Jack Murtha, though, beyond being a professional
Congressman, taught this Chamber many things.
For one thing, I learned as a guy who came up through
some partisan battles and some nonpartisan battles that
the Murtha-McDade relationship almost cast a certain
circle around the State of Pennsylvania that made it a
special place, that the Pennsylvania delegation had
something that the other States did not have, and that was
two great leaders--Republican and Democrat--who kind of
set the tone not just for the entire State but for the
rest of us to see how things could be. And indeed, the
Pennsylvania delegation has still had great fellowship
because of that legacy.
It was also reflected in his relationship with Bill
Young. I can't tell you what a joy it has been for all
Members of Congress who come and often see the battles
that are so epitomized on the talk shows and the name
calling and so forth, and you think that is Congress. And
then you go into a committee room and you see Bill Young
and Jack Murtha working together, not always agreeing but
always affectionate and always having great respect for
what the other one had to say.
And indeed, I can tell you as somebody who served here
18 years, sometimes you couldn't tell who was chairman.
They were that close and that united and that focused on
what was best for the troops. What a great relationship.
And again, what a great example for the rest of us.
Jack Murtha was an old-school guy. He liked to have his
bill done in a hurry. In fact, the chairman, Mr. Obey, is
there, and he knows while it was one of the largest bills,
it was also one of the fastest bills to be passed so many
times. Jack Murtha knew exactly where he wanted to go long
before the hearing started.
I remember I had an amendment that had to do with
electronic verification of Social Security numbers for
people working on Federal contracts. The chairman didn't
like it. And I remember Mr. Murtha--I submitted it, I
worked the committee, the subcommittee very carefully, and
he said, ``Kingston, we're not going to do that.'' That
was it. That was my hearing. And when he said that, you
knew that was it. The curtain was closed. The case was
over.
And this same chairman could turn around and say to you,
``You've got a problem in Hinesville, Georgia.'' Little
old Hinesville, GA, a speck on the map, that because it's
the home of Fort Stewart, the Third Infantry was expecting
two more brigades, went out and built a lot of roads and
schools and infrastructure in preparation for another
brigade.
And then the Pentagon made a turn and decided not to
send it to them. And who stood up for Hinesville, GA? Jack
Murtha. Who did I go to and say, ``Look, if we're going to
make this happen, we've got to do something to help these
people because the Pentagon has done them wrong. They
stood tall for the military but now the military has let
them down. We're not going to let that happen.'' And Jack
Murtha pulled through. Not just on that issue but time and
time again.
Jack Murtha loved the United States of America. Jack
Murtha loved the military. Jack Murtha loved the soldiers.
He stood up not just for them, but for their families over
and over again.
Congress has lost a great leader, as has the State and
the United States of America. But the American soldiers
have lost a true friend and a passionate guy who would do
anything for the men and women in uniform.
I say God bless Jack Murtha and his memory and
everything he has done for the United States of America.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the
House, the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Frelinghuysen)
is recognized for 5 minutes.
Mr. FRELINGHUYSEN. Mr. Speaker, I echo the sentiments of
my colleagues here today and want to add my voice in
tribute to Jack Murtha--our colleague, my chairman, and my
friend.
For nearly his entire adult life, Jack Murtha selflessly
served his beloved Nation--first in uniform as a decorated
combat Marine and later as an elected Representative from
my neighboring State of Pennsylvania.
We all know by now that he was the first Vietnam war
combat veteran elected to Congress. And while many of us
followed him to Congress, he rose to become chairman of
the House Appropriations Committee's Subcommittee on
Defense. I've had the honor of serving with him on the
subcommittee for over 10 years.
In our dealings over the years, Jack and I did not
always agree on policy decisions. But I always respected
his undeniable dedication and his refreshing candor.
And there is no doubt that he cared most deeply about
the men and women of America's military and their
families. He understood their challenges and their
anxieties. And what he did not understand, he actively
sought to learn in trips to Defense Department facilities,
forward operating bases, and military medical centers
across the world.
He served our men and women in uniform diligently and
daily in countless ways. He worked each week to improve
their quality of life.
Mr. Speaker, Jack Murtha loved Congress. He loved
Pennsylvania, he loved his constituents, he loved the
military, and he loved all of these things with a passion
that exceeded the most ardent enthusiast.
But fundamentally, Jack Murtha was a Marine--with all of
the distinguishing attributes and characteristics that
brings. As a former member of the U.S. Army, I recall the
statement of one Army general, ``There are only two kinds
of people who understand Marines: Marines and the enemy.
Everyone else has a secondhand opinion.''
My secondhand opinion is that I am honored to have
served with Jack Murtha. I will never forget his enduring
friendship. May the tributes and prayers of so many of our
colleagues this afternoon here today be a source of
strength to his wife, Joyce, and to his family.
Semper Fi, Jack Murtha.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under the Speaker's announced
policy of January 6, 2009, the gentleman from Pennsylvania
(Mr. Kanjorski) is recognized for 60 minutes as the
designee of the majority leader.
Mr. KANJORSKI. Mr. Speaker and colleagues, I rise today
to honor our friend and one of the outstanding Members of
this House, Jack Murtha, who represented Pennsylvania's
12th District, and to remember his devotion to his work in
this Congress, his strength of character, and his hard-
fought efforts for his district in Pennsylvania and our
country.
Additionally, I feel privileged to have called Jack my
friend, and I know that many other Members in this Chamber
feel the same way.
As first votes were called this week and Members
gathered on the House floor, it was very apparent to most
of us that someone was missing. I walked in on Monday
almost expecting to see Jack seated in the far chair in
the Pennsylvania corner as I had seen since I had first
joined Congress 25 years ago.
While Jack is no longer with us, his spirit will live in
this Chamber and in the Halls of Congress. For now, the
chair will remain empty, as he could never be replaced.
Jack left us too soon. But his legacy will surely live
as a symbol of the great work that one man can do and is
something that we can all strive to achieve. He will be
sorely missed by all of his fellow colleagues, his
friends, and definitely, the Pennsylvania delegation.
Mr. Chairman, I'd like to yield to the gentleman from
Pennsylvania (Mr. Holden).
Mr. HOLDEN. I thank my friend from Pennsylvania for
yielding.
Mr. Speaker, today we pay tribute to our departed friend
and colleague, Jack Murtha. Over 17 years ago, I heard
Jack say that his great-grandmother told him he was put on
this Earth to make a difference--and boy did he make a
difference.
He loved his country and served it with distinction at
many levels. He served in the U.S. Marine Corps stateside
during the Korean war. When the Vietnam war broke out, he
volunteered to go back and served in Vietnam and received
two Purple Hearts.
He was the first Vietnam combat veteran elected to the
U.S. Congress. He was the longest serving Member in the
history of the Congress from Pennsylvania to serve in the
House of Representatives, and as Mr. Young mentioned
during his remarks, he never forgot the men and women in
uniform and made sure that they had the tools to do the
job that they do so well. And our returning veterans as
well, he was always at the forefront of making sure they
had the proper care and treatment and visited them so many
times at our military hospitals.
But he also cared so much about all of us. Everybody in
this body has an example where Jack helped them. And he
helped me so many times over the years, but there is just
one that I want to share with everyone today.
After the redistricting of 2000 and after the 2002
election, I found myself serving in a district that was 60
percent new to me, and I inherited one of the best medical
facilities in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania--and
actually in the entire country--the Penn State Milton
Hershey Medical Center. After meeting with the leaders at
the Penn State Milton facility and seeing the quality of
care that they provide, he said, ``There's one thing that
we're missing. We're missing a cancer research and
treatment institute. People that we serve, when they are
diagnosed, all too often have to go to Philadelphia or
Pittsburgh or Baltimore for care. We need to have a
facility for literally millions of central Pennsylvanians,
and we, Penn State, are willing to put up more than our
fair share or more than the majority of the cost, but we
are about $35 million short of getting there.''
I went to see Jack. I brought him to Hershey. He looked
around at the quality of care that was provided, made an
agreement and said, ``It won't happen in 1 year or 2
years, but it will happen. We, the Federal Government,
will be a partner and the people of central Pennsylvania
no longer will have to travel to Philadelphia or
Pittsburgh or Baltimore.''
I am proud to say today that as a result of Jack's
efforts and his desire to help me, we have the best
quality cancer care in central Pennsylvania. All of us
could cite incidents like that where Jack cared about
Members and did things to affect the quality of life for
their constituents.
Our thoughts and prayers continue to go to Joyce, Donna,
Patrick, and John and so many of Jack's former and current
staffers that are with us today.
Jack, we miss you dearly.
Mr. KANJORSKI. Mr. Speaker, I would like to introduce
Mr. Mike Doyle. Before he speaks a word, he was
commissioned as the jokester of the Pennsylvania corner
purposely to keep Jack in his good spirits during his
presence there.
Mr. DOYLE. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
I rise to honor the memory of my mentor and my dear
friend, Congressman Jack Murtha. This is a tough day for
all of us in the Pennsylvania delegation. Our State has
lost its 800-pound gorilla and our dear, dear friend.
Jack Murtha personified the people of western
Pennsylvania, tough, hard working, salt of the Earth. He
loved his family. They always came first, his beautiful
wife, Joyce, to whom he was married for over 50 years, his
three children, and his grandchildren. Family always came
first to Jack Murtha.
He loved his country, and he most especially loved the
men and women who wore the uniform of the United States of
America. He was their champion. There wasn't any Member in
this body who fought harder for those troops than Jack
Murtha.
He loved this institution too. I remember he especially
was helpful to new Members. When I got elected in 1994,
Jack took me under his wing and one day he sat me right
back there in the Pennsylvania corner, right next to his
chair, and he said, ``I am going to give you two pieces of
advice.'' He says, ``Number one, sit here on the floor and
learn the rules and the procedure, because if you master
the rules and the procedure of the House, someday you're
going to get a chance to offer a bill, and the people that
understand the rules will always win.''
He said, ``Number two, find out what you are passionate
about and be the best person you can be in that field. Be
the person that other people come to and ask for advice on
that issue.''
I never forgot that advice. Sixteen years later, every
day, we still come over to that corner, and those of us
who were smart enough would come over there to seek Jack's
counsel. He didn't just do it for the members of the
Pennsylvania delegation, he did it for anyone who was
smart enough to come back there and introduce themselves
to Jack and seek his counsel. It didn't matter what their
party affiliation was either.
Much has been said about Jack's ability to work across
the aisle. He truly did. When he chaired the Defense
Appropriations Committee, it didn't matter to him what
your party was. What mattered to him was that you had
something that was going to be good for the troops and
good for the country, and if you had a good idea, Jack was
willing to help you turn that idea into reality.
When you think about the appropriation bills and how
long it takes us sometimes to pass bills and how long that
we go sometimes without passing bills and have to throw
them in an omnibus at the end of the year, there was
always one bill that we never had a problem passing. I
can't remember in the 16 years that I have been here in
the House of Representatives it ever taking more than 10
minutes to pass the defense appropriations bill. Jack just
had it all worked out from the beginning, and he worked it
out with both sides. That was the beauty of it.
You know, it was said that when Jack wasn't in the
majority anymore and not the chairman of the committee, it
was hard to tell who was the chairman of the committee,
because Jack and his good friend Bill Young worked
together as a team. They were both the chairs of the
committee every year, regardless of what party was in
control. It was his dear friend, and it was a pleasure to
see those two work.
To sit on these opposite ends, we hear so much rancor in
America today about the division in our country and the
division here in the House of Representatives, how
Democrats and Republicans can't work together. These two
gentlemen worked together their entire careers. They were
an example for the rest of us to follow.
Jack Murtha is not with us anymore. It's hard to imagine
coming to the Pennsylvania corner, and I think the
toughest thing for all of us this week was to stand in
that corner and see that chair empty and know that our
friend wasn't coming in. It's going to take us a while for
that to sink in that it's really happened, but one thing
lives on. Jack would want us to move forward. Jack
wouldn't want us to spend a lot of time dwelling about him
or how we feel because he is gone.
Jack would want us to get back to work. He would want to
make sure that we were working for this country and for
our districts. He always told every Member that came over
there, vote your district first. Regardless of what
anybody tells you on this floor, you vote your district. I
watched Jack Murtha chase some of the leadership of our
party back from Pennsylvania corner when they were trying
to make some of our members not vote their districts. Jack
made sure that didn't happen.
Jack, we're going to miss you. You've been a great
teacher. To those of us in the Pennsylvania delegation,
you were a great friend, to many of us a father figure. We
stand here today to honor your memory and to pledge to you
that we will continue to work hard in your memory and make
sure that the people of western Pennsylvania and the great
State of Pennsylvania continue the tradition that you set
for all of us, the example that you set for this
delegation.
To his family, our deepest sympathies. Jack Murtha,
Godspeed, God bless.
Mr. KANJORSKI. Mr. Speaker, Jack's chairman as chairman
of the Appropriations Committee, David Obey.
Mr. OBEY. Mr. Speaker, this is a very human institution,
and it's affected very much by our personal relationships
with one another. Very frankly, for the first 20 years
that Jack and I served on the Appropriations Committee, we
were often adversaries. There were some issues on which we
differed. He was, as has already been said, very much old
school, and I was more of a reformer.
In fact, when I ran for the chairmanship of the
committee against a senior member of the committee, Jack
managed the campaign of my opponent and, unfortunately, he
did a pretty good job. After I was elected, we had an
arm's-length relationship for a couple of years.
But if you care about your country, and you care about
this institution, you swallow your differences and you
learn to work with everybody. Jack and I soon had
developed a solid working relationship, and we became
allies on a host of issues. One of the most important was
our view of the war in Iraq and how to get out of it; and
another was our concern about the dubiousness of our
continued involvement in Afghanistan if we didn't have a
better ally in that government to rely upon.
We often talked together, and we traveled together. We
went to the Middle East together. We shared something
special as well in a different place on this globe. A few
years ago, he and I and Dave Hobson and our staffs became
concerned about the visitors center at Normandy. It was
really pretty much of a crackerbox affair, and it was not
at all fitting to the history of that place. So we
determined that there ought to be a new visitors center at
Normandy. With the three of us working together with our
staffs, that visitors center was built.
Today, if you visit it--and it's truly beautiful--there
is a little plaque behind that visitors center in front of
a small tree with the names of Murtha, Obey and Hobson on
it. I know I am proud of that, and I know Jack was proud
of that. I think it symbolizes what happens in this place.
Two people who started out as adversaries became
reasonably good friends, never fully agreeing, because no
two people in this place ever agree on everything, but we
had a solid working relationship.
I learned one thing about Jack a long time ago. He had
the courage of his convictions, and he fought hard every
way he knew how for those convictions, and he cared deeply
about the welfare of the men and women who serve in the
Armed Forces and defend this country's freedom.
I am proud that at Normandy there is that little note of
the three of us having gotten together, all for one
purpose, to honor the people who did so much on those
beaches to build and preserve America's freedom and the
freedom of the world.
Mr. KANJORSKI. Mr. Speaker, I would now like to yield to
the gentleman from Indiana (Mr. Visclosky).
Mr. VISCLOSKY. I thank the gentleman for yielding.
I would like to take a bit of a different tack because I
met Chairman Murtha for the first time in 1977 when I was
an associate staff member on Appropriations. My Member and
my mentor, Adam Benjamin, Jr., was a member of the
Appropriations Committee that year. Mr. Murtha, Mr.
Carney, Mr. Benjamin and others were instrumental in that
year, not only in that appropriations process, but in also
establishing the Steel Caucus, because they were very
concerned about people who worked in their district.
What I took away as a staffer from that relationship
with Mr. Murtha is the fact that he always treated me and
every other staff he came into contact with with respect.
He always heard what I had to say and what other staff had
to say, whether, as Mr. Obey implied, he always agreed
with you or not, and he always treated you very
professionally.
I had no conception during those 6 years working as a
staff member that the time would come that I would serve
as a colleague on the committee with Mr. Murtha, would
serve on the subcommittee, and would be blessed enough to
call him a friend. He was a friend to every person he
encountered. He was a good friend to the people he
represented, because he was most concerned with those who
worked hard, who needed a job or who needed a hand up.
Our country is much richer because of that attitude that
Mr. Murtha carried with him every day, and the world is
certainly a much better place than it would have been had
he not walked among us.
The fact is, as far as his activities on the defense
subcommittee, and my Member was a former Marine as well, I
was always struck that while some people are very focused
on weapons systems, Mr. Murtha, while never losing sight
of the big picture, was most concerned about that
individual man or woman who was in the field, who was
risking their life and who was serving our country. As he
would suggest, operation and maintenance, how you train,
how you provide for their safety, how you equip that
person and their family and those children was the most
important thing for him.
He taught me many valuable life lessons. I am a better
person, and we are all better people because of Mr.
Murtha. He will be greatly missed, and I deeply appreciate
the gentleman from Pennsylvania for this opportunity.
Mr. KANJORSKI. Mr. Speaker, I now yield time to the
gentleman from western Pennsylvania, one of Jack's
prodigies, Jason Altmire.
Mr. ALTMIRE. I thank the gentleman from Pennsylvania and
I thank everyone who has spoken tonight.
I want to talk about western Pennsylvania and what Jack
meant to western Pennsylvania, his home region and my home
region.
A lot has been said over the past few weeks, and
certainly tonight, about the impact that this ``giant of
the Congress'' made on this institution, that he made on
this country, and certainly the impact that he had on the
American military, and there is nobody here that supported
them more than Jack Murtha.
I wanted to talk about the impact he had on his home
region. I am fortunate enough to represent a district that
is intertwined, due to gerrymandering, with Mr. Murtha's
district, the district that he represented for so many
years. I was born in a hospital that is in the district
that he represented. I grew up in a town that is in the
district that he represented. And I can tell you that we
have lost a giant in this Congress and we have lost a
giant in this country, but we've also lost a giant in
western Pennsylvania. He will not be forgotten in his home
region.
It should not be forgotten that Jack Murtha, as a member
of the Appropriations Committee, over the course of his
career put $1.5 billion into breast cancer research. He
put nearly $1 billion into diabetes research as a member
of the Appropriations Committee. I don't think that there
is anybody in this Congress who has a record that can
match what he has done in promoting health and promoting
wellness--yes, in our military, but also across all
segments of society. And again, this is somebody, as
Congressman Doyle talked of earlier, that epitomizes the
work ethic that represents western Pennsylvania and the
constituency that we represent.
I am fortunate to have known Mr. Murtha. I count him as
a true champion of the region that I grew up in and
somebody who will never be forgotten. There will never be
his like again in western Pennsylvania, in the Congress,
or in the country.
I thank the gentleman from Pennsylvania for the time.
Mr. KANJORSKI. I would now like to yield to part of our
leadership, Mr. Larson.
Mr. LARSON of Connecticut. I want to thank the
gentleman, the dean of the Pennsylvania delegation, for
having this opportunity for Members to speak about a great
American and someone who was so near and dear to all of
us.
I want to commend Mike Doyle, Bob Brady, Paul Kanjorski,
the entire delegation for last week making sure that,
aside from the formal services held for Mr. Murtha in
Johnstown, PA, there was an opportunity for an Irish wake
afterward. Jack, I know, would have been very proud of
that. I am sure he got quite a chuckle with Tip O'Neill up
in a higher place at the coming together of so many
Members and regaling with so many stories of Jack Murtha.
America has lost a great patriot. The Congress has lost
one of its giants, one of the most knowledgeable Members
on national defense ever to serve here, whose service
spanned almost four decades, and seven Presidents and
Members from both Chambers and on both sides of the aisle.
Our hearts go out to Joyce and the family. We in this
body have lost a person who makes the very essence and
fabric of being here so rich and rewarding; it was evident
in listening to our colleagues, listening to Rodney and
Bill and Jack Kingston talk about Mr. Murtha. His death is
a reminder to us all that our time here and all that we
hope to accomplish is fleeting. As he would say, make the
most of it while you're here; become an expert in a field;
but most of all, stand up for what you believe.
Jack reminded me in so many ways of my grandfather, with
that shock of white hair and piercing blue eyes and his
way of questioning, but also his incredible Irish wit. He
loved Congress. He was the epitome of what so often is
talked about in terms of bipartisan cooperation and was so
often demonstrated between him and Bill Young or Dave
Hobson. When he gave his word, he kept it.
He was a Member's Member, ever cognizant of what he
could do to help you. And while he was a tough questioner
and firm in his convictions, he had an incredible heart
and a deep love of history. He loved to talk about Tip
O'Neill and the good ol' days here.
I was fortunate to travel overseas with Mr. Murtha four
times. Sometimes I thought I drew the short straw in the
Pennsylvania corner because Jack, when he took a trip, it
was all work; up at 6, he was in bed by 7. There were no
PowerPoints, and he looked people dead in the eye. And he
always made sure that he spoke to the enlisted men because
he cared most about them. He was a decorated hero, with
two Purple Hearts and a Bronze Star in Vietnam, the first
combat veteran from that conflict to be elected to the
U.S. Congress.
Personally, a young man from East Hartford, my hometown,
was wounded in Fallujah. He was in bad shape. He was sent
back here, and his brother who was fighting alongside him,
a fellow Marine, was back there. Jack Murtha got on the
phone and made sure that those brothers were united at
Bethesda along with their parents.
I remember him counseling a father and his teenage son
over at Ramstein Hospital in Germany. They had just lost a
son. I don't know where Jack got the strength or that
reservoir of courage to comfort and console the father and
son, but he did, in almost Father O'Malley quality.
He cared so deeply about the troops that serve this
great Nation. And as Bill Young pointed out, he and Bill
made more trips out to Bethesda and Walter Reed with no
publicity. They did it out of duty and honor and respect
for those who serve.
He wrote a book, and on these flights I was privileged
as he would go through it with me. His favorite book of
all time was ``War and Peace.'' He cared as deeply about
peace as he did about making sure that we protected our
troops when they're in the field and took care of them
when they came home.
He will ever stand out in the minds of Americans for
speaking out against the war in Iraq, an issue that he
struggled deeply with. But as so many great Americans on
this floor and in this Chamber and around this Nation, he
found that profile in courage to stand up and speak out.
Democrats, I dare say, would not be in the majority if
it were not for Jack Murtha leading the way and speaking
out, because he is a soldier's soldier. And he was
respected on both sides of the aisle, as you've heard this
evening. But as one commentator said, ``When Jack Murtha
speaks, he speaks for America,'' and he did.
How proud he was to receive the John F. Kennedy Profile
in Courage Award. But his life was not only about speaking
out; it was about the day-to-day work, the belief that he
had in the men and women who serve and the people that he
was sworn to serve from his district, and about the men
and women who work here. He loved this institution. God,
how everyone liked to come over to the corner. It seemed
as though people were going over there to hear
confessions, seek advice and, most often, to check in on
how their projects were doing. He did it with wit,
determination, and guile, and a deep love and abiding
respect for his country.
For me personally, one of the great honors of being a
Member of the U.S. Congress will always be to say I had
the opportunity to serve with Jack Murtha, a great
American.
God bless you, Jack. God bless Joyce and your family.
Mr. KANJORSKI. Thank you very much, Mr. Larson.
I now yield to the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr.
Carney).
Mr. CARNEY. Thank you, Mr. Kanjorski, the new dean. I
know that is probably a hard title to accept now under
these circumstances.
It's interesting, I was listening to Mr. Larson speak,
and I wish that every American had the opportunity to be
in Johnstown on Monday night last to be part of the wake
we had because it was truly a celebration of a man who
deserves to be celebrated, but it was very striking in the
bipartisanship that was displayed there. Friends on both
sides of the aisle came to honor the man who was--and the
word is not overused in this case--a giant, who knew how
to fight for what he believed in, but also knew the art of
the possible.
One thing Jack taught me a long time ago is that we are
judged on this Earth not by what we don't do, but what we
do. That is how I think we all have to proceed as Members
of Congress in this body that we are privileged to be
elected to serve. And here is a man who fought for
everything he believed in.
Back in 2006, a number of us had the privilege of
meeting Jack. He became our mentor when we came into power
as the majority party again. It was his leadership, his
tutelage, and his guidance that got us here. The fact of
the matter is, when you came to Jack with a problem,
especially one that dealt with the troops, he was going to
take care of it.
Before my tenure here in Congress I was a professor at
Penn State, and I had a student who was deployed to Iraq
in the first wave of the invasion. He came back from Iraq
and told me that when we were there, we had to go through
Iraqi junkyards to find scrap metal to lob onto our trucks
for more protection. When I told Jack that story, that
kind Irish face of his hardened, those blue eyes didn't
twinkle quite as much, and that grin firmed up. He said,
``By God, we're going to fix that.'' And by God, he fixed
that.
Jack, we are going to miss you. We are going to look
back in that corner. We are going to know that we are not
whole just yet, but we will remember the lessons you
taught us and the leadership you provided.
Godspeed, soldier.
Mr. KANJORSKI. Mr. Speaker, I recognize the gentleman
from Pennsylvania (Mr. Patrick J. Murphy).
Mr. PATRICK J. MURPHY of Pennsylvania. I thank the
gentleman from Pennsylvania and now the dean of the
delegation.
I want to echo the comments of my classmate, Congressman
Chris Carney, also from Pennsylvania. When we came in
together, he was really our mentor, and he was a great
man. I thought it was fitting, when we heard earlier
Republicans talking about the honor to serve with a great
patriot like Jack Murtha, the fact that he always reached
across the aisle. The pallbearers at his service last week
were both Democrats and Republicans. They were coming
together to be those pallbearers in that final service.
In that service last week, we heard how Mrs. Bell told a
young Jack Patrick Murtha that one person can make a
difference, that one person can change the world. Whether
it was in the Marine Corps, in the Congress of the United
States, or within the Murtha family, Jack Patrick Murtha
certainly did make quite a difference.
In the military, he was proud of his over three decades
in the Corps. He was proud that he was the first combat
Marine to serve in the U.S. Congress. He was proud when he
had given a knife to a current commandant of the Marine
Corps, General Conway. General Conway talked in the
service last week about still having that knife. He was
also proud to go down the street at the Walter Reed
Military Hospital to see the men and women, our country's
heroes, when they came back. When they gave it all on the
battlefield and they came home, he was there for them.
As for his time in the Congress, he was proud of the
family that made up ``team Murtha''--the folks who served
with great honor and distinction, not just to the
constituents of the 12th Congressional District of
Pennsylvania, but also to the citizens of the United
States of America.
I am a person who often says that budgets are moral
documents. If you want to see someone's priorities, you
look at his budget, whether it's a family's budget or a
country's budget. Well, the fact is that Jack Murtha made
sure that our troops had everything that they needed. If
our warfighters were going to put their lives on the line,
if they were going to be willing to take a bullet to keep
our families and our country safe, Jack Murtha did not
want a fair fight. Jack Murtha wanted to make sure that
our troops had a tactical and a technical advantage on
that battlefield. Jack Murtha also wanted to make sure
that the Congress of the United States and our country's
policymakers also had the right war policy for those
troops.
As John Larson said earlier, when Jack Murtha spoke
about calling for a timeline to bring our troops home from
Iraq, it sent shock waves, not just across our country but
around the world, that he was going to stand up for
principle and do the right thing. That is the kind of
Marine, that is the kind of leader that Jack Murtha was.
It was no surprise to many of us who had watched him
throughout the years when he was awarded John Kennedy's
Profile in Courage Award. He was so proud of that award
because he knew what that award represented--the fact that
he, a guy who had grown up in Johnstown, PA, had finally
made a difference.
Last, we all know Jack to be the family man that he was.
The fact is he was most proud of his wife, Joyce, of his
kids, and of his grandchildren. He'd be here at the
Capitol so early, by 6 in the morning at least. Then when
we'd have late votes, at about 7 or 7:30, you could see
him fidgeting. We used to joke with him.
You'd hear Bob Ray ask, ``What's the matter? Does Joyce
have pork chops going on? You know, why do you want to
rush out of here?''
He'd say, ``I've got to get home.''
He wanted to make sure that he was home so he could be
there with his family to have a meal.
I believe that John Patrick Murtha and his service that
he gave to our country as a Marine, as the chairman, and
as a family man is a testament to his life's work, which
is that one man can make a difference.
God bless you, Jack Murtha.
Mr. KANJORSKI. Thank you, Mr. Murphy.
Mr. Speaker, I yield to the last of the Pennsylvania
delegation, Representative Dahlkemper of Erie.
Mrs. DAHLKEMPER. I thank the gentleman, our new dean of
the delegation.
I join my fellow Pennsylvania members and all of those
who are here tonight to honor Jack Murtha. I am deeply
honored and equally saddened to stand here in tribute to
our colleague and to my friend, the late Jack Murtha. I am
the youngest--or the newest member, I should say. I am not
the youngest. I am the newest member of the Pennsylvania
delegation. I've been here just 14 months.
Yet, from the first day that I stepped onto this floor,
Jack Murtha was a friend, a mentor. He welcomed me into
the corner, the famous Pennsylvania corner which I had
heard so much about. He welcomed me graciously, sharing
his wisdom, his intellect, his wit, his humor.
He would say, ``Hey, kid. How ya doing?''
Jack and I, I think, quickly developed a very special
relationship. I saw him sort of as my father on the floor,
the person I could turn to. He was a mentor, always
offering me that advice. Jack Murtha made sure that, as a
new Member, I knew my constituents had to come first, that
you represent the people who brought you here in every
vote.
He was enormously helpful to all of us here. Certainly,
if I had a question or a concern or an issue in my
district, I'd first turn to Jack Murtha and get his advice
on how I should proceed.
In November, I am so grateful that I was given the
privilege to travel with Jack Murtha to Afghanistan over
the Thanksgiving work period. We went to visit our troops
abroad. To be with him and to see how he interacted with
our troops was just a wonderful experience to be a part
of. In seeing his questioning of those in charge, I
learned a lot from him over that trip--how to do a CODEL,
how to do it right and how to come back with the
information that you need. There was no better person to
really take that journey with than Jack Murtha.
His mere presence in Afghanistan and everywhere we went
on that trip commanded respect from everyone we
encountered, and his keen insight and understandings of
the needs of our troops, I think, was appreciated by
everyone. All of those whom he touched there knew that he
had one interest, and that was to take care of those who
were there serving our country.
Jack Murtha was a true patriot. He loved his country,
and he believed in the value of public service. His
passing is a great loss for the United States of America.
It is a great loss for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
It is a great loss to his district. It is a great loss to
all of us who served with him in the House. I am grateful
to have served with him.
God bless Jack Murtha. God bless his family--his wife,
Joyce, his children, and his grandchildren.
Mr. KANJORSKI. Thank you, Mrs. Dahlkemper.
Now we will hear from the gentlewoman from Michigan (Ms.
Kilpatrick).
Ms. KILPATRICK of Michigan. Mr. Speaker, I, too, come to
pay homage to a giant--to our leader, our chairman, the
epitome of a public servant. All of us feel like he was
our best friend.
As the newest member of the Defense Appropriations
Committee, I was in awe as I watched the chairman yield,
educate, speak, and do what he did so that all of the
members on our subcommittee, on both sides of the aisle,
could participate in the process.
Chairman Murtha held 32 hearings before we even got to
the appropriations bill last year. I was at every one of
them. To watch him and to watch the prestige and the honor
that he received as well as gave to those who came before
our subcommittee was astounding. Chairman Murtha welcomed
me into the group. It is a prestigious group. In my 32
years of public service, there has been none like it.
I honor you, Jack Murtha, for your wisdom, your courage.
It has already been said--and I akin myself to all of my
colleagues who have come before me, but the redundancy
needs to be said over and over again--that our country has
lost a giant. This institution will never be the same. We
will strive to carry the torch and passion of Jack Murtha,
those of us on the committee, on the full committee, and
in this Congress on both sides of the aisle.
We love you, Jack Murtha. I pledge to you, as I do my
work here in the U.S. House of Representatives, it is
because of you and others like you who showed me and
helped me to become that defense protege, if you will, who
will speak out, who will protect our men and women in
uniform and our entire United States of America. So rest
in peace, my great warrior.
To his family--to his children and grandchildren--know
that you have a friend in all of us. We have adopted you
into our family. Let us speak and serve and reach and grow
and build a new United States of America as Jack Murtha
has held us to do.
God bless you, Jack. We will never forget you.
[The prepared remarks of Ms. Kilpatrick of Michigan
follow:]
Warrior. Statesman. Husband. Father. Legislator.
Chairman John P. Murtha was the epitome of the best of
what our Nation's military and this Congress does. As one
of the seven people in the history of our country selected
to chair the House Defense Appropriations Subcommittee,
Chairman Murtha comes from a family with a long and
stellar line of service to our country. Chairman Murtha's
great-grandfather served in the Civil War. His father and
three uncles served in World War II. Chairman Murtha,
along with his brothers, served in our Nation's military.
Of course, we all know that Chairman Murtha went in as an
enlisted man in the U.S. Marine Corps, serving as a drill
sergeant at Parris Island, SC, the home to many of our
Marines. In 1966, Chairman Murtha volunteered for active
duty in the Marine Corps, joining his brothers in combat.
Chairman Murtha earned two Purple Hearts, a Bronze Star
and the Vietnamese Cross for Gallantry in Vietnam.
Chairman Murtha served in the Marine Corps in the
Reserves, and retired as a colonel.
Chairman Murtha, after active duty in Vietnam, became
active in politics and was elected to Pennsylvania's House
of Representatives. When Chairman Murtha was elected to
Congress in 1974, he was the first Vietnam era combat
veteran elected to Congress. Chairman Murtha was a
dedicated and devoted servant to the people of
Pennsylvania's 12th Congressional District. We all know
Chairman Murtha.
What many people do not know is how Chairman Jack Murtha
fought for pay raises for all members of America's
military. How Chairman Murtha demanded accountability from
all our Presidents on the number of contractors in Iraq
and Afghanistan. What many people do not know is how
Chairman Murtha took a young Member of Congress aside and
taught her or him how to get things done. What many people
do not know is that Chairman Murtha was feared, and also
respected; Chairman Murtha was intimidating and also
loved. There is a reason that just over my shoulder, on
the House floor, a flag hangs in respect, love, and
admiration in the seat that Chairman Murtha called home
for more than three decades.
Chairman Murtha's respect went far beyond the confines
of the House Appropriations Committee on Defense. When our
Nation's warriors go to fight for us, they deserve nothing
but the best in return. That was Chairman Murtha's goal
for the men and women of our Nation's military. Chairman
Murtha, very simply, made things happen. You know what?
Most of the things that Chairman Murtha made happen never
made the pages of the newspaper. They were not in a sound
bite on television or on radio. But each and every Member
who walks these Halls know that Congress is a lot emptier
and things will not be done as quickly or as well since
the loss of Chairman Murtha. I do not believe that it is
an understatement when I say that the reason why our
troops in Iraq are coming home today is because Chairman
Murtha, warrior, statesman, and lover of his men and women
in combat, said ``enough.''
Chairman Murtha knew defeat and victory. Chairman Murtha
loved the institution of Congress, he loved his family, he
loved his Marines, he loved his servicemembers of our
Nation's military, and those individuals who volunteer to
put themselves in harm's way to defend our Constitution.
Chairman Murtha defended our Constitution as a Marine in
combat in Vietnam. Chairman Murtha defended our
Constitution as a Member of Congress. Chairman Murtha will
continue to guide the spirits and souls of us all as we
work to solve the problems of America. Because that is
what Chairman Murtha did--solve problems.
Chairman John Patrick Murtha, rest in peace. To his wife
and family, know that we will always honor and cherish his
memory, and we thank you for sharing him with us for more
than three decades. The heart of a lion that once roamed
the Halls of Congress is lost, and I will miss his kind
heart, his vivacious spirit, and his intelligence forever.
Mr. KANJORSKI. Thank you very much, Ms. Kilpatrick.
Now we will hear from the gentleman from New York (Mr.
Hinchey).
Mr. HINCHEY. Well, thank you very much.
I just want to express my deep sense of sadness for the
loss of a very dear friend, someone for whom I had a great
deal of respect and admiration. I know that sense is not
unique. It is shared and expressed by a great many other
people. Of course, the reasons for that are the
interactions that he had with so many people. It is the
involvement that he had and the way in which he provided
leadership and direction for a great many. I knew him for
a little more than 17 years but not very closely until the
last year and a half or so, and that was because I now
serve on the subcommittee that he chaired, the
Subcommittee on Defense.
I felt a great sense of admiration for him, for the
focus that he had on the work that he had to do and for
the way in which he did it so very effectively. I could
understand why, because that was the simple nature of the
man, and it was the kind of thing that he had done all his
life.
He served in the military, and was a great exemplary of
strength, and honor, and courage, and he had done the same
thing during his tenure here in the House of
Representatives. He served with strength, and honor, and
courage. He did a great many things for the district that
he represented, a great many things for Pennsylvania, but
also a great many things for many places across this
country. I know that he did a great many things in helping
me.
So, again, I want to express my deep sense of gratitude
for Jack Murtha, my deep respect for him and this deep,
unexpected sadness in his leaving us. I had thought that
he would be here for a long time. Nevertheless, we will
continue to have the strength that we have had as a result
of our interactions with him. We will be much more
effective, much more knowledgeable, and there will be a
continuation of positive things done here. A lot of those
positive things will be as a direct result of the
leadership and of the examples set by Jack Murtha.
Thank you, Jack, for everything that you've done.
Mr. KANJORSKI. Thank you very much, Mr. Hinchey.
Now we will hear from the gentleman from Georgia.
Mr. BISHOP of Georgia. I thank the gentleman for
yielding and for allowing me to participate in this
tribute to our great friend.
The poet wrote that the lives of great men all remind us
that we can make our lives sublime, and departing, leave
behind footprints on the sands of time.
Jack Murtha was a great man, and he, indeed, left
indelible footprints. He left footprints on his beloved
district in Pennsylvania with all of the projects and all
of the things that he did for his constituents there over
the 36 years of service he gave.
He left footprints on the Department of Defense and on
the men and women who served in our military and their
families with all of the care and concern that he put into
making sure that they had everything that was needed to
carry out their missions and that they got what they
needed when they returned home.
He left a footprint on this institution with the
leadership and the example that he set for all of us as a
bipartisan collegial Representative. To watch the
interaction between Mr. Murtha and Mr. Young and to be
able to feel and to see the genuine friendship and mutual
respect that they had for each other was a lesson every
day in the collegiality and the civility that Members of
this institution should carry in the traditions of this
institution.
Jack Murtha made and left indelible footprints on the
United States of America. He made an impression on all of
us, on his family, Joyce, who was a mentor to my wife in
the Congressional Club as Jack was a mentor to me in this
House. I can remember my very first trip to Murtha's
corner, seeking sage advice, and I can remember the last
trip on his last day on the floor 1,000 visits later.
Jack made a lasting impression on us. He was a friend.
He was a mentor. He was a Member's Member. The world is
better because Jack Murtha was here. This institution and
our country are better because Jack Murtha was here.
Someone said you make your living by what you get; you
make your life by what you give. Jack Murtha indeed made a
life and he made our lives better for his service.
Thank you, Jack. Thank you to the Murtha family. Thank
you, God, for allowing us to know, love, and share the
life of this very exceptional and remarkable man.
Mr. KANJORSKI. Mr. Speaker, I yield now to the gentleman
from New Jersey (Mr. Holt).
Mr. HOLT. We will miss Jack Murtha. Strong willed, plain
spoken, fearless, dedicated, patriotic, honorable, and
remarkably generous with his time, his wisdom, and his
advice. We will not see the like of him again.
The descendant of veterans of the American War for
Independence and the Civil War, he was the champion of the
Marine, the soldier, the sailor, the flyer. And to me
personally he was magnanimous.
When the Speaker created the Select Intelligence
Oversight Panel as part of the Appropriations Committee
and asked me to take the chair, Jack Murtha embraced the
panel and gave it strength, even though it might have
appeared to lessen his authority. Of course, nothing ever
diminished the authority of Jack Murtha. He embodied
authority. More than magnanimous, he was kind and sharing.
We express our sympathy to the family, friends, and all
of those who Jack Murtha championed who don't know what he
did for them and what he did for America. What a loss.
Mr. KANJORSKI. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman
from New Jersey (Mr. Pascrell).
Mr. PASCRELL. We who worked with Jack Murtha day in and
day out really appreciated his deep respect for this
institution.
In a time when we see the demise of institutional
respect and ritual, he enjoyed the ritual of this House,
just as he enjoyed the ritual of serving his country as a
Marine. He enjoyed the ritual of marriage. He was
honorable, he was devoted, and he was faithful; a faithful
brother who served his country and asked nothing in
return. Man, that is different in this city.
Jack and I, 7 years ago came together in two different
paths in order to respond to our soldiers, our brothers
and sisters, our aunts and uncles, our fathers and mothers
who were coming back from Iraq and Afghanistan with the
signature injury of those two wars: traumatic brain
injury. No contusion, no blood, misdiagnosed, never
diagnosed. And post-traumatic stress disorder. It was part
of my official family. I knew it first hand. And Jack
said, ``Why don't we bring the civilian research and the
military research together?'' So we set out. Can you
imagine going into a war without having ready how we would
help those soldiers coming back? Jack couldn't. And he did
something about it.
When you go to Walter Reed Hospital, a hospital that was
supposed to be closed, if you remember, 4 years ago, and
you see the state of the art, he did not give up on those
soldiers, many of whom would be dead if it were not for
what he did in getting the resources so that the state-of-
the-art treatment for our soldiers would be there.
To his friends on both sides of the aisle, let us
remember when Jack would come to the microphone, and it
wasn't often, but he came to the microphone during
appropriations time, and he would say many times to me,
``Billy, watch how quick I'm there and I'll be gone.'' And
you would think the chairman would want to give a
dissertation. But he had done his homework. There were no
speeches that weren't necessary. He did not mention
platitudes. It was honor, duty, and then a nonpretentious
exit.
Good friend, you are not gone. We will remember you and
we love you.
Mr. KANJORSKI. I yield to the gentleman from Illinois
(Mr. Lipinski).
Mr. LIPINSKI. I thank the gentleman from Pennsylvania
for yielding.
I know a lot of people have talked about Jack Murtha as
a giant, and I really think that this institution probably
will not see another man like Jack Murtha in many ways.
But I think what stands out most to me and what has come
through here is that Jack Murtha had a heart of gold. He
really cared about people. He cared about the men and
women in our Armed Forces. He cared about his colleagues.
And he cared about his constituents greatly, especially in
his hometown of Johnstown, PA.
I didn't get to meet Jack Murtha until I was elected in
2004, but I feel like I really started to get to know him
before that. In 2000 I started dating Judy, who is now my
wife, and she is from Johnstown. Her family is still in
Johnstown. So I would go to visit Judy's family in
Johnstown and I would hear people talk about Jack Murtha.
I would see what Jack Murtha did for his district. And I
knew that his constituents, especially the people of
Johnstown, loved Jack Murtha.
When I was elected, I would often go say hello to Jack
over in the Pennsylvania corner, just come over to say
hello, and so many times he would give me that smile and
he'd tap his colleague next to him on the shoulder and
say, ``This guy married a gal from Johnstown.'' And I
always felt a very close connection to Jack because of
that.
I feel very blessed to have had the opportunity in these
5 years to get to know Jack Murtha and what he did for
Johnstown. I certainly saw people suffer through floods,
economic turmoil, and he really cared about the people,
and doing all he could for them meant a lot to him.
I will miss Jack and what he meant to so many of us. I
think that Jack loved his job because he knew it gave him
a great opportunity to do what he really believed, and
that is take care of people, to help people out. This job
gave him the opportunity to do that, and he did it
throughout all of his life. Because of that I will greatly
miss Jack Murtha.
God bless Jack Murtha, Joyce, and his entire family.
Mr. KANJORSKI. Madam Speaker, we have the Speaker who
will be arriving and, as I understand it, we have
additional Members who will make requests to speak for 5
minutes.
Ms. LEE of California. Madam Speaker I rise to remember
my friend and our dear colleague Congressman John Murtha.
I was deeply saddened when I learned of Congressman
Murtha's death. I share the sentiments of my colleagues on
the floor today, and my heart goes out to the entire
Murtha family for their loss.
The people of Pennsylvania and of this entire country
have lost a good and faithful servant with the passing of
Congressman John Murtha.
For nearly half a century, whether it was on the
battlefield as a Marine, the Pennsylvania State
Legislature or on Capitol Hill, John Murtha always led
with distinction and honor.
As a veteran of the Vietnam war, Congressman Murtha
served this country courageously and was a staunch
advocate for our men and women in uniform.
In the House of Representatives he was a true leader,
and a man of conviction, who was always willing to share a
word of wisdom.
He had the courage to call for a withdrawal of U.S.
troops from Iraq long before it was popular to do so and I
will always be grateful for his willingness to take such a
difficult stand.
We have lost a friend and colleague, and our country has
lost a great public servant and statesman. Congressman
John Murtha will be deeply missed.
My thoughts and prayers are with his wife Joyce, his
daughter Donna, his twin sons Pat and John and his three
grandchildren: Jack, Anne and Clayton.
It is our charge to ensure that his memory and legacy
lives on, and that we continue his fierce dedication,
loyalty, and love for the brave men and women of the Armed
Forces.
Ms. McCOLLUM. Madam Speaker, I and the following members
rise in recognition of the late U.S. Representative John
Murtha's lifelong dedication to members of our armed
services: Representative Bruce Braley, Representative Tim
Walz, Representative Keith Ellison, Representative James
Oberstar, Representative Leonard Boswell, Representative
David Loebsack, Representative Collin Peterson, and
Representative Tom Latham.
Chairman John Murtha was a passionate legislator and
decorated former Marine who never stopped fighting for our
men and women in uniform. In 1974, Murtha, then an officer
in the Marine Reserves, became the first Vietnam war
combat veteran elected to the House of Representatives. As
chairman of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on
Defense, Congressman Murtha was a tireless advocate for
our troops, military families, and our veterans on Capitol
Hill. At a time when we are mourning his passing, it is
important to recognize Chairman Murtha's work to ensure
that veterans receive support. The undersigned members
would like to call attention to the work he did to secure
the benefits promised and earned by 22,000 National Guard
and Reserve personnel in our States.
In January 2007, the Department of Defense authorized
the Post-Deployment Mobilization Respite Absence (PDMRA)
Program, which provides additional pay when a soldier
deploys more frequently than DOD policy requires. For the
2 years since the authorization of PDMRA, the Pentagon's
implementation of the program has been slow and
incomplete. As a result, thousands of National Guard and
Reserve members who have served multiple and extended
tours in Iraq and Afghanistan did not receive the pay to
which they are entitled. This problem has affected
National Guard and Reserve personnel in every State across
the Nation. Members organized to bring attention to this
problem and to find a resolution. The undersigned Members
have sent letters to the Pentagon, organized events, and
met with armed services personnel for years and asked for
the chairman's assistance and leadership.
Chairman Murtha heard our request and took action. He
made phone calls directly to Defense Secretary Robert
Gates and Army Secretary Pete Geren. He included language
to remedy the delay in the fiscal year 2010 defense
appropriations bill, and in numerous letters to the
Department of Defense since 2007 Congressman Murtha
supported his colleagues in making it clear that further
delay in resolving this issue was unacceptable to our
members of the armed services. Because of Chairman
Murtha's support, the Department of Defense issued Army
policy guidance for cash reimbursements for PDMRA for
Reserve and National Guard personnel, which represents a
crucial step in finally resolving this issue.
The late Congressman John Murtha has shown throughout
his time in the military and in Congress that he is a
dedicated leader on fighting on behalf of military
families.
Ms. HARMAN. Madam Speaker, Jack Murtha was a paradox: a
big man with an impressive war record who never wavered
from his commitment to the wounded, the disadvantaged, and
always challenged those who, in his strong opinion,
underestimated the economic and human costs of war. He was
a politician who constantly spoke his mind, and never
worried about ruffling feathers. That's rare in today's
Washington. Jack reached out to his colleagues--not just
those who sat near him in the Pennsylvania corner on the
House floor, but to others whom he respected. The people
of California's 36th District and I are lucky to have been
one of those he looked out for. I remember his visit about
a decade ago to the Los Angeles Air Force Base Space and
Missile Systems Center (SMC), located in my congressional
district. Of course he cared about SMC's mission of
development and acquisition of our Nation's defense
satellites. He also wanted to know about the people of
SMC. He met with the generals and staff about how things
were going, and whether funding was on track, but he also
took the time to speak at a townhall-style meeting with
the workforce where he thanked them for their service and
to check on their well-being. They will miss him. So will
I. I hope Joyce and his family are comforted by how big
the big man's impact was.
Ms. HIRONO. Madam Speaker, I join with my colleagues in
the House to express my deep sadness at the passing of one
of the most extraordinary Members to serve in the U.S.
House of Representatives. Jack Murtha will be missed as a
courageous statesman, a respected colleague, an effective
legislator, a dedicated representative of his constituents
in Pennsylvania, a true friend to those who wear the
uniform of the U.S. armed services, a treasured friend,
and most important, as a beloved husband, father, and
grandfather.
Many of you served with Jack Murtha for decades; as a
sophomore Member of Congress, I only had the privilege of
serving with Jack for a little over 3 years. Despite the
fact that he was one of the most senior and powerful
Members of our body, Jack was interested in the needs of
my district and helped me to secure funding to clean up
sites in Hawaii impacted by Department of Defense
activities.
Congressman Murtha's decades of dedicated service in the
U.S. Marine Corps and Reserve and his service in Vietnam
gave him an appreciation of the sacrifices made by the men
and women who serve in the Armed Forces. Nothing was more
important to him than the well-being of servicemembers and
their families. And he and his beloved Joyce regularly
went to visit the wounded at Walter Reed and other
hospitals.
Despite his years of service in the military and his
longtime record as an advocate for the military, Jack did
not hesitate to speak his conscience. Despite his initial
support for the war in Iraq, he became disillusioned with
the conduct of the war and called for the withdrawal of
our troops. This took great courage and, in my view,
speaks to the inherent honor of this fine man.
It is still hard to believe that Jack is gone. He had
such a dynamic presence that it feels as if he is still
here with us--sitting in his corner holding court. In his
book, ``From Vietnam to 9/11,'' Jack wrote, ``Ever since I
was a young boy, I had two goals in life--I wanted to be a
colonel in the Marine Corps and a Member of Congress.'' He
achieved those goals and so much more.
I send my deepest sympathy to Jack's partner of 54
years, Joyce Murtha; to his daughter Donna; his sons Pat
and John; and his grandchildren. I join all my colleagues
in giving thanks for Jack's life of service and
accomplishment. Mahalo nui loa, Jack.
Mr. SKELTON. Madam Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute
to my friend and colleague Congressman John Murtha of
Pennsylvania. It is with a heavy heart that I say goodbye
to a friend of more than 30 years.
Jack Murtha arrived in Washington to serve in this House
in 1974, just a few years before I had the honor to join
this distinguished body.
Jack Murtha and I had a lot in common, in our love for
the troops and for our country. We didn't always agree,
but you always knew that his heart was in every fight he
took on. People listened to his counsel. He had
conviction. He inspired respect.
The kind of respect that Jack Murtha had in this House
doesn't come automatically. No one has it when they take
the oath of office for the first time. It has to be
earned.
Jack Murtha was no nonsense. Like President Truman, he
didn't suffer fools. You knew where he stood, and if you
were lucky, you had him in your corner. He was a fighter,
for his country and for the people of Pennsylvania.
Jack Murtha was a leader. He loved our country. He loved
the men and women of the Armed Forces, and especially the
U.S. Marine Corps, of which he wore the uniform and served
with great distinction.
He also loved the Congress, and understood its
indispensable role as a coequal branch of our Federal
Government. Anyone watching the House floor could see his
leadership in action, as he held court with other Members
in the back corner. A master legislator, he built
relationships, mentored other Members, and conducted the
business that runs this institution and plays a big part
in running this country.
With the passing of Jack Murtha, we have lost one of the
giants of the House. I salute his dedicated service to our
country--as a Marine, as a businessman and community
leader, and as a Member of Congress.
Jack Murtha will be deeply missed. My condolences go to
his wife Joyce, his children Donna, Pat, and John, and
also to the people of Pennsylvania he cared about so much
and represented so well.
Ms. WASSERMAN SCHULTZ. Madam Speaker, first, let me
thank Congressman Kanjorski for reserving this special
order today to honor the life, legacy, and service of our
friend and colleague John Murtha.
Our Nation has lost a gifted lawmaker, a devoted public
servant and a true patriot. In 1974, Jack became the first
Vietnam war combat veteran elected to Congress. His spirit
emboldened and his resolve hardened by his service on the
battlefield, he became a tireless advocate for the people
of Pennsylvania and all Americans.
We all know so well that he never lost his courage and
his dedication to our Nation's security, our troops, or
their families. Even after his election, he continued to
serve in the Marine Corps Reserves until 1990 as a
colonel, receiving the Navy's Distinguished Service Medal.
From my first day here, Jack was always a mentor and a
friend. When I was first appointed as a cardinal on the
Appropriations Committee, Jack was right there with sage
advice and a helping hand. His no-nonsense exterior
contained a fiery soul and fierce intelligence the equal
of which this body has seldom known. Our Nation is surely
better for his service to it and a grateful country
grieves its loss.
Our thoughts and prayers are with his wife Joyce, their
children, and extended family during this time.
Mr. LEWIS of California. Madam Speaker, Jack Murtha and
I served together in this institution for over 30 years.
We disagreed at times over policy and politics, but I am
proud to say that Jack was my friend.
Throughout my time in Congress, I have never seen a more
valiant defender of the men and women of our Armed Forces
than Jack, nor a more steadfast advocate for our country's
unequaled national defense.
Years ago, when I was convinced that we should push
forward quickly with development of the Predator UAV, Jack
listened to my reasons and helped me push through the
funding that has produced one of our most valuable weapons
in the war on terror.
When I became chairman of the Defense Appropriations
Subcommittee, I counted on Jack Murtha to be a partner
rather than an adversary when the welfare of our military
was on the line. When we urged that the F-22 Program be
reined in to ensure it was thoroughly tested, Jack was by
my side and helped win the day and make that a better
airplane.
Just weeks ago, Jack and I traveled together to
Afghanistan. We were under tight timelines that were
influenced by the situation on the ground. Although the
travel was hard and the schedule was arduous, Jack
maintained the energy and dedication of a man half his
age. His unwavering purpose was to learn as much as he
could, gain as much insight from our commanders as
possible, and see for himself the challenges our country
faces in that region.
He was a true patriot, and his passing is a cause for
great sadness. This Congress will be a much lesser place
without him.
My wife Arlene and I offer our most sincere condolences
to his family, and also to his second family--his
congressional staff and the members and staff of the
Appropriations Committee.
Mr. BACA. Madam Speaker, I rise today in recognition of
a dear friend and colleague, loving father and
grandfather, and a true American patriot, Representative
John Murtha.
John served proudly when called to action in the Vietnam
war, and his valor was recognized with the Bronze Star,
and not one, but two Purple Heart awards.
In all, John spent an astounding 37 years of his life in
active and reserve duty service in the Marine Corps.
In 1974, John heeded another call to duty, and began a
life of public service here in the House of
Representatives.
John served his constituents in Western Pennsylvania for
an impressive 19 terms.
In Congress, he was respected for his political
prowess--and his tireless passion to support America's men
and women serving in uniform.
John Murtha was a man who measured our Nation's strength
not only by military might, but also in the well-being of
our people; and I am proud to have served with him in this
body.
The thoughts and prayers of my wife Barbara and I go out
to Joyce and all of John's family during this difficult
time.
Mr. QUIGLEY. Madam Speaker, I rise today in honor of
Congressman John Murtha, who passed away on February 8,
2010. Representative Murtha was an exemplary leader and an
American patriot.
Born into an Irish-American family, John left college in
1952 to join the Marine Corps. Here he would begin his
course in leadership, becoming a Marine Corps drill
instructor. His military career not only led him to
receive a degree from the University of Pittsburgh, but
also placed him on the front lines of service in the
Vietnam war. During this time, he was awarded the Bronze
Star with Valor device, two Purple Hearts, and the
Vietnamese Cross of Gallantry.
In 1974 John was elected to the U.S. House of
Representatives and had an extraordinary 36-year career,
obtaining the distinction of Pennsylvania's longest
serving Congressman 2 days before he passed. A fiercely
independent-minded public servant, John strived for
bipartisan solutions to our Nation's struggles. He had no
fear of partisan attacks and as the chairman of the House
Appropriations Defense Subcommittee he courageously spoke
out against the Iraq war. His fearless calls for the
withdrawal of American forces in Iraq, in the face of
strong partisan confrontations, earned him the John F.
Kennedy Profile in Courage Award.
I thank John for his service to our Nation. I extend my
deepest sympathies to John's wife Joyce, his children
Donna Sue, John, and Patrick, and his grandchildren in
this difficult time. John was a tremendous public servant
who exemplified the spirit of America. He will be greatly
missed.
The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mrs. Halvorson). Under a
previous order of the House, the gentleman from California
(Mr. Farr) is recognized for 5 minutes.
Mr. FARR. I live in Carmel, CA, and when the phone rang
and I heard that Jack Murtha had died, I couldn't believe
it. I broke into tears. I just couldn't believe it. It was
like when I heard my father had died. What I did at that
moment was the same thing I did when my dad died. I sat
down and I wrote a letter to Jack Murtha. Here it is:
Dear Jack, I can't believe you're gone. Gone from the
Pennsylvania corner, from your chair where we would all
come to see you; each checking in during floor sessions on
your opinion on military issues and Pennsylvania politics.
And we talked about our issues, about base closure
progress, about programs that were working and programs
that had problems. Always thanking you for your help.
Thanking you for your earmarks. I'll never forget what you
did with your earmark for breast cancer research, for
child care centers at military bases, for military
education. More than anything else, you were concerned
about the welfare of our troops and especially their
families.
Remember when you got me to go to Walter Reed Hospital
and Bethesda Naval Hospital to visit the war wounded and
how we worked to get golf carts for disabled soldiers by
insisting that each of the 177 golf courses operated by
the services have carts for the disabled?
You always asked me, ``How is that university that we
got at Fort Ord doing?'' I thanked you for the help in
getting the $65 million to get it started. Jack, Cal State
University Monterey Bay is doing really well, with ever-
growing enrollment and faculty. You can be proud of the
role you played in converting swords to ploughshares.
You got really excited when I showed you what I had done
to bring all the military missions in Monterey County
together to form Team Monterey, showing the brochure
indicating that over $1 billion was spent in Monterey
County for the DOD efforts there. You were going to see if
this team effort could be done for your district and for
the State of Pennsylvania.
Jack, you were quite the Zeus. Everyone came to you,
loved you, loved your good nature, your loyalty, your
friendship, your laugh, and your wisdom. Remember how you
would bet on how long the debate would take on the defense
appropriations bills? You always won. I was shocked that
the biggest appropriations account in the Federal
Government could be enacted with the shortest debate. You
laughed and said, ``All the problems were worked out in
committee, we don't need floor debate.'' At first I
thought it was a fluke. But over the years, I learned you
made it so.
Jack, thanks for coming out to the Monterey Peninsula to
visit the Naval Postgraduate School and the Defense
Language Institute. You were a good listener, and always
insisted no PowerPoints, no BS, just the problems. No one
in Congress cuts to the issue faster than you.
I remember your delight in hearing from an IED
specialist just back from Iraq who asked you, ``Why don't
we figure out what makes cultures set these things off in
the first place?'' You loved that thinking. Thanks again
for allowing me to ride back to Washington, DC, on Mil
Air. We brought Paul Stockton along and had a wonderful
discussion on Iraq and how we might exit. By the way,
Jack, Paul is now the Assistant Secretary of Defense for
Homeland Defense and America's Security Affairs. I know
how much you respected his insight.
Thanks, Jack, for always asking me for copies of photos
I took, not of you, but of your staff. I remember the
photo of John Hugya when he was your district director
taken with President Clinton. You insisted I give it to
you for him. Remember the time you hung up on a President
when he called you? You had guts.
I remember going to your district and being in a meeting
with the area economic development folks. You were giving
them the Washington update. It was cold and wet, but full
of people. I admired how devoted they were to you. And I
took pictures, which you wanted to pass on to them. Seeing
the countryside and the poverty of the area made me
realize how lucky I was to represent my district. You
really helped people in need. That is why you are loved in
your district and here on the floor of the House of
Representatives.
The House Chamber has a lot of famous fixtures and
paintings, statues, reliefs, but you are going to stand
out as one of our greats. You showed your profile in
courage in taking a nationally profiled lead against the
war in Iraq that you originally supported. And you were
attacked by everyone except the military. They knew that
you knew it couldn't be sustained.
When they attacked you with big campaign expenditures to
defeat you, your friends responded without even being
asked. The word was out Jack was in trouble, and we
responded.
Jack, you shouldn't have died. It is a real shock, not
only to you, your friends, and this institution, but to
your beloved family. You and Joyce had such a special
partnership.
I loved accompanying you both on the Appropriations
Committee CODEL to California's National Parks, the joy
you got in seeing how a former army base in San Francisco
could be turned into the Golden Gate National Park, and
even Alcatraz is now a tourist site. You loved being a
tourist in San Francisco and Joyce was so appreciative of
Nancy Pelosi's hospitality long before she sought
leadership roles.
While the Democratic Caucus was visiting Nemacolin
Resort in your State you encouraged me to visit the two
Frank Lloyd Wright homes there. Joyce led the tour. She
was a model host and a good friend to all. I can't imagine
her life without you, nor yours without her. This has to
be as hard for your children as it was for me in losing my
mom at an early age. Time heals--unfortunately it is going
to take a long time.
Congress will miss you as a great Member and, more
importantly, as a caring, sensitive friend. We will try to
fill in, but the credibility will be lacking and the
outcome less successful.
Just know you made a difference, a big difference--out
here on the Central Coast of California--you helped launch
a new university, upgrade the Naval Postgraduate School,
and provided the programs that let our students learn
foreign languages faster and better.
You were the Captain of our ship, and Oh Captain, you
will be sorely missed!
I'd like to include the letters from the Naval
Postgraduate School and the Defense Manpower Data Center
in Monterey in sympathy.
Naval Postgraduate School,
Monterey, CA.
Congressman Murtha was a true servant to the public, a
throwback with few peers matching his length of service to
the U.S. House of Representatives. Service to his nation
was perhaps a constant throughout his life--not only is he
one of our nation's longest serving representatives, he
was also a retired Marine Corps colonel, joining the
service in 1952 during the Korean war out of a deep sense
of obligation to his country.
Congressman Murtha also served as Chairman of the
Defense Appropriations Subcommittee--and was the ranking
Democrat on the committee for nearly two decades--which
put him in a position to impact so many communities far
beyond Pennsylvania's 12th District.
That impact was felt here at the Naval Postgraduate
School, where he was a friend to NPS. He believed in the
value of graduate education for military officers and was
consistently and particularly supportive of NPS over the
years. Congressman Murtha recognized the value of the NPS
MISSION in supporting our military forces and NPS unique
contributions to national security.
Leonard A. Ferrari,
Executive Vice President and Provost.
a
Department of Defense, Human Resources Activity,
Defense Manpower Data Center,
Seaside, CA.
Chairman Murtha was a great American and a steadfast
friend of the members of the Armed Forces and their
families. He exemplified the best of our Nation's values
and was the iconic example of a patriot. As a decorated
veteran he identified closely with Service members and his
tireless efforts to see that they were adequately
compensated, well-trained, well-led and provided with the
best equipment were legendary. As a direct result of his
four decades of leadership in the Congress our ability to
support and defend our Nation remains unsurpassed. His
unwavering support for Defense organizations in the
Monterey area was of enormous value to the Nation.
Every American owes him a great, great debt.
(Ms. PELOSI asked and was given permission to address
the House for 1 minute.)
Ms. PELOSI. Madam Speaker, I rise to join my colleagues
to sing the praises of a great man, Jack Murtha. Many of
us had the honor of calling him colleague in this Chamber,
and some of us here had the privilege of calling him
friend. And when he was your friend, you had a true
friend.
Last week, many of us traveled to Johnstown, PA, to see
Jack put to rest. It was wonderful to hear the stories of
the thousands of people who showed up to pay their last
respects to him in Johnstown, the people he knew so well,
cared about so much, fought for in this Chamber. His
family was gathered and surrounded by their loved ones and
guests. The former President of the United States, Bill
Clinton, was there, the Secretary of Defense was there,
the chairman of the National Security Council was there,
representatives of the President's Cabinet, and planeloads
of his colleagues who came from Washington or drove from
home.
At that time we laughed and we cried, and we tried to
understand why this had happened. Jack's wife Joyce, who
is very strong, said to me, ``Jack would have wanted it
this way. He went out at the top of his game.'' Joyce is
very strong. We went there to console, and we came back
consoled by Jack's strong family.
I told them in my remarks about Jack holding court in
the Pennsylvania corner in this Chamber. There isn't
another corner that I know of that has its own name and
its own presiding officer. But Jack held court there, and
Members from across the country and across the aisle came
to visit him, to ask his blessing on their endeavors, and
to just be encouraged, and sometimes supported by him. The
cluster around him were Pennsylvanians and others, but he
was never alone. He was a magnet, a personal magnet.
People were drawn to him. He had this wonderful smile and
cheerful, twinkling eyes.
To see him operate in the Appropriations Committee, many
of us served there, was to see a master at work. But
really to understand his character, it was more important
to see him with our troops, whether it was just off the
battlefield or in a military hospital, Bethesda Naval
Medical Center, Walter Reed, Germany, Afghanistan, Iraq,
in the hospitals where our troops were taken.
From his own military experience, he would ask them
questions very knowledgeably about their unit and what
they had encountered and what they had seen. And they all
loved seeing him. They knew he was their friend. And so to
visit, on the occasions when I had the privilege of
visiting with Jack Murtha, was to receive a special
welcome from the troops and their families.
One time I remember in particular, we were visiting this
young man, it was a second visit, and he managed somehow,
when he knew Jack was coming, to get out of his bed. And
as we went in the door, there he was standing at attention
saluting Jack Murtha in a Steelers jersey. Pennsylvania,
how he loved that State, how he worked for it, how we will
miss him here.
He had a special way about him, as I have said, by dint
of his knowledge, his courage. Imagine the courage it took
for Jack Murtha to come to our caucus, to come to the
Leader's office and tell me that day, ``We have to begin
removing our troops from Iraq.'' He went alone to the
press to tell them that. It was like an earthquake in
terms of opinion. People who had questions about the war
felt validated. People who respected Jack began to
question.
One thing was for sure. He was respected by the
military. And when he spoke, they knew it was with no
agenda except the national security of our country and the
safety of our men and women in uniform.
Force protection. He was always talking about that. When
we would travel to the war zones, whether it was the seats
in the trucks, or the better radios, or whatever, up-
armored cars, body armor, you name it, as soon as he saw
the need he came back and delivered. So when he did speak
out against the war in Iraq, it was really quite a
stunning thing for our country. I think it was really
historic. It wasn't just that episode, it was that event
of national significance, historic significance.
He received, as has been mentioned, the John F. Kennedy
Profile in Courage Award. Can you imagine for people of
our generation, someone to receive the John F. Kennedy
Profile in Courage Award? I will never forget that night.
The Kennedy Library, he and Joyce, black tie, beautiful
Joyce, proud Jack standing tall like a Marine coming down
those steps, being cheered by Democrats and Republicans
alike. It wasn't about any partisanship. It was about
patriotism.
He was a proud Marine, as we all know. Semper Fi was
their motto. Semper Fidelis. Always faithful. And that was
the motto of his life, faithful to God, faithful to
country, faithful to his family, faithful to his district.
I can't talk about Jack, just one more moment, if I may,
Madam Speaker, without talking about the funny stories he
always told us about Tip O'Neill. As he mentored so many
of us, Tip was his mentor. And he loved Tip O'Neill. And
he would tell us the stories of how it was to go to a
baseball game with Tip, and this and that and the rest. I
won't go into the stories now about peer review, Mr. Obey,
and those kinds of appropriations matters. But Tip
instilled in him, perhaps he had it innately, but still
Tip strengthened in him a pride in this institution that
he took very seriously. And he, in mentoring others,
passed that pride on to others as well. He loved this
Congress, he loved this institution. He left us at the top
of his game. We will miss you, Jack Murtha.
Next week we will gather in Statuary Hall with many more
friends who can join in, now as we are on the floor of the
House, to once again pay tribute to this man. It is hard
to believe he is gone. But as he said, ``Soldiers can't
speak for themselves. We sent them to war, and, by God, we
are the ones that have to speak out.''
His wife Joyce wants us to have the music ``God Bless
America'' at the closing of his ceremony next week. God
truly blessed America with the life, leadership, and
service of Jack Murtha. I hope it is a comfort to Joyce
and to the children and grandchildren, of whom he was so
proud, that so many people mourn their loss and are
praying for them at this sad time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the
House, the gentleman from West Virginia (Mr. Rahall) is
recognized for 5 minutes.
Mr. RAHALL. Madam Speaker, I rise today to talk about
principled leadership that makes a difference. That best
describes the dean of the Pennsylvania delegation and its
longest serving member, Jack Murtha. Yes, Jack Murtha was
a Member's Member. He was a soldier's soldier. Always
straight shooting, courageous, willing to defend this
institution and all of us that work herein.
During my 33 years of service in this body and with Jack
Murtha, very few individuals would I turn to for advice
and counsel like I would Jack Murtha. Like so many of my
colleagues, I have traveled to troubled spots in this
world with Jack Murtha. I have read and learned from him
not only on these hard-working, hard-hitting CODELS, but
also from his book, ``From Vietnam to 9/11.'' Words of
wisdom for all of us here today and for the future.
Many of my strongest memories of Jack Murtha are from
our congressional travels together. We traveled to Lebanon
in fall 1982, following the deployment of U.S. forces as
peacekeepers to that country. We stayed in the very same
Marine barracks that 6 months later were blown to
smithereens.
During our trip in June 1987 to Angola, it was Chairman
Murtha who was successful in securing the release of a
downed U.S. pilot from his congressional district. Later,
in August of that same year, we traveled to the Persian
Gulf during the U.S. reflagging operation of Kuwaiti
ships. A few years later, in January 1993, we traveled on
an inspection trip to Somalia, following President George
Herbert Walker Bush's December 1992 dispatch of our U.S.
troops there in order to establish order and ensure the
success of our humanitarian relief efforts.
The bottom line in all of these travels, of course, as
so many of my colleagues can attest, is that around this
world our servicemen and women knew the true character of
Jack Murtha.
They knew the backbone of Jack Murtha, a veteran, a
dedicated public servant, an individual who was never too
busy or too selfish to take time to regularly visit our
military installations, our military hospitals, to visit
our brave, wounded service personnel.
From Chairman Murtha's station atop our Defense
Appropriations Subcommittee, our soldiers knew they were
secure in the knowledge that their sacrifices and their
dedications were in the best hands in the U.S. Congress.
I will miss you, Jack. I will miss our true leader. I
will miss your courage and your dedication. Our courageous
American troops will miss you, Jack Murtha. Our veterans
will miss you, and all of America will miss you.
Your family, Joyce, and your children and your
grandchildren, to them I extend my thoughts and prayers
and know that the memories of Jack Murtha will always
instill in his family the inspiration, the pride, the
strength, and the love that will enable them to carry on
the brave torch of Jack Murtha.
God bless you, friend.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the
House, the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Moran) is
recognized for 5 minutes.
Mr. MORAN of Virginia. I want to make note, Madam
Speaker, of the fact that the Speaker of the House is here
and the chairman of the Appropriations Committee has been
here throughout the entire time of this tribute, out of
respect. That's old school. Jack was old school. That's
what would matter to him. You'd never see him with a
BlackBerry. Can you imagine Jack Murtha with a BlackBerry?
I am sure he's never used the Internet once in his life.
You know, when we learned of Jack's passing, Norm Dicks
and I were on the phone and, between sobs, we, at the same
time, we blurted out the same thing: ``He was like a
father to me.'' He kind of was. He sort of taught us in
his own ways, really, by his conduct, the way we should
conduct ourselves in this institution. That's why he is
here. He's here. He's left his mark on each one of us
individually and collectively. He's done so much to shape
this institution.
Family comes first. He would call his daughter, Donna,
who's a teacher in Fairfax County schools, every night.
Regardless of all the issues he was dealing with with Iraq
and Afghanistan and so on, he'd want to know how her kids
were doing in class.
And, of course, he adored Joyce. Joyce was the queen. Of
course, Joyce would sometimes acknowledge that ``I know I
have to share him with you, Nancy, as Speaker,'' but he
had that kind of reverence that was so important to this
institution for leadership and for individuals.
And he also knew how to be a friend. Everyone who walked
up to that corner, he welcomed. He knew their name. He
made them feel welcome. If they had a letter that they
wanted him to read, a little note or something, he'd take
the time and read it. He'd say, ``Come on, sit down beside
me.''
He also was strong enough that he could afford to be
gentle. We know how he reached out to all of the soldiers,
the men and women in uniform, really cared about them.
He'd go over to Walter Reed. He would go and stand with
them, hold their hand at times.
He also did other things that if I didn't mention it, I
doubt that anyone would know, and some people will think
they seem a little silly perhaps.
Charlie Horner knows, his longtime aide. He heard that
Army Navy Country Club had a problem with the cats, that
they had proliferated. They were all over the place. And
so they decided, we've got too many cats; we're going to
kill them all. Jack found that out. It's true, isn't it?
He called a general and he said, ``Don't you go killing
any of those kitty cats at Army Navy Country Club.'' And
he didn't. They didn't. They all survived.
I just want to share an experience about 9/11. We were
debating whether to put money into missile defense or into
counterterrorism because Richard Clarke had told us that's
the real threat. So on the morning of 9/11 we were
debating it, and Jack had decided the real threat was
counterterrorism. And then Norm had seen the television
and the planes going into the World Trade Center, and we
could hear this herd of people running down the corridor
outside. The Capitol vacated immediately. But there wasn't
a sign of anxiety, let alone fear, on Jack's face. I
walked out with him.
We stood there in the driveway and all the police were
trying to clear everyone. Jack didn't feel any need to
move, and he told me this story. He said, ``Jerry, when I
was in Vietnam, I was in a foxhole and we were taking
fire. And a young private jumped in the foxhole. There was
only room for one person, so I had to get out. And I ran
into the line of fire looking for a foxhole and found one.
A few minutes later, a grenade landed in that foxhole I
had been in, blew the soldier up.'' Now, this is the
soldier, of course, who forced him into the line of fire.
And Jack said, ``I have always felt so bad for that young
soldier. I wish I had stayed there and not seen him blown
up.''
That was the kind of guy he was. He was bigger than
life, but his life was really about other people and about
this institution and this country.
So Jack, thank you for being who you were and who you
are to this institution.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the
House, the gentlewoman from Ohio (Ms. Kaptur) is
recognized for 5 minutes.
Ms. KAPTUR. Madam Speaker, man of the House. The passing
from this life of legendary Pennsylvania Congressman and
Defense Appropriations Chairman and Marine Colonel John P.
``Jack'' Murtha truly represents a seismic shift in this
Congress and in our Nation's history. His acumen, brass-
tacks style, and man-of-his-word reputation are so rare.
As the longest serving woman in the current U.S. House,
I came to know Jack Murtha well, serving with him for 28
years. In early February, he became the longest serving
member of the Pennsylvania delegation in U.S. history.
No one had his grasp of our Nation's defense or his
dexterity at ushering the complicated defense
appropriations bill, the largest in Congress, with nearly
unanimous bipartisan support.
Jack put the soldier first. Each branch of the service,
plus the Guard and Reserve, owe Jack great gratitude. He
was indefatigable in their cause. Jack Murtha respected
the awesome power of the U.S. military, but he also knew
its limits.
I have never served in this Congress when Jack Murtha
wasn't here. Properly, a U.S. flag flown over this Capitol
has been placed on his chair in the Pennsylvania corner
where he anchored his work on the floor of this House that
he loved. His knowledge, leadership, measure, and tutelage
remain timeless gifts to those who shared his path.
As the first Democratic woman to serve on the Defense
Subcommittee of Appropriations, I can attest, it never
would have happened but for his support and encouragement.
For his faith in me, I shall always be in his debt as I
try to emulate his acuity, his range, and his concern.
We, his subcommittee colleagues, who had the privilege
of serving most closely with this giant of a man shall
miss him greatly.
When my constituents ask me to describe him, here's what
I try to say in his cadence: Man of the House. Marine.
Chairman. Colonel. Dean. Authentic. Patriotic. Semper Fi.
Fearless. Keen. Optimistic. Jovial. With an unforgettable
glint in his eyes. Alive. Devoted husband to Joyce, and
proud and caring father and grandfather.
To his family, we send our deepest sympathy and our
abiding prayers and friendship.
Son of Johnstown. Rough-hewn. Battle tested. Two Purple
Hearts. A Bronze Star. Not blow dried nor cosmetic.
Fiercely loyal to his district and Pennsylvania. In
command. Extraordinarily hard working. Kept Marine hours,
rising early, arriving early. Always building others.
Trusted. Never gave a word he would break. If he said,
``I'll talk to you about it later,'' the subject was
closed before you knew it. Acute judge of character.
Revered counselor to dozens and dozens and dozens of
Members and friends. In few golden but choice words, he
advised, critiqued, led.
Don't mess with him. Absolutely loved politics. A
ticketmaker and analyzer. Lots of real friends. Some
really cruel enemies. Always had a good word. An author.
Well traveled, too, often to war zones. Visited the
wounded and bore that pain close to his heart.
New ideas and insights captivated him. Razor-sharp mind.
Don't tangle with him unless you know your subject. Memory
that could recall votes 10 years ago, and who voted which
way. Master of the rules. Wielded the gavel with authority
and certitude. Attentive to the floor at all times, even
when you thought he wasn't paying attention. Possessed all
the attributes to be Speaker, except he came from the
working class of people and didn't hail from a financial
or government enclave.
Madam Speaker, he instinctively knew how to build a
majority. He had lived war, and his heart was always with
the soldier.
A giant tree has fallen in the forest. A lion is now at
rest. How fortunate we are to cherish his friendship and
service. America's defense is the best in the world
because Chairman Jack Murtha lived to leave that legacy.
[The prepared remarks of Ms. Kaptur follow:]
The passing from this life of legendary Pennsylvania
Congressman and Defense Appropriations Chairman and Marine
Colonel John P. ``Jack'' Murtha truly represents a seismic
shift in our Nation's history. His acumen, brass-tacks
style and man-of-his-word reputation are so rare.
As the longest serving woman in the current U.S. House
of Representatives, I came to know Jack Murtha well,
serving with him 28 years. In early February he became the
longest serving Congressman in Pennsylvania history. He
took it upon himself to guide young Members of Congress,
particularly if their districts mimicked the hardscrabble
nature of his own.
As representative of the Ninth Congressional District of
Ohio, which extends along the Lake Erie shoreline from
Toledo almost to Cleveland, I had invited Jack to our job-
challenged region many times. In fact, he was scheduled to
open the national rifle matches at Camp Perry this spring.
Jack Murtha was legendary. He never forgot where he came
from. He tirelessly served his district and his
constituents. He grew to serve our Nation and his reach
was global. No one had his grasp of our Nation's defense
or his dexterity at ushering the complicated defense
appropriations bill, the largest in Congress, with nearly
unanimous bipartisan support.
Jack put the soldier first. His unheralded visits to
military hospitals to visit the sick and wounded were not
designed as photo ops but as heartfelt expressions of
appreciation for those who served on the front lines and
sacrificed for us. Every soldier knew he understood.
Each branch of the service, plus the Reserve and
National Guard, owes Jack Murtha a debt of gratitude. He
was indefatigable in their cause. In Toledo, our 180th F-
16 Fighter Wing is genuinely the best in the world. Why?
Because Jack Murtha helped to build its capability. I
daresay he attended to all 435 congressional districts
with the same diligence.
Our Guard and Reserve units were modernized with
improved pay and benefits because he knew their
importance: he advised America cannot conduct successful
operations without them. America's blood supply is more
robust and deliverable because he fought for it. New
weapons, materiel, and technologies are under way in every
service branch because Jack knew that some generals tend
to fight the last war, so he purposely worked in the
future.
Jack Murtha respected the awesome power of the U.S.
military, but he also knew its limits.
I have never served in Congress when Jack Murtha wasn't
here. Properly, a U.S. flag has been placed on his chair
in the Pennsylvania corner, where he anchored his work on
the floor of the House of Representatives and will remain
unoccupied by those who held him in esteem. His knowledge,
leadership, measure, and tutelage remain timeless gifts to
those who shared his path.
As the first Democratic woman to serve on the Defense
Subcommittee of Appropriations, I can attest it would
never have happened but for his support and encouragement.
For his faith in me, I shall always be in his debt as I
try to emulate his acuity, range and concern.
We, his subcommittee colleagues, who had the privilege
of serving most closely with this giant of a man, shall
miss him greatly.
When my constituents ask me to describe him, here is
what I say in his cadence: Jack. Authentic. Patriotic. Man
of the House. Marine. Chairman. Colonel. Dean. Semper Fi.
Fearless. Keen. Optimistic. Jovial. With an unforgettable
glint in his eyes. Alive. Devoted husband to Joyce and
proud and caring father and grandfather. Son of Johnstown.
Rough-hewn. Battle tested. Two Purple Hearts. A Bronze
Star. Not blow dried nor cosmetic. Fiercely loyal to his
district and Pennsylvania. In command. Extraordinarily
hard working. Kept Marine hours, rising early, arriving
early. Always building others. Trusted. Never gave a word
he would break. If he said, ``I'll talk to you about it
later,'' the subject was closed before you knew it. Acute
judge of character. Revered counselor to dozens and dozens
of Members and friends. In few golden but choice words, he
advised, critiqued, led. Defended his subcommittee's
prerogatives.
Don't mess with him. Absolutely loved politics. A
ticketmaker and analyzer. Lots of real friends. Some
really cruel enemies. Always had a good word. Liked bright
colors on others. Extraordinarily gifted. Well read. An
author. Well traveled too, often to war zones. Visited the
wounded and bore that pain close to his heart.
Quite curious. New ideas and insights captivated him.
Capable of independent views. Razor-sharp mind. Don't
tangle with him unless you know your subject. Memory that
could recall votes from 10 years ago, and who voted which
way. Master of the rules. Wielded the gavel with authority
and certitude. Attentive to the floor at all times even
when you thought he wasn't paying attention. A coach.
Possessed all the attributes to be Speaker, except he came
from the working class of people and didn't hail from a
financial or government enclave.
Not a trust fund baby nor into the cocktail circuit.
Self-made. Fair. Precise. Garrulous. Politically savvy.
Strong. Unflinching. Always humorous, throwing his head
back with a sincere laugh, and ``is that so?'' A brusque
manner that didn't suffer fools gladly. Regularly reached
across the aisle. Consistently passed his bills with
nearly unanimous support. He instinctively knew how to
build a majority.
Lived war. Heart always with the soldier. Loyal disciple
of Speaker Tip O'Neill and the common man. Soul buddies
with twinkles in their eyes. Cussing occasionally. But a
good word always. A giant tree has fallen in the forest. A
lion is now at rest. How fortunate are we who cherish his
friendship and service. We loved him and will deeply miss
him. America's defense is the best in the world because
Chairman Jack Murtha lived to leave that legacy.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the
House, the gentlewoman from New York (Mrs. Lowey) is
recognized for 5 minutes.
Mrs. LOWEY. Madam Speaker, I rise to pay tribute to the
life of our dear friend and colleague, Chairman Jack
Murtha. Jack was truly an all-American, a committed public
servant, decorated veteran of war, small businessman,
devoted husband and father and grandfather.
Many have recalled tonight and in recent weeks his
service on the front lines of combat. His experience in
the military made him a lifelong advocate for our men and
women in uniform and a compass for this body when it came
to making some of the toughest issues we face, those
related to the defense of the United States.
Jack Murtha exercised his power to protect the country
he loved, taking seriously the trust of his constituents
and his responsibility to the American people.
I learned so much from Jack Murtha. I witnessed first
hand and benefited from his expertise on military
strategy, intelligence, and foreign policy. His compassion
and commitment to do what was right were equally
impressive. On his broad shoulders, he carried a great
burden to not only provide for our troops and their
security but to ensure that we have made this world a
better place, a safer place, including for innocent
civilians in war zones and vulnerable societies around the
world. With a heavy heart he regularly gave his time to
lift the spirits of men and women recovering from injuries
in battles, sharing with them the appreciation of a
grateful Nation.
Finally, I would like to note his dedication to a goal
we shared: Alleviating cancer, especially those unique to
women. He not only worked to help adapt military
technology to aid in the treatment of cancer, he and his
loving wife, Joyce, have supported initiatives to directly
support breast cancer patients and survivors.
Jack was a giant among men. He was tough, he was smart,
he was committed to this great institution. His lifelong
service to our country will be missed.
Rest in peace, my dear friend.
I will miss him.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the
House, the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Rothman) is
recognized for 5 minutes.
Mr. ROTHMAN of New Jersey. Madam Speaker, I've been in
Congress 14 years.
A lot of people don't know about the quality of some of
the people who are here in the Congress. A lot of people
in this country find it funny to ridicule elected
officials in general--Members of Congress in particular.
I am going to talk to you about a great American, a
great human being. But there are many others like him, in
a sense, with the patriotism and grace and greatness that
he possessed.
Grace, generosity, and greatness: Jack Murtha. This was
my 4th year serving on Mr. Murtha's Defense Subcommittee,
and I was wondering how this giant of a man--physical
giant, powerful, legislatively powerful man, would accept
this guy from Jersey on his subcommittee. But he had such
grace. He welcomed me with great civility and gentility.
He was tough. He was so generous to me. He was generous to
everyone on the committee.
He believed in bipartisanship absolutely, completely and
totally, especially when it came to the security of our
beloved country, the United States of America. So he took
the best ideas from wherever they came--Democrat,
Republican, liberal, or conservative. He just wanted what
was best for America.
To talk about generosity, he even let me, a New Jersey
guy, into the Pennsylvania corner. I was tickled by it. I
was honored. For most of my years here when I was not on
his subcommittee, I would see him over there in his
corner, and I would see the people flocking around him
from Pennsylvania and elsewhere, coming as if truly just
to get an audience with a great man, a great human being,
to get advice, to get direction, to get support. He always
made you feel as if he was interested in your point of
view.
He asked me what books I read. When I told him, he said,
``I want to read that book,'' and he did. He made you feel
like you were making a contribution.
The greatness of Jack Murtha--aside from being a great
husband and father and war hero and devoted representative
of the people of Johnstown and his congressional
district--part of his greatness was his expectations about
what it meant to be an American, someone committed to
equal justice, equal opportunity, and integrity. His
integrity was unquestioned and unquestionable.
I just hope that we remember, Madam Speaker, when we
think of this great, gracious, generous, gentle giant,
Jack Murtha, we remember not only his expectations for
himself, but we remember his expectations for each of us.
He had expectations with regard to his staff, his
committee members, all of his colleagues of the House--
that we behave as true American patriots and leave America
stronger, freer, more just, and a greater Nation, as great
as he believed America to be. He demanded greatness from
all of us and that we pass on that legacy for our country,
our fellow countrymen and women, for generations to come.
Thank you, Mr. Murtha, for all you have done for us, and
we hope to repay all that you have done for us by giving
back to our country and creating the kind of country that
you fought so hard to make.
We will never forget you, sir. Thank you. God bless you.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the
House, the gentleman from Iowa (Mr. Braley) is recognized
for 5 minutes.
Mr. BRALEY of Iowa. Madam Speaker, some people may
wonder why I am standing here tonight, because almost
everyone who's spoken before me knew Jack Murtha longer
and better than I did.
But one of the things that I want to share with everyone
who cares about Jack is my first meeting in his office,
because Jack came to the door and greeted me, and as we
were walking in, I looked up on the wall of his office and
I saw that famous photograph that Joe Rosenthal took of
the flag-raising on Iwo Jima, and it was signed by Joe
Rosenthal. I stopped the chairman, and I pointed out to
him that my father landed at Iwo Jima the same days that
those flags were raised. And in that instant, Jack Murtha
became my friend for life.
We talked about the photograph, and I showed him that
over the shoulder of those Marines on Mount Suribachi, you
could see down on the shoreline on Green Beach LST-808,
which was the landing ship tank that dropped my dad off on
Iwo Jima 65 years ago yesterday.
After that moment, any time I had a question or a
concern or a problem that affected the men and women in my
district or my State that served this country in uniform,
I knew where to go, and I went to Jack Murtha.
One of the amazing things about how all of this unfolded
is Jack and I had talked about this year being the 65th
anniversary of the invasion of Iwo Jima, and we talked
about going there together. Unfortunately, because of his
tragic loss of life, we never had that opportunity.
I think about that because my dad died 29 years ago, and
so many things about him were like Jack. He landed as an
18-year-old farm boy from Iowa, and he saw horrible things
in the war. Like Jack, he saw one of his good friends
vaporized by a shell burst, and I have read the story of
that account by the commanding officer of the core
artillery that my dad served under, Colonel John Letcher.
One of the things that I did recently was I got a chance
to tape the veteran's history interview of my cousin,
Richard Braley, who, like my dad, was a Marine and served
in Vietnam as an officer, just like Jack Murtha. And one
of the things that is so special about people like my dad
and my cousin and Jack Murtha is you never forget and
you're always faithful.
So when my dad died 29 years ago, one of the most
emotional things that happened was when my cousin flew all
the way back from Hawaii so that someone would be at that
small rural cemetery where he was buried to play ``Taps,''
and he played it on his trumpet. And then he came up to me
at the very end with tears in his eyes, and he said, ``I
wonder if you could help. I brought this with me and I
would like to put it in the casket.'' And I looked down
and in his hand he had a small silver medallion with the
words ``Semper Fidelis'' on it.
And when I heard these stories about Jack Murtha all
afternoon long, one of the other things it reminded me of
was how mad my mother used to get when my dad would stop
and pick up hitchhikers, because she didn't think it was
safe for him to be doing that. And I think my dad and Jack
Murtha realized after the hell that they had lived through
on the battlefield, that the rest of their lives was
gravy.
And as I was listening here to all of these amazing
stories about Jack, I was thinking to myself, I wish my
father had lived to meet Jack.
And then it suddenly dawned on me that he probably has.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the
House, the gentlewoman from Maryland (Ms. Edwards) is
recognized for 5 minutes.
Ms. EDWARDS of Maryland. Madam Speaker, I rise today to
express my condolences to the family of Jack Murtha and to
pay tribute to him. As a relatively new Member of this
body, I knew Jack Murtha only briefly, but I am so
grateful even for that.
One day very early in my tenure here in Congress, I
needed some guidance on a military issue, and everyone
told me I needed to speak directly with Mr. Murtha. I have
to admit I was just a little bit intimidated. It wasn't
just his size and the boom of his voice and his upright
carriage, but I knew he knew stuff and that he could guide
me. To my great surprise, Mr. Murtha was wonderful to me.
His advice was sage, his generosity was unlimited, his
inquiry was precise, and his kindness and gentleness were
truly genuine. And from that moment forward, I am honored
to have been guided by his good counsel.
I can still see on occasion when I sit in the Speaker's
chair a twinkle from his eye, and when it got a little
rough, a little bit of a nod from that back corner.
On a personal note, Jack Murtha remembered that I grew
up in a military family, and he asked me about my father's
and my brother's service and my experiences growing up.
And I talked to him about being a candy striper and
reading to our servicemen and women at veterans'
hospitals.
I know that he cared deeply about our servicemembers and
about their families and about the special obligation that
we owe to them. He understood more than so many the call
to service and the importance for political leaders to
carry that at the forefront of all of our decisions on
questions of war and peace. And his passion was so
evident. And I know that my family and all of our
servicemembers and their family members are so much better
off because of Jack Murtha's service in this body, his
service to our Nation, his commitment to them and to their
service.
And so I am really grateful, Jack, to have even had just
a moment in time with you, and I only hope that in my
service here in the U.S. Congress, I can carry myself
forward with the kind of honor and duty and courage with
which you served.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the
House, the gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Jones) is
recognized for 5 minutes.
Mr. JONES. Madam Speaker, my heart ached so much last
week when I heard that the chairman, and that's what I
called Jack Murtha, Mr. Chairman, that he had passed on.
My father served in the Congress for 26 years. I have been
here for 15 years. So that means for 41 years Jack Murtha,
Mr. Chairman, has been part of our life, of the Walter
Jones family.
I wanted to come to the floor tonight because I could
not go to bed knowing that this tribute would be held to
honor a great man. I have the privilege of having Camp
Lejeune Marine Base and Cherry Point Marine Air Station in
the Third District of North Carolina. To the chairman, the
Marines were a part of his heart, because he was a Marine.
The many times that I would go to that corner that so
many people have made reference to, and I would stand in
line because I am a Republican, and that didn't matter to
him. What mattered to him was that I was a person, like
the chairman, who cared. As has been said many times
before me tonight, it didn't matter which party you were
in. What was good for America, what was good for the
military, that's what he stood for.
I would stand and wait my time, and he would say,
``Walter, what do you need?'' I would go up and take my
turn and say, ``Mr. Chairman, our Marines down in Camp
Lejeune are having many problems with Post Traumatic
Stress Disorder (PTSD) and Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI),
and there are not enough psychiatrists to help.'' This was
the last time I spoke to him. He said, ``Well, why don't
we get together. Why don't we have a meeting.''
So in the little room downstairs, I guess, on the first
floor, the basement, in his room, we would go in, and I
would talk to him about the needs of the Marines, and the
Marines loved him. I had a couple in my room tonight when
this started and they were saying, ``We've lost a great
friend.''
But tonight, for me personally, it was to come down here
and say, ``Mr. Chairman, thank you. Thank you for having
the time for a person that's no more than a foot soldier
in the Congress.'' I am talking about myself. It didn't
matter who you were, what position you held in the
Republican Party or the Democratic Party, it was a matter
of his heart. His heart was ``What can I do to help you.
What does your district need? What do your Marines need?''
And he would always find time to talk to you.
So, tonight, I wanted to come down for just a few
minutes to say to the family that are here tonight that he
was a great man, he was a patriot, and he was the kind of
man that America needs to remember with great respect and
also to thank him for being a man of humility.
I have always said that Christ was a man of humility,
and he got so much accomplished because he was a man of
humility. Chairman Murtha was a man of humility. He had
great power, but he did not flex the muscles of power. He
walked and he worked with humility.
Tonight I close by saying, Mr. Chairman, thank you for
taking the time for all of us. You were a man that
probably slept well at night because you were overworked,
but you are in a better place now, and I am sure God is
listening to whatever advice you might have to make
America a better country.
I thank you for giving me this time to say thank you and
goodbye, and America will miss you, and the Jones family
will miss you, also.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the
House, the gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Corrine Brown) is
recognized for 5 minutes.
Ms. CORRINE BROWN of Florida. Madam Speaker, to whom God
has given much, much is expected. We are truly blessed
that we have had the opportunity to work and serve with
Mr. Murtha.
Now, I have my Mr. Murtha story. I was able to get Mr.
Murtha to come to my district, Jacksonville, FL, the Third
Congressional District, which is a military district, but
I knew that when he came that I would only have one shot.
So I wanted to make sure I covered everything he needed to
see in my district.
We started out at the Marine base, we went to the port,
we went to Cecil Field, we went to Shands Hospital where
we had the proton beam. Well, they had tried to get a
proton beam in his area. I took the doctor in my area, so
he was very shocked when he came to Jacksonville and found
out that not only did I have the proton beam in
Jacksonville, I had his doctor from his area.
Then I had a reception scheduled for him, and, of
course, he said, ``I don't work this hard. You have shown
me everything that you want to develop in your district.''
Of course, the point is, he came, he saw, and we were able
to get the services that the military people needed in my
area.
I will never forget when I went to Normandy, they had
just opened the visitors center there. It was a tribute to
all of the people that had served and died in Normandy.
And they had no place to go, it was all the crosses, but
it was a center that Mr. Murtha and the chairman of
Appropriations had gotten funded. Yes, it was an earmark.
It was an earmark and a tribute to the people that had
served this country. I will never forget how proud I was
to go to that visitors center. That should be Mr. Murtha's
name on that visitors center in Normandy because he did so
much.
In closing, I want to say we always sing the song ``God
Bless America,'' and, yes, God blessed America because of
Mr. Murtha. To quote the Scripture, Paul, ``He has fought
a good fight and he has finished the course,'' but it is
left up to us now to continue to work, to continue to work
for our veterans, to continue to work for the military.
This is the kind of tribute that we should pay to Mr.
Murtha. The work is not finished.
God did bless America with giving us the example of Mr.
Murtha.
[The prepared remarks of Ms. Brown follow:]
I was extremely saddened to hear about the passing of my
close colleague and dear friend, Congressman John Murtha,
chairman of the Defense Appropriations Subcommittee.
Elected to the House of Representatives in 1974,
Representative Murtha dedicated his life to serving his
country, both in the military and in Congress. A former
Marine, he was the first Vietnam combat veteran elected to
Congress.
Ever since I came to Washington, Congressman Murtha and
I had always had a very close relationship; in part,
because my district, Florida's Third, has a strong
military presence, and because of our joint efforts in the
arena of veterans affairs. Considered by most to be one of
the most influential Democrats in the House, he was an
expert and a leader on issues concerning defense, the
military, and our Nation's veterans. Deeply respected by
Republicans and Democrats alike, Congressman Murtha's
leadership and institutional knowledge of all aspects of
our Nation's security policy will be greatly missed, as
will his charm and leadership within the Democratic Party.
My thoughts and prayers go out to the Congressman's wife,
Joyce, and the entire Murtha family.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the
House, the gentleman from Massachusetts (Mr. Capuano) is
recognized for 5 minutes.
Mr. CAPUANO. Madam Speaker, out of respect for Jack, I
will be very brief. Great American, great patriot, but for
me he was a friend. He was my buddy.
The truth is, he was my buddy not because we shared a
philosophical view--we probably disagreed on more than we
agreed on--but because we respected each other. In my
world, the best thing you can say about anybody is he
didn't forget where he came from. Jack never forgot. He
represented working men and women to the utmost. Even when
we disagreed, his motivation was pure.
He was the epitome of a politician. He liked helping
people. I disdain politicians who think that we won't or
that we shouldn't help people. That's what we are here
for. Jack knew that from the day he got here to the day he
left. He was my friend. I'm going to miss him. I think
America will miss him, but I will miss him.
Jack, I will tell you that I am not looking forward to
it, but when my day comes I'm going to be looking you up.
My hope is that you'll be up there with a whole bunch of
the good old boys and hopefully you'll welcome me then as
you welcomed me when I got here.
I'm going to miss you, Jack.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the
House, the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Driehaus) is
recognized for 5 minutes.
Mr. DRIEHAUS. Madam Speaker, I just wanted to join all
of my colleagues as we give our thanks to Jack and Jack's
family. I am a new Member of Congress, and I didn't get to
know Jack Murtha until fall 2008 when I was running for
Congress. Jack came down to Cincinnati and we visited the
VA hospital. We sat down with some veterans and we sat
down with the staff of the VA hospital and started talking
about PTSD and the PTSD Program that we had in Cincinnati.
Jack had such a sincere interest, and he exuded care for
those veterans. He wanted to see that what we were doing
in Cincinnati was replicated across the country.
Every time I went to Jack and asked for something, every
time I approached him, he was open. As I talked to or as I
listened to the Members here tonight, there seems to be an
underlying theme: Every time you approached Jack Murtha,
he was asking what he could do for you. What a great
Congressman. What a great dad.
Jack was the type of guy that in his district, he was
always asking that question: ``What can I do for you?''
And that's the right question. We had perhaps the greatest
challenge that we faced in Cincinnati this year, on a jobs
program. It was the Joint Strike Fighter, the competitive
engine program.
I happened to be the Congressman for the district for
GE-Aviation where that engine is made. We were worried. We
were worried that we were going to lose 1,000 jobs. Now I
know it to be a good program. I know it to be a cost-
saving program, but the President, the administration,
sometimes thinks a little differently about that program.
So I went to Jack, and I said, ``Jack, I'm really
worried about this. This is a lot of jobs in Cincinnati. I
believe this is the right thing to do for the country.''
Without hesitation, he just looked me in the eye and he
said, ``Steve, don't worry about it, we'll take care of
it.''
I knew that it was taken care of, because I had Jack's
word. He was that type of guy. He had that kind of
strength and that kind of authority. Every time you
approached him, he was always asking what he could do for
you.
This House was a great place because of Jack Murtha, and
we are a lesser body because of his loss. I lost my father
a little over a year ago, and he was a lot like Jack. I
hope the two of them have gotten to know each other since
Jack's passing, because he reminded me a lot of my dad.
You will be greatly missed, Jack. I thank your family,
and I thank your community for sharing you with us and the
American people for so long.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the
House, the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Stupak) is
recognized for 5 minutes.
Mr. STUPAK. Madam Speaker, I will be brief. I have been
tied up most of the afternoon and never thought I would
have an opportunity to come down and join in this special
order to our friend and our colleague, Jack Murtha. I am
very pleased and heartened by all of the outpouring of
Members who have come down here for the last few hours,
and it has also given me an opportunity to say a few
things about my friend, Jack Murtha.
Jack would be embarrassed about all of the attention
being shown to him tonight, but for those of us who knew
and loved and respected Jack Murtha, it's been an
especially hard week, especially those of us who hang out,
as we say, in the Pennsylvania corner. When we always look
on the corner to see Jack there, we see a folded American
flag. I guess it's appropriate for Jack's service to his
country, not only as a soldier, but also as a Member of
this House of Representatives.
If you want to know more about Jack Murtha, his courage,
his love for this country, I would urge you to read the
book that he wrote, ``From Vietnam to 9/11: On the Front
Lines of National Security.'' He really traced the history
of this country, policy, and military involvement of this
country since Vietnam to September 11. It is written by a
true patriot who lived it and urged all of us to also see
the world and our commitment and our dedication to the men
and women in uniform through the eyes of Jack Murtha in a
book.
I said it's been a hard week, and I think everything
that needs to be said about Jack Murtha has probably been
said. I am thankful for having known him, and I am
thankful for the opportunity of being able to come down
here tonight and just say a few words and to express our
love and condolences for Joyce and the entire Murtha
family.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the
House, the gentleman from Vermont (Mr. Welch) is
recognized for 5 minutes.
Mr. WELCH. Madam Speaker, I think one of the qualities
of a great person is that they don't see themselves as
great. They really see themselves as ordinary.
If they value something about themselves, it's that
being ordinary allows them to do generous and good things
for other people. Jack Murtha was a huge figure for those
of us who were in my class, the class of 2006. People may
remember that the big debate that year was about the war
in Iraq.
I ran as a person who was opposed to that war, and I
remember during the campaign being very dispirited
wondering where we were going. Then a voice rose out of
Washington, and it was a Vietnam veteran, it was a combat
decorated Marine, it was the chair of the Defense
Appropriations Subcommittee, it was a man who had the
highest credentials as an advocate for the military. That
voice, of course, was Jack Murtha.
And he stood up and he said that this war was wrong. He
said that his vote was a mistake.
What attracted me, I think my classmates, and all of my
colleagues who have been speaking to this man, Jack
Murtha, was his generosity--he was always wondering what
could he do for you today--his integrity, but he also had
a quality of incredible strength. You gravitated to Jack
because he was a strong man, strong in his convictions,
strong in his will to carry on. He had strength of mind
and was willing to experience and analyze what was going
on. When he came to his conclusion about Iraq, it was
through the eyes of the soldier on the ground in assessing
what was going on and why.
Even as he changed his policy position on Iraq, no one
was a stronger supporter of the troops getting what they
needed to be safe and getting what they needed to be taken
care of when they got home. And what he understood and he
began to teach this Congress and this country was that if
we respect the valor of these men and women who are
willing to subordinate their own judgment to take an oath
of allegiance to the flag of the Commander in Chief and to
report for duty when and where ordered by the President,
then Congress and he, Jack Murtha, had a solemn
responsibility to do every single thing in his body, mind,
heart, and soul to provide those soldiers with a policy
that was worthy of the sacrifice they were willing to
make.
Like I think everybody here in Congress, when Jack would
ask what he could do for me, I oftentimes had an answer.
But the first time he asked me that question was the first
day of my experience here in Congress. I said to Jack, I
understand that you go out and visit the troops often at
Bethesda and at Walter Reed. And he told me he did. He
usually went alone, almost always went alone, always
quietly, never any press, never any entourage. I asked him
if in the course of my 2 years in Congress sometime he
would take me with him, and it turned out that the next
day he did.
I will never forget going through the Bethesda Naval
Hospital with Jack Murtha and seeing how, when he talked
to our troops who suffered incredible injuries, he had
that same directness, that same pride, that same
confidence in engaging these soldiers--What happened? How
did it happen? Was it an improvised explosive device
(IED)? Was it tripwire? Was it pressure activated?
He knew everything about the experience of these
soldiers. And he wasn't sentimental. He was direct. He was
blunt. And in that strength he was warm and encouraging
and respectful to the service of those soldiers. It is
something only a person with Jack's strength of character
could do.
We all know that Jack was endlessly challenged by the
press for the so-called earmarks. I remember that he took
the criticism as though it was a grain of salt, and when
asked, he would hold up a document saying, this is my
power. It is in the Constitution, and I take care of my
people.
We lost a great man.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the
House, the gentleman from Tennessee (Mr. Cohen) is
recognized for 5 minutes.
Mr. COHEN. Madam Speaker, many speakers have preceded me
today in speaking about Mr. Murtha--and I will always call
him Mr. Murtha because that's how I referred to him here
in the House and that's how I will refer to him in memory.
I only had the opportunity to serve with him for 3
years, and I feel certainly inadequate in being the last
person to speak, but this man was my friend. He was like a
father figure to me.
When I was thinking about running for Congress, I came
up here to view Congress and think about it. I wasn't sure
if I was going to run or not. I went up in that gallery
and I sat on this left side of the aisle, Madam Speaker. I
looked at the floor and all the people down here and I
thought about whether or not I wanted to run. But coming
up here, I was in Rayburn, and I walked up by the train
that comes from Rayburn to the Capitol. And this man came
up to me, this gentleman--I didn't know him--and he put
his arm around me and we talked on the way up and walked
all the way down the path. And he said, ``Young man, this
is going to be like 1974. It's going to be a great year
for Democrats.''
We got up the elevator--and I was so proud to be in this
building--and we got to the top and he went to the left
where you enter the Speaker's lobby and come onto this
floor and I went around the way to this gallery where
visitors go. He said, ``Next time you come up here, I hope
you can come in here with me.'' And it was the next time I
got to come in here with him.
I was so proud every time I got to go over--I read about
Murtha's corner in the New York Times, and then I find
myself over there with mostly folks from Pennsylvania, but
also the different people that were fond of Mr. Murtha. I
was standing there and I thought, I remember reading about
Murtha's corner, now I'm in Murtha's corner. And I was in
his corner and he was in mine. When I needed help for my
community and learning about appropriations, defense
appropriations and how they could benefit this country and
my community and my universities, he helped me. He always
helped me. And I helped him when he was in need in his
last election.
I made the trip to Johnstown for his funeral, and I am
so happy I did and I am happy to be here. I could not let
this opportunity pass to speak about this great American.
It has been mentioned that he was a Marine and he was the
first from Vietnam to be elected--he was part of that
class--and he stood up and received the John F. Kennedy
Profile in Courage Award. All is true. But the bottom line
is he was a good human being.
``Avuncular'' is a word I learned when I was in high
school, uncle-like figure, and I guess he was an uncle-
like figure. He was just a grand, good human being. I will
miss him. This House will miss him. And I am just
fortunate that I passed this way at the same time he did
and got to change time with him in life.
Thank you, Jack Murtha.
Ms. DeLAURO. Madam Speaker, I rise today to pay my
respects to a tireless champion for soldiers, veterans,
and the middle class, a venerable lion of this body, and a
treasured friend, Congressman Jack Murtha.
The first Vietnam combat veteran ever elected to the
House of Representatives, Congressman Murtha dedicated his
career to America's fighting men and women, and always
worked to put our troops and their safety first. I
consistently relied on his wisdom and his insights on
matters of defense and national security.
From his position as chairman of the Defense
Appropriations Committee, Jack's extraordinary dedication
to the well-being of our troops and their families was
evident in his actions every day. He knew that keeping our
soldiers out of harm's way meant providing them with
state-of-the-art equipment, from submarines to
helicopters. And with that in mind, he helped to maintain
a defense-industrial base that brought high-paying, high-
skilled manufacturing jobs both to his home State of
Pennsylvania and my own State of Connecticut. His legacy
will live on not only in his service to military men and
women, but through the millions of jobs he helped to
create in our region.
Jack was also concerned with the well-being of Americans
waging another kind of battle, and he always supported
critical funding for research on diseases such as cancer,
AIDS, and diabetes. In short, he was a great ally to
Connecticut, a great Pennsylvanian, and a great American,
and he will be deeply missed. This House is smaller after
his passing.
Mr. SHUSTER. Madam Speaker, I want to thank
Representative Kanjorski for organizing this afternoon's
special order to honor the memory of our friend and
colleague Jack Murtha.
Over the course of the hour many members of our
delegation and the House will add their own personalized
sentiments to memorialize Jack Murtha, and I appreciate
the opportunity to add my own remarks today.
Jack Murtha will always be remembered for his
extraordinary service to his country, both in and out of
uniform. He always put the interests of his country, his
State, and his constituents first and he will be greatly
missed by all who knew him.
Outside of Pennsylvania, Jack Murtha will be
remembered--and rightly so--for his skills in navigating
the ins and outs of House rules and procedures. He will be
remembered as someone who could get things done in
Washington.
As a former colonel in the Marine Corps, Jack never
forgot Congress' primary responsibility to provide for our
common defense. His unceasing commitment to our national
security will go down as legend in Washington, as will the
work he did on behalf of our men and women in the military
through his chairmanship of the Subcommittee on Defense
Appropriations.
For those of us from Pennsylvania, especially the
western part of the State, Jack will always be remembered
and greatly missed for the dogged determination he showed
over his career to make sure the needs of the people he
represented were met.
There is little doubt that Jack left an indelible mark
on this House and his impact will still be felt long after
he is gone.
Personally, I will always remember Jack as a friend to
both my father and me over the 36 years he served the
people of the 12th District of Pennsylvania.
Jack was an extraordinary person--a tireless advocate
for his constituents, and a champion for our national
security. We have lost a true patriot. I send my
condolences to Jack's wife Joyce and their children. My
thoughts and prayers continue to be with them and the
people of the 12th District.
Mr. BRADY of Pennsylvania. Madam Speaker, thank you for
allowing me to say a few words about our friend Jack
Murtha. First, I would like to advise Mrs. Murtha that I
am her adopted son. I don't know if Jack ever told you
(Mom). But, he did adopt me.
He took me under his wing. It was warm in the winter and
cool in the summer. He also taught me a few things. He
taught me to be courteous to everyone and that everyone is
special. He made us all feel special. He was more
comfortable with the privates than with the generals. He
made everyone feel important.
He would make the little people feel needed and
appreciated. He had a great sense of humor and enjoyed
telling his stories and jokes. He had a big heart and
tremendous compassion for people.
Unfortunately, a whole lot of people--including our
illustrious press--never knew that Jack Murtha.
With the exception of his family, I was more fortunate
than all of you. Every Thursday or Friday before we broke
for the week, I would say goodbye to him. Because of his
knee problem, I would help him down from his seat--the
only reserved seat in Congress. Then, I would shake his
hand and give him a kiss goodbye. I did not know Wednesday
January 27 would be the last time I would kiss my friend
goodbye.
Jack Murtha was your friend. Jack Murtha was the best
friend of the men and women in uniform. He will be deeply
missed. We will never see another Jack Murtha.
Mr. MOLLOHAN. Madam Speaker, I join my colleagues today
to express my deep sadness at the passing of our
colleague, Jack Murtha.
As I look around the floor of the House this evening, I
see Democrats and I see Republicans. I see veteran members
of the so-called ``Pennsylvania corner'' and I see
freshmen Members--from California, from the Northeast,
from the South. I see Jack's fellow appropriators, and I
see Members who, on other days perhaps, boast proudly of
never seeking earmarks. Jack Murtha was one of the few
Members of this body who could draw together such an
eclectic group.
That is not a surprise--for Jack Murtha was truly a man
of the House. He was a Member's Member. He cared about his
colleagues, and he respected his colleagues--even when he
thought they were wrong. Being able to disagree civilly
has--to the great detriment of our public life--become an
uncommon quality in Washington. Jack practiced it better
than anyone.
Jack was a legislator. His ability and willingness to
work with almost anyone was one of the reasons Jack was so
effective--if you're a Democrat and wanted something done,
you wanted Jack on your side. If you're a Republican and
wanted something done, you wanted Jack on your side.
Jack was a Representative. He loved his district,
respected his constituents, and worked as hard for them as
any Member ever has.
Jack was an institutionalist. He believed in this House
of Representatives, he defended its prerogatives, and he
protected them. It has been my great privilege to work
closely with two of the greatest defenders Congress has
ever seen--the senior Senator from my own State . . . and
Jack Murtha.
Jack was a leader. His respect for his colleagues and
his commitment to this House informed his role as
chairman. Jack recognized the importance of what we do
here, and Jack was always prepared. There was never a man
more suited to the gavel than Jack Murtha.
Jack was a Marine. If he had not been a Marine, he could
have played the part--the man radiated strength and
purpose in every action he took. But Jack not only looked
the part, he was the genuine article. And there is, of
course, no such thing as a former Marine--once a Marine,
always a Marine. As fiercely as Jack defended the
prerogatives of Congress, his commitment to our House took
a back seat to his commitment to men and women in uniform.
The servicemember--an infantryman outside Fallujah, a
Marine in Afghanistan, an airman in Bagram, a sailor in
the Persian Gulf--has never had a better protector than
Jack Murtha. Jack was one of them.
That is the chief reason he didn't hesitate when he came
out so publicly against the war in Iraq--something that
earned him the respect of many and the enmity of some. I
don't know that he didn't care about either judgment, but
I do know that neither applause nor condemnation guided
his decision at all. His allegiance was to the men and
women in the field.
To me, Jack was a friend and a mentor. In a sense that
was a relationship I inherited. My father, who represented
West Virginia's First District until he retired in 1982,
worked closely with Jack. Shortly after I won election to
his seat, Dad told me that I would never go wrong seeking
Jack's counsel. He was right.
Finally, Jack was a family man, a loving husband and
partner to his wife, Joyce, and parent to Donna, John, and
Patrick. Their loss cannot be described by words. They
have my deepest condolences.
Jack will be missed by all.
Mr. RANGEL. Madam Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute
to the life of our former colleague, Congressman John
Murtha. He died on February 8, 2010, at age 77, following
complications of surgery. John represented Pennsylvania's
12th Congressional District for 36 years in Congress,
longer than any Pennsylvania lawmaker.
John Patrick Murtha was born June 17, 1932, in New
Martinsville, WV, and moved to Pennsylvania as a child. He
graduated from the University of Pittsburgh in 1962 with a
degree in economics and did graduate work in economics and
political science at Indiana University of Pennsylvania.
Congressman Murtha dedicated his life to serving the
Nation he loved, first in the military. He entered the
U.S. Marine Corps in 1952, during the Korean war period,
and served until 1955, joining the Reserves. Then, during
the Vietnam conflict, he volunteered for combat and served
as an intelligence officer in 1966 and 1967. John received
the Bronze Star and two Purple Hearts for this service,
retiring from the Marine Corps Reserve as a colonel in
1990.
One of the first Vietnam veterans to sit in the House
and a career Reservist, John effectively applied this
valuable insight to his work in Congress. As the chairman
of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense, he
worked tirelessly for the benefit of the Nation's troops
and their families. For his political courage in speaking
out against the Iraq war, and his dedication to principled
public service, John was awarded the 2006 John F. Kennedy
Profile in Courage Award.
Congressman Murtha has earned a well-deserved place in
history as a patriot, war hero and statesman. The Nation
will miss his dedication and vast experience in lawmaking,
and we will miss him as a dear friend and generous mentor.
I express my condolences to John's wife Joyce and their
three children, and I urge everyone to honor and remember
our colleague, John Murtha.
Mrs. MALONEY. Madam Speaker, I rise to say goodbye to a
friend.
New York City, and the rest of the world, lost a friend
when Jack Murtha died.
Jack Murtha served his country in every possible way.
He served it in Vietnam as a Marine; he served in
western Pennsylvania as a son, husband, and father; and he
served it for over 40 years in Harrisburg and in
Washington, as a legislator's legislator.
He won respect for the honest, plain-spoken,
compassionate way he played all of those roles.
But to me, he played those roles like a brother.
He spoke often of the strong women in his family being
essential to his success in life.
His great-grandmother, he once recalled, told him at age
4, ``You're put on this Earth to make a difference.''
Boy, did he ever.
He volunteered as a Marine, first in the 1950s during
the Korean war.
He reenlisted at age 34 and served in Vietnam--earning
the Bronze Star, two Purple Hearts, and the Vietnamese
Cross for Gallantry.
He became the first Vietnam combat veteran to be elected
to Congress, in a February 1974 special election, starting
a legendary Washington career as a member of the
Appropriations Committee.
When I came to this Chamber for the first time, the
``Pennsylvania corner'' was in full flower. We grew close
and even though we didn't agree on everything, we worked
together often--on issues ranging from breast cancer
research funding to the Intrepid Museum on the Hudson.
When he decided that the Iraq war was unwinnable in
2005, he earned his stripes all over again, providing
leadership on this crucial issue. He visited my district,
and so many others, explaining how he came to his
decision.
Madam Speaker, as a Congressman, Jack Murtha won respect
in these Halls and on this floor . . . but as a man, he
earned our love. We will miss him.
My thoughts and prayers are with his wife Joyce, and the
entire Murtha family.
Mr. KILDEE. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the
life and memory of my friend, John Murtha.
John was an extraordinary man, patriot and Congressman.
He served with distinction as the chairman of the House
Appropriations Defense Subcommittee where his knowledge
and expertise on military issues was unparalleled. Our
troops and veterans had no greater advocate than John
Murtha and the country that he loved so dearly is better
for his years of service.
His personal commitment to our troops was extraordinary.
He visited our war zones to learn first hand about the
need on the ground and always made time to visit with our
soldiers. No matter how busy he was, he would always ask
me about my two sons who served as captains in the U.S.
Army, and I knew that he genuinely cared from the bottom
of his heart.
We all know that Jack was a proud Marine, and their
motto Semper Fidelis, was indeed the motto of his life.
Madam Speaker, I am a better Member of Congress for
knowing John Murtha and Congress as a whole is richer for
his many years of service. I am honored to call him
colleague and friend, and I will dearly miss his strength,
dedication and friendship. God bless you John and
Godspeed.
Mrs. McCARTHY of New York. Madam Speaker, it is with
great honor that I rise today to pay tribute to a dear
friend and loyal public servant, the Honorable John
Murtha. He was a strong voice for the constituents in the
12th District of Pennsylvania and honorably served as the
chairman of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on
Defense.
I, like so many of my colleagues, am blessed to have
known Mr. Murtha on a professional and personal level. It
is no surprise that Mr. Murtha will be remembered as such
an effective legislator. Given his proud service in the
Marine Corps and passionate devotion for the greater good
of our Nation, Mr. Murtha consistently served as a moral
compass for the U.S. Congress.
About a year and a half after the Iraq war started, many
wounded soldiers were transferred to Walter Reed Army
Medical Center. Mr. Murtha visited these soldiers and
witnessed the horrific wounds they were suffering with,
such as losing a limb or losing complete eyesight. Mr.
Murtha invited the veterans staying at Walter Reed, their
families and Members of Congress to a restaurant meal
where he wanted the Members to hear the stories of these
courageous veterans. He wanted the veterans to express how
they became wounded and what they believed Congress could
do to help make sure our American soldiers were safe.
Through legislation and appropriations funding, the
stories from our veterans helped Congress push the
military to improve their equipment. Humvees and
protective vests were improved to keep our soldiers safe
from roadside bombs and other forms of hostility.
In all his years as an appropriator and legislator, he
has always advocated for the safety of our military and
has fought to improve the quality of life for American
soldiers and their families. It was typical of Mr. Murtha
to be modest about all of the care he showed the soldiers
and veterans in times of war. After learning of the
unacceptable conditions veterans were subjected to at
Walter Reed Army Medical Center, Mr. Murtha immediately
reached out to Members of Congress. He knew it was our
country's responsibility to bring justice to our Nation's
wounded soldiers by ensuring that they received the proper
medical care they deserved.
I extend my deepest condolences to his family, loved
ones, and friends. Mr. Murtha will be remembered as a man
of honor, generosity, and strength. His unfaltering
dedication and care is what made him such an extraordinary
person. It is with great sadness that I say goodbye to a
great man and friend. I will miss him dearly. I ask my
colleagues to join me in expressing the gratitude of the
U.S. Congress for his longtime service and leadership as a
U.S. Representative.
Ms. EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON of Texas. Madam Speaker, I
rise today to celebrate the life and honor the
accomplishments of Congressman John Murtha who passed away
on February 8, 2010.
America lost a great patriot with the passing of
Congressman Murtha, and I join the people of
Pennsylvania's 12th Congressional District and countless
other Americans in mourning his death. As a veteran, he
never forgot the needs of our military and through his
leadership as chairman of the House Appropriations
Subcommittee on Defense, he made sure that our military
had the tools it needed to secure America's future. A
frequent visitor to injured troops at Walter Reed Army
Medical Center and the National Naval Medical Center,
Congressman Murtha deeply understood the sacrifices that
these men and women made for our country. His ability to
empathize with our servicemembers and veterans was
absolutely remarkable, and I will deeply miss his
leadership in Congress.
Madam Speaker, today I join my fellow colleagues in
mourning the death of Congressman Murtha who spent his
life serving our country in both the military and the
Halls of Congress.
Mr. LARSON of Connecticut. Madam Speaker, I rise today
to honor my great friend and our dear colleague, John
Murtha. America has lost a true hero and patriot and the
U.S. Congress has lost a giant. Madam Speaker, I submit
for the Record Keith Burris' column from the Journal
Inquirer. The Journal Inquirer is a newspaper serving my
home district and is the hometown voice of northern
central Connecticut. Keith's words capture the essence of
John Murtha, and I ask my colleagues to join with me in
honoring the life of this humble man, dear friend, and
great American.
[From the Journal Inquirer, February 13, 2010]
Much Man
(By Keith C. Burris)
In roughly 30 years in journalism I have met many
politicians. In the beginning, this was exciting. But
after a while, you realize that most of them are persons
of exceptional ambition, not exceptional conviction,
skill, or patriotism. Most people in politics are not very
interesting.
But a couple years ago, U.S. Rep. John Larson, himself
an exception to the rule, brought to the Journal Inquirer
Rep. John Murtha, of Pennsylvania. Murtha's back and forth
with editors and reporters here made for one of the most
fascinating hours of conversation I can remember.
Murtha died this week at 77, of a medical mistake.
There aren't many like him in Congress. There never
were.
First of all, Murtha, [a former] Marine officer, was not
the sort of fellow who needed a ``handler'' or a ``focus
group'' to calculate the political tides. Instead he used
three ancient tools--study, his mind, and his conscience.
As a fine essay, reprinted from Politico on these pages,
documented, Murtha was famous for the Washington rituals
he did not observe. When asked a question, he answered it.
He did not hang with lobbyists or flacks. He did not go to
parties, but got up early and went to bed early.
(According to Politico, he would sometimes go home in the
afternoon to listen to the BBC to get a fresh slant on
U.S. foreign policy.) He did not court TV people or the
Washington Post, and didn't particularly know or care who
those people were.
And he didn't back down.
He wasn't always right. And he knew that. He had the
courage to change his mind.
But he was, as the saying goes, a ``stand-up guy.'' You
could not blow him down with a poll or a David Broder
column.
Murtha had the understated self-confidence that the rare
greats in politics have. I met Mike Mansfield, briefly,
once, and you felt it from him. Ditto John Stennis. I am
sure that Eisenhower had it. And maybe Ella Grasso. I know
I have seen and felt it in the presence of Eugene
McCarthy, Ernest Hollings, and John Glenn. Some public men
seem to shed their vanity as the years accumulate and they
settle into their work. They begin to internalize their
love of country. Instead of politics being more and more
about them, it becomes more and more about service. And
they go about their work with concentration and power, but
minimal fuss. You felt that with Murtha. There was no
posturing in the man. He looked you dead in the eye and he
told you what he thought was true and needed doing.
Murtha was much in the news when he came to see us. He
was known as the military's greatest friend in Congress
and he had just come out for withdrawal from Iraq. I
recall him as a big man in a dark blue suit. His hands
were the hands of a working man. He might have been a
machinist or a farmer instead of a soldier and statesman.
Someone here snickered the other day that western
Pennsylvania, from whence Murtha came, was ``not really
Pennsylvania, but Ohio.'' It's true in the sense that
Murtha was from a hardscrabble world where people are
still close to land and labor and where hard work and
professionalism are what matter, not pretense, not
birthright, not wealth or college degrees. It does not
matter if you have a family name and an MBA from Harvard.
If you want to invade Iraq, you better study the history
of Iraq.
Yeah, Murtha was against abortion and for the Second
Amendment and he was born in West Virginia and he owned a
car wash before he got into politics. But that old Vietnam
veteran could set Condoleezza Rice's head spinning and he
took no guff from right-wing [k]no[w]-nothings. If we had
50 ``Ohioans'' like John Murtha in the House we would have
health-insurance reform today.
Murtha liked fellow pros. But pros who were rooted in
something. He got on well with the first George Bush and
not at all with the second. He thought Donald Rumsfeld was
nuts and Robert Gates a great man. He was a protege of Tip
O'Neill's and practiced O'Neill's adage that all politics
is local (Murtha never got over the old and honorable idea
that a congressman's first job is to provide for his
constituents), but Murtha trusted Rahm Emanuel about as
far as he could throw him.
Murtha spent his spare time visiting wounded soldiers at
Bethesda Naval Hospital and Walter Reed. He did not take
cameramen with him. When he traveled to Iraq, it was not a
junket or a photo-op. He would tell the generals and
ambassadors, ``no PowerPoint,'' none of that stuff. Just
talk to me, he would say, and tell me what is going on.
And then he would go visit with the sergeants and the
specialists. He took Larson under his wing, and to Iraq,
early in Larson's congressional career because ``he goes
home at the end of the day and studies the CIA briefing
books.''
Murtha did not love the military as a concept, but as
people. Public servants like himself. His work for them in
Congress was like his work for the citizens of the 12th
District of Pennsylvania. He had a job to do. He was
supposed to take care of his people.
He was much man, John Murtha.
What a loss to the Congress and the country.
Friday, March 12, 2010
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the
House, the gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Jackson Lee) is
recognized for 5 minutes.
Ms. JACKSON LEE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to
pay tribute to a fallen hero, my friend, the late
Congressman John Murtha. During the time of his memorial
services and the special order hour that was rendered on
this floor, my statements were not able to be submitted
because I wanted to speak directly on the floor in his
honor.
John Murtha was of course a husband, a father, a loved
one, a Marine, and a patriot. What we loved most about
John Murtha was his love for the U.S. military, unwavering
and always steadfast. He was a family man that loved his
family, and a Congressman who loved his people. Those he
represented were so very important in his mind and in his
heart.
He came to this floor and to this House, tall and
recently from battle, having served in the Vietnam war on
several occasions, knowing what it is to have been shot at
and to be in battle on behalf of your Nation. That true
lesson gave him a cause for life, and the cause for life
was to be able to fight for the men and women of the U.S.
military.
But he did not stop there. As the chairman of the
Subcommittee on Defense on the Appropriations Committee,
he fought for the families of the U.S. military, the wives
and husbands and the children. He fought for a better
quality of life in health care and housing. He fought for
better standards, if you will. And yes, he recognized the
importance of leave time, R&R coming out of battle. And
there was no greater champion during the midst of the Iraq
war, the most recent war, who fought to give relief to the
soldiers on the battlefield who were doing tours of duty
one after another.
He was a man of courage. He didn't step away from a
fight. But he was also a friend. And if he gave you his
word, he would fight on behalf of your constituents as he
would fight on behalf of his. In fact, Mr. Speaker, he was
an American's American, all-American. If it had something
to do with bettering the lives of Americans, you can be
assured John Murtha was there.
He took a very tough stand just a few years ago. The
eyes of those who knew him as a champion of the military
fighting for their cause, standing alongside of them,
wondered what happened when he stood up with his eloquent
steady voice, and spoke about the Iraq war, calling for
the soldiers to come home. That is courage, because he had
been a supporter of that war. But he saw it crumbling
before his eyes.
Oh, yes, there has been an election over the last couple
of days, but we always wonder what direction and how we
could have handled it differently so that the lives that
were laid down did not have to be laid down in a war in
Iraq. The champion for the military saw that there was a
crack in the system, and he chose to speak eloquently
about it.
I miss John Murtha. This body misses John Murtha,
Democrats and Republicans. America misses John Murtha. But
the one good news about John Murtha's life is that his
legacy will live on forever and ever. I thank him for
serving, for living. And to his family, God bless you, and
may he rest in peace.
Proceedings in the Senate
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
SENATE RESOLUTION 413--RELATIVE TO THE DEATH OF
REPRESENTATIVE JOHN P. MURTHA, OF PENNSYLVANIA
Mr. REID (for himself, Mr. McConnell, Mr. Specter, Mr.
Casey, Mr. Akaka, Mr. Alexander, Mr. Barrasso, Mr. Baucus,
Mr. Bayh, Mr. Begich, Mr. Bennet, Mr. Bennett, Mr.
Bingaman, Mr. Bond, Mrs. Boxer, Mr. Brown of
Massachusetts, Mr. Brown of Ohio, Mr. Brownback, Mr.
Bunning, Mr. Burr, Mr. Burris, Mr. Byrd, Ms. Cantwell, Mr.
Cardin, Mr. Carper, Mr. Chambliss, Mr. Coburn, Mr.
Cochran, Ms. Collins, Mr. Conrad, Mr. Corker, Mr. Cornyn,
Mr. Crapo, Mr. DeMint, Mr. Dodd, Mr. Dorgan, Mr. Durbin,
Mr. Ensign, Mr. Enzi, Mr. Feingold, Mrs. Feinstein, Mr.
Franken, Mrs. Gillibrand, Mr. Graham, Mr. Grassley, Mr.
Gregg, Mrs. Hagan, Mr. Harkin, Mr. Hatch, Mrs. Hutchison,
Mr. Inhofe, Mr. Inouye, Mr. Isakson, Mr. Johanns, Mr.
Johnson, Mr. Kaufman, Mr. Kerry, Ms. Klobuchar, Mr. Kohl,
Mr. Kyl, Ms. Landrieu, Mr. Lautenberg, Mr. Leahy, Mr.
LeMieux, Mr. Levin, Mr. Lieberman, Mrs. Lincoln, Mr.
Lugar, Mr. McCain, Mrs. McCaskill, Mr. Menendez, Mr.
Merkley, Ms. Mikulski, Ms. Murkowski, Mrs. Murray, Mr.
Nelson of Nebraska, Mr. Nelson of Florida, Mr. Pryor, Mr.
Reed, Mr. Risch, Mr. Roberts, Mr. Rockefeller, Mr.
Sanders, Mr. Schumer, Mr. Sessions, Mrs. Shaheen, Mr.
Shelby, Ms. Snowe, Ms. Stabenow, Mr. Tester, Mr. Thune,
Mr. Udall of Colorado, Mr. Udall of New Mexico, Mr.
Vitter, Mr. Voinovich, Mr. Warner, Mr. Webb, Mr.
Whitehouse, Mr. Wicker, and Mr. Wyden) submitted the
following resolution; which was considered and agreed to:
S. Res. 413
Resolved, That the Senate has heard with profound sorrow
and deep regret the announcement of the death of the
Honorable John P. Murtha, late a Representative from the
Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
Resolved, That the Secretary communicate these
resolutions to the House of Representatives and transmit
an enrolled copy thereof to the family of the deceased.
Resolved, That when the Senate adjourns or recesses
today, it stand adjourned or recessed as a further mark of
respect to the memory of the deceased Representative.
Mr. REID. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that
the Senate proceed to the consideration of S. Res. 413.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will report the
resolution by title.
The legislative clerk read as follows:
A resolution (S. Res. 413) relative to the death of
Representative John P. Murtha, of Pennsylvania.
There being no objection, the Senate proceeded to
consider the resolution.
Mr. REID. Mr. President, I had the good fortune
of serving with John Murtha in the House, as the
Presiding Officer did. He was a brave man. He was the
first to break away and was noteworthy in complaining
about the Iraq war. As a result of that, it brought a lot
of attention to that issue.
I ask unanimous consent that the resolution be agreed
to, the motion to reconsider be laid upon the table, and
any statements relating to this matter be printed in the
Record with no intervening action.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so
ordered.
The resolution (S. Res. 413) was agreed to . . .
Mr. REID. If there is no further business to come before
the Senate, I ask unanimous consent it adjourn under the
previous order under the provisions of S. Res. 413, as a
further mark of respect for the late Congressman John
Murtha.
There being no objection, the Senate, at 7:09 p.m.,
adjourned until Thursday, February 11, 2010, at 2:30 p.m.
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
Mr. DODD. Mr. President, I rise in commemoration of the
life of John Patrick Murtha.
John Murtha gave nearly six decades to the country he
loved. At the age of 20, he left college to join the
Marines. As soon as he arrived, the Marines knew they had
a gem of a young man on their hands. Routed to Officer
Candidate School, he became a leader of his peers, earning
the American Spirit Honor Medal during training.
Although his duty to the Marines ended in 1955, his
desire to serve did not. He remained in the Reserves for
the next decade, and then volunteered for service in
Vietnam.
There, he cemented his reputation as an American hero,
earning the Bronze Star, the Vietnamese Cross of
Gallantry, and two Purple Hearts.
John's service in the Reserves lasted long into his
political career. He didn't retire until 1990, at which
time he was awarded the Navy Distinguished Service Medal.
But when he returned from Vietnam, he decided that serving
the people of the State of Pennsylvania was another way to
give back to his country.
He came to Congress roughly a year before I
did, the first Democrat to hold that seat since World War
II. As long as I have been here, it seems like John has
been as much of a fixture in the House Chamber as the
desks themselves.
John being a Marine, it is probably not surprising that
he never stopped fighting to give our troops in the field
the resources they needed to do their jobs. He became the
chairman of the Defense Appropriations Subcommittee, and
was a reliable advocate for our military--and for the
people of his district.
His deep passion for our military and his commitment to
making sure they had the resources they need reached as
far as Connecticut, where we make the finest submarines
and aircraft in the world. He knew that the products we
make there are critical to the success of our military,
and he was always there alongside me, standing up for our
defense workforce and the fine products they make.
Many of us will remember with great admiration the
courage John showed when he came to the floor in November
2005 to call for an end to a war he had supported.
Colleagues on both sides knew that John Murtha would never
make a statement like that lightly, and his bold stance
played a large role in bringing toward an end that
misguided war.
Of course, most Americans never got to know John
Murtha's soft side. But his beloved wife Joyce--they were
married for 54 years--and his three wonderful children
knew him as his colleagues did: as a funny, warm man who
loved his job, loved his constituents, and loved his
country.
A colleague of his, Congressman Bob Brady, said, ``There
will never be another Jack Murtha.'' And he is right. But
we can all carry on his work, impressed by his long record
of service and inspired by his deep patriotism and
commitment.
I was proud to know John Murtha, and we were all lucky
to have him.
I n M e m o r i a m
[GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] T4800.005
J o h n P. M u r t h a
J u n e 1 7, 1 9 3 2 - F e b r u a r y 8, 2 0 1
0
``We are put on this earth
to make a difference.''
Mary Bell
Great-Grandmother
[GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] T4800.006
The Westmont Presbyterian Church
A Service of Witness to the Resurrection
for
John P. Murtha
February 16, 2010 11:00 A.M.
Prelude Aria and Fugue Healey Willan
Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring J.S. Bach
Hark! A Voice Saith All Are J.S. Bach
Mortal Alexandre Guilmant
Sonata in D minor
Andante
WELCOME
*CALL TO WORSHIP--(RESPONSIVE)
Leader: I am the resurrection and the life, says the Lord. People: Those who believe in me, even though they die, will live, and everyone who
lives and believes in me will never die. Leader: Let us worship God.
*Hymn Eternal Father, Strong to Save MELITA
(See insert)
PRAYER
READINGS FROM SCRIPTURE:
The Old Testament Reading
..................... Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 Father William George
*Anthem On Eagles Wings M. Joncas: arr. D. Wagner
Chancel Choir
New Testament Readings
..................... Romans 8 (Selected Verses)
Revelation 21:1-4
[GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] T4800.006
*Those who are able are invited to stand.
[GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] T4800.006
REMARKS AND REMEMBRANCES
THE MEDITATION
THE PASTORAL PRAYER
The Lord's Prayer
Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name.
Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is
in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread; and
forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors;
and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us
from evil. For thine is the kingdom and the power
and the glory, forever. Amen.
* My Country 'Tis of Thee AMERICA
*THE BENEDICTION
*Choral Response The Lord Bless You And Keep You J. Rutter *Postlude Toccata Johann Pachelbel
..................... Prelude on St. Gertrude Andrew Clarke
..................... Onward, Christian Soldiers
..................... Trumpet Tune John Stanley
Participants in this service:
The Reverend Douglas W. Stevens, Jr., D.Min.,
Pastor, Westmont Presbyterian Church
Father William George
President, Georgetown Preparatory School
Directors of Music
Carl Miller Nathan Santos
Helen Dix, Organist
The Murtha family wishes to express their deep gratitude
to everyone for coming today. May God bless all of you.
This service is followed by a brief private committal.
[GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] T4800.006
*Those who are able are invited to stand.
............... ......................................................... ...............
............... ``It's not the critic who counts. It's not the man who
points out how the strong man stumbled or whether the
doer of the deed could have done better. ............... The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the
arena, whose face is marred by the dust, sweat and
blood, who strives valiantly, who errs, who comes short
again and again because there is no effort without error
and shortcoming. ............... It is the man who actually does strive to do the deeds,
who knows the great enthusiasm, the great devotion, who
spent himself in a worthy cause who at best knows in the
end the triumph of high achievement and who at the worst
if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly so that
his place shall never be with those cold and cruel souls
who know neither victory nor defeat.'' ............... ``Citizen in a Republic,'' a speech given by Theodore
Roosevelt, April 23, 1910.
A Service in Memory
of
John P. Murtha
June 17, 1932-February 8, 2010
I n M e m o r i a m
J o h n P. M u r t h a
J u n e 1 7, 1 9 3 2 - F e b r u a r y 8, 2 0
1 0
Honorary Pallbearers
U.S. Representatives in Congress
Hon. Jason Altmire Hon. Jim Gerlach
Hon. Robert Brady Hon. Paul E. Kanjorski
Hon. Christopher P. Carney Hon. Tim Holden
Hon. Kathy Dahlkemper Hon. Patrick J. Murphy
Hon. Charles W. Dent Hon. Allyson Schwartz
Hon. Mike Doyle Hon. Joe Sestak
Hon. Chaka Fattah Hon. Bill Shuster
U.S. Senator Robert P. Casey, Jr.
Pallbearers
Joint Services
Air Force, Army, Coast Guard, Marine Corps, Navy
Color Guard
8th and I Marines
Eternal Father, Strong to Save
Eternal Father, strong to save,
Whose arm has bound the restless wave,
Who bade the mighty ocean deep
Its own appointed limits keep;
O hear us when we cry to Thee for those in peril on the sea.
Eternal father, grant, we pray
To all Marines, both night and day,
The courage, honor, strength, and skill
Their land to serve, thy law fulfill;
Be thou the shield forevermore from every peril to the Corps.
Most Holy spirit! Who didst brood
Upon the chaos dark and rude,
And bid its angry tumult cease,
And give, for wild confusion, peace;
Oh, hear us when we cry to Thee
For those in peril on the sea!
O Trinity of love and power!
Our brethren shield in danger's hour;
From rock and tempest, fire and foe,
Protect them wheresoe'er they go;
Thus evermore shall rise to Thee,
Glad praise from air and land and sea
This was Jack's favorite verse and he was
often heard quoting it to family and friends
TOMMY
by Rudyard Kipling (1865-1936)
O it's Tommy this, an' Tommy that, an' ``Tommy, go away'':
But it's ``Thank you, Mister Atkins,'' when the band begins to play,
The band begins to play, my boys, the band begins to play,
O it's ``Thank you, Mister Atkins,'' when the band begins to play.
For it's Tommy this, an' Tommy that, an' ``Tommy, wait outside'';
But it's ``Special train for Atkins'' when the trooper's on the tide,
The troopship's on the tide, my boys, the troopship's on the tide,
O it's ``Special train for Atkins'' when the trooper's on the tide.
Then it's Tommy this, an' Tommy that, an' ``Tommy, 'ow's yer soul?''
But it's ``Thin red line of 'eroes'' when the drums begin to roll,
The drums begin to roll, my boys, the drums begin to roll,
O it's ``Thin red line of 'eroes'' when the drums begin to roll.
While it's Tommy this, an' Tommy that, an' ``Tommy, fall be'ind,''
But it's ``Please to walk in front, sir,'' when there's trouble in
the wind.
There's trouble in the wind, my boys, there's trouble in the wind,
O it's ``Please to walk in front, sir,'' when there's trouble in
the wind.
For it's Tommy this, an' Tommy that, an' ``Chuck him out,
the brute!''
But it's ``Saviour of 'is country'' when the guns begin to shoot;
An' it's Tommy this, an' Tommy that, an' anything you please;
An' Tommy ain't a bloomin' fool--you bet that Tommy sees!
A Service in Memory
of
John P. Murtha
June 17, 1932-February 8, 2010
Father William George.
Ecclesiastes 3:1-8
The writer of Ecclesiastes in today's context could have
added ``A time to make laws, and a time to change laws,
and a time to earmark.''
Making laws is sacred work. According to the New Revised
Standard (Version Exhaustive) Concordance the word ``law''
occurs 583 times in Sacred Scripture. Law obviously is
important to God, as are those whom God inspires to write
the law, and for those who are intended to live the law.
Jack Murtha never lost sight of God's purpose in the
law. He was always thinking of the person it affected, the
soldier, the worker, the poor and marginalized, the
citizens of Johnstown, of the United States or the world.
He understood how sacred was the task of making laws, laws
that were just. Lawmaking should be sacred work and Jack
knew that.
The world and our country feel his loss. I can't imagine
how you feel, Joyce, or you his colleagues gathered here
to honor Jack. May your faith fill you with the knowledge
and truth that Jack was God's child and has been welcomed
home where there is pure justice, the source of true
peace.
We can all thank God for having Jack Murtha as long as
we did. He was a student and scholar of the military and
of the law. We now have to decide what we are to do
without him on this side of heaven. As you try to figure
out what God's will is for you, pray, speak your heart to
God and you may just find out what is best. May God bless
and keep you. Amen!
Reverend Douglas W. Stevens, Jr. The New Testament
readings are taken from Paul's Letter to the Church in
Rome, the eighth chapter, selected verses, and also from
the Revelation of John. Listen once again to the Word of
God.
Romans 8:31-39
And also these words from a time that has yet to be:
Revelation 21:1-4
Let us pray.
We kneel in prayer O God to You from whom every family
in heaven and on Earth takes its name. That out of the
treasures of Your glory may You grant to each of us
strength and power by Your spirit in our inner being. That
through faith Christ may dwell in our hearts and love with
deep roots and firm foundations may we be strong to grasp
with all Your people, Oh God, what is the breadth, and
length, and height, and depth of the love of Christ. And
to know it, though it is beyond knowledge, so may we
attain to the fullness of being and even to the fullness
of God. Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more
than all we can ask or conceive by the power which is at
work among us. To Him be glory and the church and in
Christ Jesus from generation to generation forevermore.
Amen.
Donna Murtha, daughter. Good morning. I'm Donna Murtha.
Thank you for all coming. My family appreciates you
coming, your support, and your love, and your care.
My dad would be very overwhelmed by all this; we
appreciate it. He would just be so overwhelmed.
You know him as a world leader, and as a Congressman,
and as a recipient of the Profile in Courage Award. You
know him as a ``Mr. Chairman,'' hawk, and as a patriot and
a Marine. I know him as dad, and as my buddy, and as my
pal. He would talk to me every day. He did not talk
politics, we did not talk economics. We talked about
teaching and how to meet the lives of my children that I
taught every day. We tried to meet the individualization
of every child and he talked to me about that. And we also
talked about health care and how it met my children's
needs, their families, my friends, and our family.
We also talked about his marriage to my mother for 54\1/
2\ years. He was very proud of my mother. Behind every
great man is a great woman. He was very proud of my
brothers. My brothers and I are not involved in politics,
but my dad was very good about supporting our lives and
the paths we led, and I think that helped him, because
whenever he would go out and he listened to us and talked
about our paths and what we followed, it helped him help
the constituents and help the fellow citizens.
He was also very proud of his brothers because they were
fellow Marines. Semper Fi, Dad. He also had a love of
Sherlock Holmes, he loved Miss Marple, he loved an
occasional ``Murder She Wrote,'' because Mom would watch
that. He also loved nature, and when Father was speaking
about Ecclesiastes, he loved nature, he loved to watch the
deer that would come into the yard. He would love to watch
the goldfinches that were outside the kitchen window. He
loved to outwit the squirrels when they were on the
baffles on the birdfeeder. He just couldn't stand that, if
they were outwitting him. He loved his garden, he loved
the bounty of his garden, and the bounty of each season.
He was a world leader, he met many prestigious leaders.
When they made Dad, they broke his mold.
He lived by the motto, ``One man makes a difference.''
We love you Dad.
General James T. Conway, USMC. A lot of good Marines who
join our Corps come out of Pennsylvania. John Patrick
Murtha was such a man. It was, of course, in his blood to
be a man of action, a patriot, and a warrior. He had
ancestors who had fought in both the Revolutionary and the
Civil Wars--and his father and his three uncles served
during World War II.
When the Korean war started, a young Jack Murtha felt
guilty that others were off to fight the war, while he was
majoring, as he said, in football and basketball at
Washington and Jefferson College.
In June 1952, much to his mother's disappointment, he
dropped out of college and enlisted in the Marine Corps.
He never made it to Korea. He had orders in hand--but the
armistice was signed before he could get there.
However, fate had already been at play: he had passed a
college equivalency test, completed training, and as a
result was commissioned a second lieutenant; he had met
Joyce Bell, the love of his life, who lived near Camp
Lejeune in North Carolina; and he had learned during boot
camp and officer training that enthusiasm, aggressiveness,
and attention to detail would carry him a long way in
life.
The Vietnam war brought him back to active duty. By then
he was 33 and the father of three children, he felt
strongly, nevertheless, that it was his duty to serve.
Joyce needed convincing--but ultimately she agreed.
On arrival in country, he was assigned as a regimental
intelligence officer which proved to be a natural fit for
his skills. Fitness reports showed him to be ``forceful,
energetic, and enthusiastic'' and ``at his best when in
the field with his Marines.'' The words of his regimental
commander were simple but elegant--``one of the finest
officers I've ever served with.''
His wartime experiences further shaped the man. He would
believe for the rest of his life that sergeants understand
the needs of the troops better than the generals; and that
one man, indeed, can make a difference.
His Vietnam service earned him a Bronze Star with a
Combat V and two Purple Hearts as a result of action in
combat--before he returned home to his native
Pennsylvania.
I never served with Colonel Murtha and did not know him
before he retired from the Marine Corps Reserves in 1990.
We met for the first time in 2006--he was the ranking
member on the House Appropriations Committee and I was a
new commandant.
During the session, we talked budget of course, and I
remember that at one point he leaned in close to me and
said ``Commandant, you can't have everything--but tell me
the two or three things you have to have and I'll get them
for you.'' I thought at the time that it was a Marine
thing--and that it was good to have a fellow leatherneck
in such an important position.
I have since come to realize that he had almost
identical conversations with all the service chiefs. He
loved his Corps--but his sense of duty and his love of
country transcended all else.
During our subsequent meetings on the Hill, there was a
pattern. Each meeting would have its serious moments where
we talked requirements, the resiliency of the force, and
how the wars were going.
There would usually be some uproarious moments where one
or the other would tell a sea story or recount a humorous
incident--the chairman was a gruff man but he liked to
laugh--and then there was invariably what I would call his
analysis of the mood of the Congress.
He would assess for me the probability of this program,
or that one, going through the Congress and would use
first names as he cited the positions of his fellow
Congressmen. I normally had no idea who Jerry, or Norm, or
Harlan might be--but I always nodded in the affirmative,
as though I was right there with him. You can afford to do
that when you have great respect and confidence in the man
seated before you.
The chairman also had a way to get what he wanted. I
recall one early morning visit when he was drinking coffee
from an Army mug! He flashed it in front of me several
times. Finally I took the bait and said, ``why are you--a
salty old jarhead--drinking from an Army mug?'' He gave me
a look like ``thought you would never ask'' and said,
``Because the Marine Corps has not seen fit to give me one
yet. And, by the way, I liked those we drank from at
breakfast a couple of weeks back!''
Well--he had in his possession four new USMC mugs before
the sun went down that day.
Folks, for those of you in the audience today who were
his constituents--he loved you dearly. At our very first
meeting he gave me a knife. He said he was presenting it
on behalf of the people of Pennsylvania. I have been given
a lot of knives in my line of work--probably 30 or more--
but the knife he gave me was special and I have kept it in
my top desk drawer.
My wife and I are now residents here, and I believe it
truly is representative of the people of this State--
because it is a good and sturdy knife, made of fine steel
that keeps a sharp edge, and it performs a multitude of
functions. It has a green camouflage pattern on the
handle--fitting, as I have known few Pennsylvanians who
don't hunt or fish.
Scrawled across the camouflage pattern is a name--
written in white script.
From now on, and for the rest of my life, when I look at
the knife, and the name that's on it: John P. Murtha, I
will remember a fellow Marine, a patriot, a warrior--both
on the battlefield and in the Congress--and a great
American.
Nancy Pelosi, Speaker of the House. Dr. Stevens, thank
you for welcoming us here today and giving us this
opportunity to pay our respects to Joyce, to Donna, to
John, to Patrick, to Jack's precious grandchildren and
family.
It is with great sadness that I lead a very large
congressional delegation to extend our condolences to you
and our thanks to you for sharing Jack with us and to bid
our friend a very sad farewell.
Jack was greatly mourned in Congress because of the
respect and admiration which was accorded him there. Those
who served with him were honored to call him colleague.
Many of us were privileged to call him friend.
President Clinton, all of us who loved Jack in
Washington and here extend our appreciation to you for the
honor of your presence here to the family and to those who
loved Jack. Thank you for your friendship and that of
Secretary Clinton to Jack Murtha.
The outpouring of accolades for Chairman Murtha over the
past week and in the thousands of people who have arrived
here to pay their respects to him bring to mind the
passage from Ecclesiasticus honoring the heroes of the Old
Testament:
Now let us praise great men, the heroes of our Nation's
history. Some led the people by their counsel and their
knowledge of our nation's laws; out of their fund of
wisdom, they gave instruction. Their bodies are buried in
peace, but their names will live forever. The people will
tell of their wisdom and the congregation will show forth
their praise.
As this congregation shows forth its praise, it is
fitting that Jack was escorted into this church by the
Pennsylvania congressional delegation, because that is how
Jack served in Congress, surrounded by the Pennsylvania
congressional delegation. They were planning a celebration
of Jack's service in the Congress. On Saturday February 6,
he became the longest serving Member of Congress from
Pennsylvania ever to serve. They were planning a
celebration. Today, they presented him to us for a
celebration of his life.
Many of you who are familiar with Congress know about
the Pennsylvania corner. But for those of you who do not,
let me just say in Congress Jack held court in that part
of the House Chamber that was respectfully, sometimes
fearfully, known as the Pennsylvania corner. Members from
across the country and across the aisle would come to the
corner to get Jack's blessing. His Great-Grandmother Bell
would be very proud and satisfied that he constantly made
a difference. Every day. It was a sight to behold. There
was Jack, always smiling, twinkling eyes, flanked by his
two lieutenants, Mike Doyle on the West, Bob Brady on the
East. They had a twinkle and a smile too. Sometimes.
[Laughter.] Depended.
Jack passed on to Mike and Bob and men and women with
whom he served a pride in the institution that he learned
from his friend and mentor, Tip O'Neill. Jack was known
for his Irish sense of humor, as you know, but he was
never funnier than when he regaled us of his stories as a
lieutenant to Tip O'Neill. Jack loved Tip and continued
his tradition of honor, authenticity, and loyalty to his
constituents. Every Member of Congress thinks that he or
she represents the best congressional district in the
country and that they have the best constituents. Jack
Murtha was absolutely certain of that. He loved this
district.
To watch Jack Murtha legislate was to see a master at
work. But more indicative of his character was to watch
him communicate with our men and women in uniform, whether
right off the battlefield or at their bedside at the
military hospital. Many of us have had this experience
traveling with him or visiting Walter Reed and Bethesda
Naval Medical Center. He always answered their needs by
responding to their call for body armor, up-armored
vehicles or reliable radios. In this moment, he bonded
with them from his own military experience but also as a
father.
I will never forget the sparkle on Jack's eyes one day
when we were visiting one of the hospitals and as we went
into the room a wounded warrior was standing by his bed to
welcome Jack Murtha into his room, saluting him wearing a
Steelers jersey. [Laughter.]
The Nation saw Jack's courage and integrity when he
bravely spoke out against the war in Iraq. In his
opposition though, he taught us all to make a distinction
between the war and the warrior. Jack was committed to our
national security and measured our strength, not only in
our military might, but in the well-being of our people.
He was a much-decorated champion. Certainly he was
decorated as the commandant mentioned, but he was a much-
decorated champion in advancing scientific research to
fight breast cancer, prostate cancer, diabetes, HIV/AIDS,
the list goes on, so many more.
I know what Jack is thinking now: ``Don't go on too much
longer.'' Jack wasn't big on long speeches, right Joyce?
In fact, one day when debate was going very long in the
Congress and Members wanted to go home, I was the closing
speaker as the Speaker. And I got up there and just said
one sentence, ``This bill is about jobs, jobs, jobs, jobs.
Vote aye.'' Jack cheered. He came up, he said, ``I think
that was the best speech you ever made.'' [Laughter.] You
remember that day.
But I will say this, that those of us who have seen him
in action in the Congress and across the country, traveled
across the country, he'd be cheered in airports for his
courage, for speaking truth to power, for helping with
health issues, bringing an almost Biblical power to cure
to diseases that affected so many people in our country.
Semper Fi--the motto of the Marine Corps where he served
for 37 years, was the motto of his life. Always faithful
to God and country, to his hometown of Johnstown, most of
all to Joyce, and to his children and grandchildren.
Patriot. Champion. Hero. Giant. Jack Murtha. We will never
see his like again.
Reverend Douglas W. Stevens, Jr. I want to thank all of
our speakers for the warmth and the humor that you've
brought. My task now is to try and place some of this
within the context of our faith and God's presence in our
lives. I invite you to pray with me if you will.
Loving and gracious God, speak to each of us. Deeply in
our hearts we may hear not so much a human voice but Your
voice for our living. Give us courage and give us will,
and by your spirit show us the way to live. In the name of
Christ, Amen.
In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus said, ``blessed are
those who mourn for they shall be comforted.'' Today there
is great comfort in the memory of John P. Murtha's life, a
life of service, a life lived fully, lived with courage
and a strong will. We say that all good gifts come from
God. What we have heard from our distinguished speakers
and what we are remembering today are the gifts God gave
to John Murtha, enacted, lived out in his life through his
personality and character. They are in a very real sense
God's gifts to us all.
Many this day may not have known the Congressman
personally, but all of us have been touched by his life,
his actions, his political skill, and the practiced art of
his vocation. John was able to bring people of different
sides together as you have heard, able to compromise, and
able to be firm. He lived his political life with the same
courage that he showed on the battlefield. He did so for
the people of his district and for the United States.
It is also comforting to know that one can live a very
public life and still share deeply in the love of family.
He and Joyce were married 54 years and they had God's
blessing to see the generations come after them. They
shared their love, their life, with Donna, John Mark and
his wife Kathy, with Patrick and his wife Lynn, and
grandchildren Jack, Anne, and Clayton. For John Murtha,
family was the first love, always, and his family knew it.
He found a way to spend time with them, to encourage them,
and to give them his values, and himself.
Like many of us in western Pennsylvania, John had an
eclectic religious background, Presbyterian, and
Methodist, and Catholic. And from that background, he had
a sense of God's hand on his shoulder and you've heard
that several times in several ways. Though he might not
have phrased it this way, we Presbyterians sometimes refer
to that hand on the shoulder as God's call.
Donna reminded us of the words on the bulletin cover
this day, ``We are put on this Earth to make a
difference.'' Those words came from his great-grandmother
Mary Bell, and John heard those words when he was 4. She,
by the way, was the wife of a Presbyterian minister. Those
words helped shape his life and his religious background
guided that shaping. John Murtha made a difference.
Colonel Murtha made a difference as a Marine in combat
and as a Marine for 37 years, a difference as the first
elected Vietnam combat veteran in Congress. Wounded twice,
he had a vested interest in wounded warriors. He visited
the troops and cared about individual service personnel.
As ``Mr. Defense,'' he made a difference in this
Nation's security. In that realm, especially, he spoke
with courage and clarity. He spoke as a patriot.
Congressman Murtha made a difference to the people of
western Pennsylvania and the nine counties or parts of
counties that make up the 12th Congressional District. He
made a difference in people's lives with jobs, with job
training, insuring pensions, obtaining Federal aid,
especially after the 1977 flood here, and with his
tireless work to help create a favorable climate for
strong economic conditions in western Pennsylvania.
He made a difference as the longest serving Congressman
in Pennsylvania history. And John Murtha made a difference
with his many humanitarian efforts working for the health
of his constituents, the brain surgery, the brain injury
program, fighting against cancer, to research, and
fighting for good and affordable health care.
There is great comfort this day in John Murtha's life;
he made a difference. Comfort also comes to us from the
Scriptures this day. The Apostle Paul wrote, ``That
nothing can separate us from the love of God.'' Often I
think that is what people fear the most, that some
condition or someone or something can come between
ourselves and God. I think that is why people sometimes do
not try harder in this life, they worry that when they
step forward in faith, God may not be there for them. But
just the opposite is true. God calls us and gives us grace
to go forward and never leaves us. John Murtha stepped
forward many times and God never failed him.
One of the many awards of his life, of which he was most
proud, as has been mentioned, was the John F. Kennedy
Profile in Courage Award in 2006, for taking an unpopular
stand when he could have remained silent. But he was brave
and a patriot. The message of the Gospel is that in the
resurrection of Christ, God has shown the world for all
time the depths of God's love. Paul said, ``In every way
possible nothing and no one can separate us from God's
love in Christ.'' Not war, not loss, neither poverty nor
want, not the past, not the future, nothing. This day we
look to the promise of a new heaven and a new Earth, in
God's time and in God's way, but until that time we are
called to live faithfully as Christ has shown us. Take
risks for good, love one another, and trust the results to
the living Lord.
It is the revealed nature of God to help us to do what
we cannot do. It is our nature by God's grace to try. John
Murtha did try and by God's grace he succeeded. Let us
trust John and all whom we love near or far, in this life
or the life to come, to God's gracious care, and to our
Lord Who told us simply because I live, you shall live
also. I invite you to pray with me and we will conclude
with the Lord's Prayer. Let us pray.
Oh loving God from Whom we come, to Whom we return, and
in Whom we live and move, and have the very being of life.
We praise You for the good gift of life, for its wonder
and mystery, its friendships, and fellowships. We thank
You for the ties that bind us one to another. We bless You
for Your loving and patient dealings with us, whereby You
teach us Your way, for the meaning that lies in the heart
of sorrow and disappointment and grief and for Your
guiding hand along the way of our journey.
We give you thanks, O Holy One, for Your servant John P.
Murtha, recalling in him all that made others love and
respect him. We thank You for his friendly and personal
nature, his integrity and determination, his courage and
strong will, his warmth and love, love of family, love of
the people of this district, and of the United States. We
give You thanks gracious God for the goodness and truth
that have passed through his life into the lives of others
and truly made this world richer.
We bless Your name, O God, for the revelation of your
love in our Lord Jesus Christ and for the hope set before
us in the Gospel. We thank You that deep in the human
heart is an unquenchable trust that life does not end with
death, that the Father who made us will care for us beyond
the bounds of vision, even as You have cared for us in
this earthly life. We praise Your name that our hope has
been so wondrously confirmed in the life and words, the
resurrection of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Grant us
now, we pray, the comfort of your presence and the
ministry of the Holy Spirit renewing within us all gifts
of faith and patience and enduring love. Help us to walk
amid the things of this world, with our eyes open to the
beauty and glory of the eternal. So that among the many
changes of this life, our hearts may surely there be fixed
where true joys are to be found. Through Jesus Christ our
Lord who taught us each and all to pray saying:
Our Father,
Who art in heaven,
Hallowed be Thy name.
Thy Kingdom come.
Thy will be done,
On earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our debts,
As we forgive our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation,
But deliver us from evil.
For Thine is the kingdom, and the power and the glory forever.
Amen.
[GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] T4800.003
A Celebration of Life
John P. Murtha
Born:
June 17, 1932
At Rest:
February 8, 2010
IRISH BLESSING
May the road rise up to
meet you,
May the wind be always at
your back.
May the sun shine warm upon
your face,
And rains fall soft upon your
fields,
And until we meet again,
May God keep you in the
hollow of his hand.
[GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] TONGRESS.#15
[GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] T4800.001
A CELEBRATION OF THE LIFE OF
THE HONORABLE
JOHN P. MURTHA
Pennsylvania's 12th District
CHAIRMAN, HOUSE APPROPRIATIONS
SUBCOMMITTEE ON DEFENSE
JUNE 17, 1932-FEBRUARY 8, 2010
Statuary Hall
United States Capitol
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
11:00 a.m.
Order of Service
Prelude
United States Marine Band String Quartet
Welcome
The Honorable Nancy Pelosi
The Speaker of the United States House of Representatives
Invocation
The Reverend Daniel P. Coughlin
Chaplain of the United States House of Representatives
Tributes
The Honorable Paul E. Kanjorski
United States Representative, Pennsylvania
The Honorable Michael F. Doyle
United States Representative, Pennsylvania
The Honorable Tim Holden
United States Representative, Pennsylvania
The Honorable Robert A. Brady
United States Representative, Pennsylvania
The Honorable C.W. Bill Young
United States Representative, Florida
The Honorable Sanford D. Bishop, Jr.
United States Representative, Georgia
The Honorable James P. Moran
United States Representative, Virginia
The Honorable Jerry Lewis
United States Representative, California
The Honorable Marcy Kaptur
United States Representative, Ohio
Musical Selection
United States Marine Band Vocalist, ``God Bless America''
Tributes
General James L. Jones, USMC (Ret.)
National Security Advisor
The Honorable Robert M. Gates
United States Secretary of Defense
The Honorable Nancy Pelosi
The Speaker of the United States House of Representatives
The Honorable Joseph R. Biden, Jr.
The Vice President of the United States
Benediction
The Reverend Daniel P. Coughlin
Chaplain of the United States House of Representatives
Following the service, the Murtha family will receive
guests in the Rayburn Room.
[GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] T4800.002
The Reverend Daniel P. Coughlin. My brothers and sisters,
we believe that all the ties of friendship and
collaboration and affection which knit us together
throughout our lifetime do not unravel at the time of
death.
Confident that God always remembers the good that we
have tried to accomplish, the love we have shown, let us
together remember John Murtha and offer to God prayers of
thanksgiving and petition for those who grieve.
Let us pray:
Lord Jesus, our Redeemer, You willingly gave Yourself up
to death, so that all might be saved and pass from death
to new life. We humbly ask You to comfort those in grief
in the loss of John and to receive him into Your
everlasting merciful arms.
You alone are the Holy One, we are Your instruments to
accomplish goodness, peace, and security here in this
world for those we love. You are full of mercy; by dying
You unlocked the gates of life to those who believe in
You.
Forgive John his shortcomings and sins, and grant him a
place of happiness, light, and peace in the kingdom of
Your glory for ever and ever. Amen.
The Honorable Paul E. Kanjorski. Madame Speaker, Mr. Vice
President, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen, we
come together today not to have a ceremony of Jack's
passing but a celebration of his life. There aren't many
folks in this room or in the Congress of the United States
that don't have a very personal story about Jack that if
related would cause us to smile, chuckle, but also cause
us to recall some seriousness in our lives and in the
lives of this Nation.
Even today as I enter the floor of the Chamber and I
can't help it, the first place that I look to is Jack's
chair in the far corner of the Chamber, always expecting
him to be there, even today. He'll never be there again,
but he's there in spirit.
And I thought, ``Who is Jack to us?'' To me, and I think
many of my colleagues here today throughout the House and
the Senate, he is a validator. We wanted to check whether
we were doing the right thing by him, had we had the right
thoughts and had we analyzed something properly.
And then I thought to myself, because you have to see,
that I spent more than 5,000 days with Jack Murtha, about
3 to 4 hours every day, so probably more time than I've
spent with any other human being on Earth, because he
allowed me to have a little standing room next to his
chair--(laughter)--and when there weren't 30 or 40 others
around, he and I would talk about various issues, some of
them very involved, others just passing time and having
humorous thoughts.
But he was also a father confessor, and I used to listen
to those confessions from many of the Members, and it was
satisfying. I see some smiles of recognizing and missing
that confession.
Well, we've lost our father confessor. We've lost our
validator. But in his passing we haven't lost the treasure
that Jack Murtha gave to the House, gave to the Congress,
gave to the Constitution. That will always hold in our
hearts and in our minds.
And to Joyce and the family, we say thank you for the
tremendous contribution you all have made to the United
States of America. Thank you. (Applause.)
The Honorable Michael F. Doyle. So how do we pay tribute
to our friend Jack Murtha in 2 minutes? It's simply not
possible, although Jack, I know you appreciate short
speeches. (Laughter.)
Let me say these things about Jack. He loved his family.
Joyce, he talked about you all the time, and his children.
He was very proud.
He loved this country, and he especially loved the men
and women who serve this country. He was their champion.
Jack Murtha loved this institution. You know, a lot of
Members get here by running against this institution. Jack
Murtha taught us to respect this institution.
So when I think of my friend Jack Murtha, this was my
mentor, this was my friend, this was someone who made me a
much better person than I would have been without him.
Jack, I'll miss you every day for all the days that I'm
here.
Pennsylvania will dearly miss Jack Murtha, as will this
country. (Applause.)
The Honorable Tim Holden. Today, we pay tribute to our
departed friend and colleague, Jack Murtha.
Over 17 years ago, I heard Jack say that his great-
grandmother said to him, ``You were put on this Earth to
make a difference.'' And, boy, did he make a difference.
He loved his country, and he served it with distinction at
many levels.
He served stateside during the Korean war. When the
Vietnam war broke out, he volunteered again for the U.S.
Marine Corps, serving a tour, receiving a Purple Heart. He
received a commendation from the commandant of the U.S.
Marine Corps upon his retirement from the Marine Corps
Reserves in 1990. He was the first Vietnam combat veteran
elected to the Congress. He was the longest serving Member
from Pennsylvania ever to serve in the House of
Representatives.
He never forgot those brave men and women in uniform,
and made sure that they had the resources and tools to do
the job they do so well. He made sure our veterans had the
care that they deserved, and visited them so many times in
our military hospitals. And he helped so many of us in
this House. Not one of us can say that we had not gone to
Jack during our career for help. He will surely be missed
by the country, but most notably by Pennsylvania.
So, Joyce, to you and your family, our thoughts and
prayers continue to go out to you. Thank you. (Applause.)
The Honorable Robert A. Brady. Good morning.
First, I'd like to advise Mrs. Murtha that I'm your
adopted son. I don't know whether or not Jack ever told
you. Good morning, mom.
I was under Jack's wing and it was warm in the
wintertime and cool in the summer. He taught me and showed
me to be courteous to everyone. He made everyone feel
special. When we visited the troops, he'd rather be with
the enlisted men than with the brass or the generals. You
knew that because you couldn't find him half the time.
He was compassionate. He had a great heart. He enjoyed
telling stories. He enjoyed a good joke and had a great
sense of humor. Some of us didn't know that side of him,
especially the press.
With the exception of his family, I was more fortunate
than any one of you in this room. Before we broke on any
Thursday or a Friday, I would help him down because as you
know, he had a knee operation. I would shake his hand and
I would give him a kiss, probably a sight to see a guy
like me kissing a guy like him, but we didn't care.
Unfortunately, last January, this January 27th, not
knowing it, that was going to be the last time I saw him
and was to be the last time I gave him a kiss.
So I thank the Murtha family, thank you so much for
sharing him with us, probably a lot too much and we know
what that's like in our lives, how we sacrifice our
families for this institution. He will be deeply missed.
There will never, ever be another Jack Murtha.
So we had this flag flown over the Capitol and we put it
on his seat, the only seat that is reserved in Congress
and we had it there all week on behalf of the Pennsylvania
delegation. It would be my honor and my pleasure to
present this to you.
The Honorable C.W. Bill Young. Jack and I had a very
special friendship and partnership based on mutual respect
for each other and based on a strong commitment on both of
our parts to make sure that the United States had whatever
it needed to stay strong. That our troops who kept our
America strong had whatever they needed to accomplish
their mission and protect themselves while they were doing
it.
Despite that great friendship, Jack and I never
socialized. I don't think--I can't remember if we ever had
lunch together, but we worked together every day. In his
quarter or in my quarter or in the well of the House or in
the Speaker's lobby or walking back between the Rayburn
Building and the Capitol, we talked. We visited. We
checked with each other on what we thought were the
important issues of the day.
We traveled together. We went to far-flung places like
the DMZ in Korea, Kuwait, Bahrain, Desert Storm, Bosnia,
Kosovo, really exciting places like that. It was always
there--Jack's question always was, ``Is there anything you
need that you don't have that we can provide for you?''
The well-being of the troops were primary in his mind.
I know there's a great emptiness in the Murtha family.
When I walked those same Halls today, I walked into the
committee room that he and I shared, we presided, we took
turns presiding. I have a tremendous emptiness in my heart
because here was a big man in my life, a big man in the
life of the Congress.
And so I know the emptiness that Joyce and the family
experience is nothing that can be described. And I know
that my emptiness is nothing compared to their emptiness,
but just remember, Joyce, as Tim Holden said, ``Jack
Murtha made a really big difference.''
God bless you and your family.
The Honorable Sanford D. Bishop, Jr. Vivian and I thank
you, Joyce, and the Murtha family for allowing me this
time this morning.
Shakespeare wrote, ``All the world is a stage and all
the men and women merely players, each has his entrance
and his exit, one man in his time may play many parts.''
So it was with John P. Murtha. He was son, brother,
husband to you, Joyce, father, uncle, grandfather, a
strong family man, the ultimate example to and of the
Murtha clan.
He was a student, soldier, Marine officer and a
gentleman, a patriot warrior, the likes of which our
Nation has seen far too few, a leader, mentor, counselor,
encourager, advocate, helper, feared adversary, trusted
ally, loyal friend, who always literally and figuratively
stood taller than his peers, in courage, honor, dignity
and service to others.
Though I could speak and master English, French,
Spanish, Russian, Chinese, Vietnamese, Farsi, Sanskrit,
and any of the other languages spoken by mankind, I would
not have enough words combined to adequately express the
positive impact that Jack Murtha's life and service had on
his family, friends, his congressional district, Congress
as an institution, the men and women of our military, and
indeed the world. He truly made a difference.
Though we continue to grieve his loss and know that
Murtha's corner on the floor of the House will never, ever
be the same, the pain we share must melt into joy for we
have all been truly blessed to know, love, and benefit
from having shared the stage of life with this very
exceptional man. All the world is a stage and all the men
and women merely players, each has his entrance and his
exit. One man in his time may play many parts, but thank
you, Jack, for playing so many roles in so many of our
lives.
The Honorable James P. Moran. Leadership is about
character. Jack had it. He led with it. He led us in
putting our families first with his devotion to Joyce's
love for his children. He led us in respecting this
institution, people in it, the people who lead it, Madame
Speaker. And he led us in recognizing that the strength of
our military comes not so much from the weapons we equip
our men and women to kill with, as the values we equip
them to live with.
Jack lived by those values--courage, discipline,
compassion. He was a man of few words who didn't mince his
words. And so to sum it up, Jack Murtha--you were a great
man. We can't afford to forget you. And we couldn't help
but love you.
The Honorable Jerry Lewis. Madame Speaker, Mr. Vice
President, friends of Jack.
Joyce, we are very proud to have this moment to express
our love and appreciation to you and your family. Jack was
an amazing experience for me over some three decades that
we worked together on the Appropriations Committee.
I'll never forget a very special moment, it was the
earmark of earmarks. We found a program in the
Intelligence Committee. That program involved a new asset
involved known as the UAVs. Jack immediately, even though
the Air Force could not imagine our ever wanting an asset
where somebody wasn't sitting in the seat. Jack recognized
the potential of that future asset and if it were not for
his work and his support for our effort, that $40 million
earmark would never have gone forward and the Predator
never would have been in Bosnia.
On another occasion, a demonstration of incredible
foresight and leadership, Jack Murtha joined me in the
committee taking a look at tactical aircraft. We decided
that we could not go forward with the F-22 and we pulled
the procurement for the first seven of those aircraft. You
would have thought we blew the top off the Pentagon, and
to say the least, there was lots of consternation out
there. But Jack foresaw that unless we tested the software
and the wings before we started to fly this baby, it never
would fly. Always willing to lead.
Charlie Wilson's war would not have been Charlie
Wilson's war if it had not been for Jack Murtha. It was
his effort that helped us and allowed us to force the
Russians out of Afghanistan, laying the foundation for a
future for freedom in that entire region. All of us know
that Jack was there to make a difference, but indeed, he
couldn't stand those who wouldn't get to the point. He
always said, ``Let's get it done.''
Any general, admiral, secretary, or otherwise who
decided that they wanted to have a PowerPoint in the
committee might as well take their charts and go home.
Indeed, few people have ever impacted the House of
Representatives and our country's freedom as Jack Murtha
has.
Thank you.
The Honorable Marcy Kaptur. Madame Speaker, Mr. Vice
President, what a privilege to be here this morning to pay
tribute to a great man. From his days as a Marine drill
instructor at Parris Island, John P. Murtha knew how to
lead. He formed a league of his own, husband, father,
family man, man of the House, Congressman, colonel,
chairman, cardinal, dean, beloved by townspeople,
comrades, colleagues and staff, man of his word, trusted,
expeditionary son of Johnstown.
From Korea to Afghanistan, rough-hewn from hardscrabble
America in deer hunter country, brave, bold, direct,
ready, bipartisan, volunteer for Korea and Vietnam,
intelligence officer, two Purple Hearts, Bronze Star,
Vietnamese Cross of Gallantry. Irish eyes always smiling
unless fixed on the enemy. He taught us--oh, did he teach
us--victory is knowing your enemy. Support unit cohesion.
Pay attention to detail. Consult the ranks. Get to the
front. Work the troops. He mused to Charlie Wilson, ``You
don't say. Is that so?'' Achieved both career goals,
Marine colonel and Member of Congress who won his first
race by 122 votes.
His beautiful wife, Joyce, wears a golden medallion
today presented to her by her husband from that race. No
one could have done more.
Lasting friends, enduring lessons, a giant oak. A lion
now rests in the Allegheny foothills. America's defense is
the best in the world because John Murtha lived to leave
that legacy.
At Tip O'Neill's memorial, Jack gave an Irish blessing
from which we quote, with love to his strong wife, Joyce,
children, Donna, John, and Patrick and their beautiful
families, with the full heart of this House led by his
Speaker Nancy Pelosi. ``May the sun shine warm upon your
face and until we meet again, may God keep you in the
hollow of His hand. We know when love is real it endures
and grows stronger even beyond time.''
Thank you.
[United States Marine Band vocalist Gunnery Sergeant Kevin
Bennear sings ``God Bless America.'']
General James L. Jones. Madame Speaker, Mr. Vice
President, Joyce, members of the Murtha family, when I
think of Jack Murtha, I think of leadership. I think of a
lifelong commitment to this Nation and all that it holds
dear.
On the leadership, there's no question about his
qualifications for high office. He achieved the rank of
Eagle Scout when he was a young man, left college in 1952
to join the Marine Corps and became, as was mentioned, the
drill instructor at Parris Island, SC, the Marine Corps
recruit depot, where he no doubt developed the finer
aspects of his sense of humor. (Laughter.)
His leadership was recognized early on, and from there
he went to officer candidate school; was selected to
compete for a commission as a second lieutenant, which he
achieved; and left active duty in 1955; stayed in the
Marine Corps Reserve, always faithful to the corps, always
serving whenever called for.
In 1966, he volunteered for duty in the Republic of
Vietnam, where he served with great distinction as a
battalion intelligence officer on the front lines, for
which he was recognized with some of our Nation's highest
awards for valor: the Bronze Star with a Combat V for
Valor, two Purple Hearts, the Vietnamese Cross of
Gallantry, and a Combat Action Ribbon. He retired as a
full colonel in 1990.
Those of us who have been privileged to serve with
Congressman Murtha over the years, in uniform and out of
uniform, will always remember his concept of the citizen
soldier; that in his elected capacity, he always went to
the dangerous spots where men and women were serving their
country.
I accompanied him to Sarajevo in 2003 (sic), which was
not a real good time to visit Sarajevo. As we were getting
off a C-130 and hurrying quickly to the shelter, a piece
of shrapnel flew past us and impacted on some sandbags
about 20 or 30 feet in front of us, and he turned and
looked at me and said, ``Well, I guess they know we're
here.'' (Laughter.)
He did this time and again. He did it quietly. He did it
modestly. Wherever the danger was, he went there to see
how the men and women were, to see how our Nation's
interests were being protected, and he devoted countless
hours to studying and learning about the situation that he
was concerned with.
He worked tirelessly for the needs of women and men in
uniform. He was at the forefront of the all-volunteer
force in its establishment, for which those of us who have
spent our careers in uniform will be eternally grateful.
He was a counselor to Presidents, an adviser to senior
military officers. He will inspire us for many years to
come. We will miss him. We'll always be grateful to him
for his sunny example of life--toward his family, toward
his country, and toward humanity.
Thank you.
The Honorable Robert M. Gates. Madame Speaker, Mr. Vice
President, Joyce, members of our family. Like General
Jones, I had a slightly different perspective than most of
today's speakers, since I was not one of Jack's colleagues
here on the Hill. For nearly a quarter of a century, I
worked with him from the executive branch, focusing on the
great national security challenges our country faced.
From our earliest contacts, I will always remember and
be grateful for Jack's personal efforts on behalf of the
Afghan resistance fighting the Soviets, as Jerry Lewis
talked about; efforts to help bring about the collapse of
an evil empire and bring about the end of the cold war.
Over the last 3 or so years, I had the opportunity to
work with Jack on Defense Department appropriations. We
met privately on a regular basis, and had more laughs than
you might have thought. One of his great qualities was
that he was always candid about where he stood and what he
thought. And you could always tell when he was getting
ready to cut a deal, because his eyes would begin to
twinkle. (Laughter.)
In October 2008, about a month before the election, Jack
and I were meeting alone, and he showed me a press article
he had marked up. It was a piece speculating about whether
Senator Obama, if he won, would ask me to stay at Defense
and, if he did, whether I'd agree. In his inimitable way,
Jack put his hand on my arm and said, ``If he asks, you
have to do it. I say I want you to stay.'' Now, coming
from Jack, that had a real impact on me, even though I've
somewhat edited his language for this occasion.
(Laughter.)
In all of our dealings, and over his entire time in
Congress, it was always clear that Jack's first priority
and his loyalty belonged to the men and women serving our
country in the intelligence community and especially in
the military. He would do anything to make sure that
troops had what they needed.
I will greatly miss Jack, just as this Congress and the
country will miss an uncommon patriot and one of the
truest and most steadfast friends of America's men and
women in uniform. Thank you. (Applause.)
The Honorable Nancy Pelosi. Mr. Vice President, members of
the President's Cabinet, Members of the U.S. Senate
visiting to our side, especially the two Senators from
Pennsylvania, Senator Specter and Senator Casey, we're
honored by your presence; to all the many friends and
colleagues of Jack Murtha, but especially to his family,
to Joyce and the family.
Thank you, Joyce, for sharing Jack Murtha with us. Mr.
Young said he knew Jack very well and they worked together
for a long time but they never socialized together. Jack
never socialized. He went home--(laughter)--he went home
to Joyce every night.
Many of us who are gathered here have had the privilege
of calling Jack Murtha colleague. Many also have the
privilege of calling him friend. And so we gather today to
mourn a loss of a friend, a dear friend, and celebrate the
life of a person who was a great legislator, a courageous
soldier, and a public servant to the end.
A couple of weeks ago, a couple of planes full of
Members of Congress, family, and staff went to Johnstown
to pay our respects to Jack Murtha. We went there to
console, and we were consoled. We saw the tremendous
outpouring of love and respect for Jack Murtha. Thousands
of people stood in the snow in line to wait their turn to
say goodbye. Again, members of the President's Cabinet
came to the service. And the President of the United
States, William Jefferson Clinton, was there. I hope it
was a comfort to the family that so many people at every
level of our society appreciated Jack's contribution,
mourn your loss and are praying for you at this sad time.
I had the privilege of speaking at Jack's service, and I
told people of Johnstown about the ``Pennsylvania
corner.'' It's important to note that there are no other
named locations in the House Chamber. (Laughter.)
``Pennsylvania corner'' was a place where Jack held court.
He was flanked by his two lieutenants--on the west Mike
Doyle, on the east Bob Brady--senior member Mr. Kanjorski,
then all of his pals around him. Members came from across
the country and across the aisle to pay their respects, to
get Jack's blessing on what they were up to. He always
gave them friendship. He always gave them advice.
Sometimes he gave them support. (Laughter.)
For 2 weeks since he left us, the flag that Brady gave
to Joyce and the family has been sitting there in memory
of Jack, his leadership, especially of his patriotism.
Seeing the outpouring of support in Pennsylvania and
seeing it here today recalls to mind a passage from the
Book of Ecclesiasticus that I mentioned in Johnstown:
Now let us praise great men, the heroes of our nation.
They have led the people by their counsel and their
knowledge of the laws. From their fund of wisdom, they
gave instruction. Their bodies are buried in peace, and
their names will live forever. The people will tell of
their wisdom and the congregation will continue to sing
their praise.
Wouldn't Jack Murtha's great-grandmother be proud of the
difference that Jack Murtha made, that he would meet that
standard, make it here--on this Earth to make a
difference. Others have referenced that.
He made a difference in so many ways. But it was
interesting, as we all traveled with him, whether it was
abroad to the theaters of war or to Bethesda Naval Medical
Center or Walter Reed, as Mr. Young has referenced, he was
so interested in these soldiers. He could identify with
them and speak to them, as one who had served in the
military. But also, his affection for them was as a
father.
My favorite time was--when they knew he was coming,
they'd be all excited and this or that. And one day they--
the door was closed, and they said, ``The patient is not
ready yet,'' and then we waited a moment. Then the door
opened. The door--they opened the door, and there was the
patient, standing in full salute of Jack Murtha, wearing a
Steelers jersey. (Laughter.) Jack loved that.
Jack was a man of great courage, recognized so by
receiving the prestigious John F. Kennedy Profile in
Courage Award. He won that for the courage it took for
him, a person committed to our national security, a person
who loved every one of our men and women in uniform--the
courage it took for him to speak out against the war in
Iraq. And in doing so, he taught us very clearly to make
the distinction between the war and the warrior.
Jack believed that our national strength certainly was
measured in our military might and the morale and well-
being of our troops, but also that it was measured in the
well-being of the American people. And so while many
others have acknowledged how well decorated he was as a
war hero, a serviceman, he was also well recognized and
decorated, received many awards, for measuring the
strength of our country, again, in the well-being of our
country, our people. He showed leadership on investments
in breast cancer, prostate cancer, diabetes, HIV/AIDS, you
name it. Jack recognized the role that research played in
making America healthier and stronger.
Jack's motto--I mean, the motto of the Marines, was a
source of pride for him--right, Brian? We visited Brian in
Iraq. And how proud he was of seeing you there, with all
of our troops and all of his family--came together--and
you. Semper Fi--always faithful--Semper Fidelis. That was
not only the motto of the Marines whom he was so proud to
be a part of, it was the motto of his life: Always
faithful. Always faithful to his family. His love of Joyce
was so palpable, it was so wonderful and it was so--such a
joy to behold. That's why he was going home every night,
not socializing with Bill Young--or the rest of us, for
that matter. (Laughter.)
I feel quite certain that the caliber of person that he
was, the specialness of his personality, the obedience to
his great-grandmother to make a difference, his patriotism
to his country, his love of his family, his mastery of the
legislative process, made Jack Murtha very special. I am
quite certain that we will never see his like again.
But I also mentioned, though, when I was in
Pennsylvania, something about Jack that those of us who
knew him here knew was very important to him.
He loved this institution. And he loved it as others
have acknowledged.
I think that love was kindled by his friendship with Tip
O'Neill. He loved Tip O'Neill. He loved telling us stories
about Tip O'Neill. Tip was his mentor. Tip was his friend.
Tip loved this institution. And together they made
progress for our country, they made friends with each
other. And it's a special part of who Jack Murtha was.
I too have a flag. This flag was flown over the Capitol,
Joyce, the minute that we heard that Jack had left us. On
behalf of the Congress of the United States, I want to
present it to you in recognition of Jack's leadership and
patriotism. Every day that he was here, he honored the
pledge we took in the morning: ``with liberty and justice
for all.'' How appropriate that ``God Bless America'' is
the song that was sung today. God truly blessed America
with the leadership and the life of Jack Murtha. Thank
you. (Applause.)
The Honorable Joseph R. Biden, Jr. Joyce, thank you for
allowing me to be here. To the Murtha clan, your dad was
one hell of a guy.
I, in a strange way, having committed the cardinal sin
of going straight to the U.S. Senate when I was 29 years
old, not having had the honor of serving in the House,
don't have the day-to-day connection with Jack that all
these guys had. But I was there at the beginning and at
the end.
I was a 31-year-old kid, and I was a sitting U.S.
Senator for about a year, and I got a phone call from a
guy named Murtha who I didn't know, never heard of. And he
told me that he was running in a special election in
Johnstown. And he said he knew I was from Scranton,
thought I understood the ethic of his district a little
bit, would I come in and campaign for him? And I did.
There may have been others who campaigned then; I don't
recall. But I remember when I went in he was ahead by
about 5 points, and he won by 122 votes. (Laughter.)
My son Hunter is with me, and Hunter always hears me
tell war stories and tell stories about Jack. I might add,
the first guy I asked to visit me in the residence I now
have, the Vice President's residence, to talk about Iraq
and Afghanistan was Jack. Jack came over and spent about 2
hours with me sitting on the porch, because I wanted his
advice.
But I look around at the Congressmen that are here. The
reputation of every one of the folks that I know, is
written based on their personal courage, their guts, their
gumption, their ethic, their--the fact that they're
fighters, their sense of personal commitment.
You know, it goes from Bobby Brady. You know, Bobby, I
used to kid, growing up in Casey country, that Scranton
would have been a hell of a neighborhood to grow up in if
you and Jack lived in the neighborhood, because he could
have lived in your neighborhood in Philly--and we could
have lived in his. It was the same ethic.
It's about an ethic, Chris, I think you have. It's more
than about character. A lot of people have character--not
enough.
But few people have that intangible thing my mom called,
Steny, the sixth sense. There's something about some
people who you just know, they'll have your back.
I know I'm not supposed to be this informal as the Vice
President. But the Jack that I knew, the Jack that I
loved, the Jack that I respected--all the things that have
been said about Jack today are all true. And I recognize
this.
The part I liked about him the best, he's just one
stand-up son of a gun. He's just a stand-up guy, man. He
knew what it meant to give at the office.
He was the guy, Paul, when you made a deal, and his
circumstances changed, and it would hurt him to keep it,
he'd say, ``I get it, I made a deal, a deal is a deal. It
hurts me, but I'm keeping the deal.''
It's a Scranton ethic. It's a Claymont ethic. It's a
Johnstown ethic. You know, it's the ethic of a lot of you
sitting out here. Danny, I don't know anybody with more
personal courage than you. But Jack was kind of like you.
Jack could stand up when it wasn't popular. He'd stand up
and defend individuals when it wasn't popular.
You talk about how Jack was a great soldier. And he was.
And I can remember--you know, think about it. I remember
going out to campaign for him, General. And so I did a
little bio on him. I wanted to know about this guy that
was running this special election--who had been running
Johnstown's car wash before this time. What was the deal
about this guy?
And I learned this guy, when he was playing football at
Washington and Jefferson College, he got a starting berth.
When he found out the reason he got the berth was because
the guy who was an upperclassman to him was going to
Korea, and that's the only reason he was going to get to
start, he left and enlisted and wanted to go to Korea.
It's sort of the ethic that, if I'm getting this job
because someone else is making a sacrifice, I sure in hell
shouldn't benefit from his sacrifice. Kind of basic stuff
that we don't talk about very much. It's that special
stuff.
It's the stuff that makes so many of you so different
from other people. Then he didn't get to go to fight in
Korea. He became a drill sergeant, an experience that
served him very well in the House. (Laughter.) And he
decides he--the Vietnam war--he still wants to fight for
his country.
Now, guessing--I don't know for a fact, Joyce, but
guessing, I can picture the conversation going like, well,
so-and-so's gone and so-and-so's gone and so-and-so's
gone. And Mary lost her husband. And Mrs. Smith lost her
son, and I'm sitting here.
You know, that's the stuff. We like to think of our
country made up of men and women like that, and that was
Jack. I was graduating into Vietnam in 1968, and there
weren't a whole lot of people lining up ready to go, and
here Jack, in the Reserves, decided he wants to go.
Well, you know, he had to file a petition. He got the
petition and he showed his mettle. This has been spoken of
here. He was a man that always was fighting, fighting for
opportunity.
He fought for his country but he never stopped fighting
when he got back here. It wasn't a fight out of anger and
resentfulness. It was a fight about ``this is just
right.''
It wasn't complicated. In my experience with Jack, it
wasn't complicated stuff. It's right or it's wrong. If
it's right, you've got to do something about it.
I also remember thinking that, when I was out there in
1974, if any man reflected his district, it was Jack.
Marcy talked about deer hunter country. Well, that was
Jack. I mean, he reflected, again, the ethic of his
district. He was made of the same stuff as the people he
served with and actually grew up with.
Throughout his career people tried to pigeonhole him. I
remember people would say, because I had different views
on some things, as chairman of the Foreign Relations
Committee--I actually served longer than Jack in the U.S.
Congress; I served longer than most of you here in the
U.S. Congress--and they'd say, ``How can you be such good
friends with Jack, this hawk? You know, this guy's a
hawk.''
Remember, Ike, when I went out and almost lost your
election for you in the beginning, the first time?
(Laughter.) I was the first guy to campaign for Ike, too.
(Chuckles, laughter.) It's no wonder they're so resilient.
They made it through my campaigning for them the first
time.
But all kidding aside, the thing that always struck me
about Jack that people didn't really understand; it was,
as Nancy said--as the Speaker said, it was about the
warrior, not the war. It was about his country; it was
about the warrior.
And what did Jack do? Jack came out against the war in
Iraq. People were surprised when Jack called for the
Marines to investigate what happened in Haditha, because
he was such a defender of the Marines. I think what people
didn't get about Jack, it was all about honor and duty and
about protecting his Marines--not by just protecting them
physically; protecting their honor. To Jack, it was about
honor. To Jack, at least from my perspective, the Jack I
met in 1974, that's what his opposition to the war was
about. It was about this sense of protecting these kids
that he cared so much about.
I remember recently spending Christmas at Walter Reed.
As you all know, because all of you guys and women go
there, there were about 14 kids who couldn't come down for
Christmas dinner, so I went to each of their rooms. There
was one kid, both legs gone, part of one arm, and he had
one of those triangles above his bed. And I walked in and
he was asleep, so I said to the nurse, ``Don't.'' The
nurse said, ``No, he really wants to see you. He really
wants to see you.''
And the kid pulled himself up on this triangle and said,
``Sir, I'm sorry I can't stand.'' And then he said to me,
``Do you know Congressman Murtha?'' (Soft laughter.)
Well, let me tell you something. I think that the ethic
that Jack Murtha exemplified here is the stuff that is
most admired by the American people and the stuff of which
we sing songs about. You were talking about Jack's corner,
Pennsylvania's corner. Like I said, the way I kind of
looked at it, without knowing it--except on two occasions
being able to come to the corner when I came over here to
do some business, when you allowed those of us from the
Upper Chamber to traverse into God's country--I always
thought it was not so much who was in Jack's corner, but
whose corner Jack was in.
You know, 1977, the Johnstown flood, I was head of the
Public Works Committee, Chris, before it was Environmental
Public Works, and I was head of the Disaster Relief
Subcommittee.
So I flew to Johnstown. And there was only one man in
America who could have gotten any notice, Chairman Obey,
other than Dan Flood, at that moment, and it was Jack
Murtha. And everybody else was talking of what they were
going to do, and I was holding hearings there about
disaster relief and getting money, and I asked where was
Congressman Murtha, privately.
I was told that he had just commandeered a military
helicopter, because he was told he could no longer wade
through the water in places he wanted to go. He was going
out, spot to spot, giving direct aid and trying to pull
people out of trouble.
When the Bethlehem Steel plant closed, he was the first
guy to convince Bethlehem Steel to keep the plant open for
another year and fought like the Devil to find places for
those 10,000 folks who lost their jobs, because to Jack,
it was more than a steel plant closing, it was a way of
life shutting down. It was an ethic that was being lost.
It was about dignity. It was about respect.
Well, ladies and gentlemen, you all know and you could
tell a thousand stories about Jack, more than I could
tell. But I didn't have to be around him as much as you
were to know the man that he was. I didn't have to be
around him as much as you were to know that, as Nancy
said, we're not going to see his like again.
You know, when I think of Jack, there's a Civil War
poet, a guy named Richard Watson Gilder, who, like Jack's
great-grandfather, fought in the Civil War. And he wrote
something that could have been put on Jack's tombstone. He
said, ``Better than honor and glory, and history's iron
pen, was the thought of duty done and love of his fellow-
men.'' I don't know anybody who did his duty better than
Jack.
I don't know anybody who cared about his neighborhood
more than Jack, because at the end of the day, when I
think of Jack, I think of neighborhood. I think he had a
neighborhood ethic. I think of a guy who asked no quarter,
gives none when people's interests are at stake and stood
tall throughout his whole career.
If my dad were alive, guys, he'd look at all three of
you and say, ``You got good blood, kids. You got good
blood.'' (Applause.)
The Honorable Nancy Pelosi. Before we adjourn, I hope that
we could all join and express our gratitude, love, and
appreciation to Joyce Murtha and her family for sharing
Jack with us. (Standing applause.)
The Reverend Daniel P. Coughlin. Trusting in God, we have
shared stories and memories of John. Now we come to a
final moment. Parting always moves the heart. The mind
travels everywhere. The heart moves slowly.
This assembly will disperse with some sorrow and some
regret but also with deeper commitments, deeper belief,
because of Jack Murtha.
The God of mercy who gathered us together today will
again gather us in the joy of His kingdom. Therefore as we
go forward let us walk with a commitment of peace, let us
console one another with faith and let our charity and
love for one another be known around this world.
Into Your hands, Father of Mercies, we commend our
brother in the sure and certain hope that, together with
all who have died, he will rise again on the last day.
We give You thanks for the blessings that You have
bestowed upon him, his family, and his corps and our faith
in this body in which he took such great pride: they are
signs to us all of Your goodness and Your continued care
for us.
Merciful Lord, turn toward us now and listen to our
prayers: open the gates of paradise to your servant and
help us who remain to comfort one another with assurances
of faith, deeper dedication and service of others and our
faith, trust that You will join us all together once again
in Your Holy Spirit.
Merciful Lord, we know the anguish of the sorrowful, but
You are ever attentive, most of all to the brokenhearted.
Hear Your people who cry to You in their needs and
strengthen us, strengthen this Nation in our hope of Your
lasting goodness.
Eternal rest grant unto him, O Lord, and let perpetual
light shine upon him.
May he rest in peace. Amen.
Peace to you all.