{"database": "openregs", "table": "congressional_record", "rows": [["CREC-2012-12-31-pt1-PgE2025", "2012-12-31", 112, 2, null, null, "HONORING VERNE D. RIDER", "HOUSE", "EXTENSIONS", "HONORING", "E2025", "E2025", "[{\"name\": \"Michael G. Fitzpatrick\", \"role\": \"speaking\"}]", null, "158 Cong. Rec. E2025", "Congressional Record, Volume 158 Issue 171 (Monday, December 31, 2012)\n\n[Congressional Record Volume 158, Number 171 (Monday, December 31, 2012)]\n[Extensions of Remarks]\n[Page E2025]\nFrom the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]\n\n                        HONORING VERNE D. RIDER\n\n                                 ______\n\n                      HON. MICHAEL G. FITZPATRICK\n\n                            of pennsylvania\n\n                    in the house of representatives\n\n                       Monday, December 31, 2012\n\n  Mr. FITZPATRICK. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the service of a\nman I have had the distinct privilege of serving with during my time\nrepresenting the people of Pennsylvania's 8th District, Verne D. Rider.\n  With the conclusion of this 112th Congress, Verne will be retiring\nfor the fourth time, but I am sure it will not be his last.\n  Albert Einstein once claimed that ``a life lived in service to others\nis worth living.'' If Mr. Einstein is correct, Verne Rider's continued\nlife of service to his country is an example to each of us a life worth\nliving.\n  When his country called him for the first time, Verne dedicated\nhimself to decades of honorable service in the United States Air Force.\nDuring his proud military career, Verne flew missions over the fields\nof Southeast Asia during the Vietnam War and the deserts of the Middle\nEast as part of operations Desert Storm and Desert Shield.\n  To this day, Verne always takes note of when he or one of his co-\nworkers is dressed in their ``Air Force Blue''. A true patriot, Verne's\nservice in the Air Force is just one example of his drive to serve\nothers in any way he can.\n  Upon retiring from his time in the military, Verne recognized an\nopportunity to continue his service, this time in the name of his\nfellow veterans, including those who found themselves homeless and in\nneed.\n  As a generation of military men and women reaches retirement age,\nsome find themselves in need of assistance and guidance through a\ncomplex and often frustrating bureaucratic VA Benefits system.\n  When I began putting together my office staff for my first term in\nCongress I could think of no one better than Verne Rider to provide 8th\nDistrict veterans with the help they needed. Whether that help comes in\nthe form of a phone call to the VA, a letter to a federal agency, or\noften times just a shoulder to lean on, Verne is always ready and\nwilling to do his best for his fellow veterans.\n  During those first two years, Verne became a staple of the veteran\ncommunity in my home of Bucks County, and was known across the district\nas a true friend to veterans.\n  Between my terms in Congress, Verne insisted on continuing his\nservice to his brothers in arms, and was able to fulfill a similar role\nfor the late Senator Arlen Specter.\n  I was fortunate enough to have Verne return to office with me for the\n112th Congress and everywhere I go, the veterans of my district remind\nme how lucky I am to have someone like Verne Rider on my staff.\n  While Verne's retirement from my office for the second time marks an\nimmediate loss to our organization, I have no doubt that this will not\nbe the last we see of Verne in service to our country.\n  I know this because I am able to share one of my proudest\nachievements as a member of Congress with Verne. Together, with the\nefforts of local leaders and allies in Washington, Verne and I were\nable to bring a national cemetery to Bucks County, providing our\nveterans with a final resting place on the historic grounds of\nWashington Crossing, Pennsylvania.\n  Verne's continued work with the Guardians of the Washington Crossing\nNational Cemetery will keep him firmly fixed in his position as a\ncommunity leader.\n  After a lifetime of service to his country and its veterans, Verne\nwill continue to dedicate himself fully to the most important role of\nhis life as a loving husband, proud father and new grandfather.\n  On behalf of myself, my staff, and the people of Pennsylvania's 8th\nCongressional District, I extend my sincerest gratitude to Verne D.\nRider for his decades of service to his country and to our community.\n  We are all looking forward to seeing where your drive to serve others\ntakes you next.\n\n                          ____________________"]], "columns": ["granule_id", "date", "congress", "session", "volume", "issue", "title", "chamber", "granule_class", "sub_granule_class", "page_start", "page_end", "speakers", "bills", "citation", "full_text"], "primary_keys": ["granule_id"], "primary_key_values": ["CREC-2012-12-31-pt1-PgE2025"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 5.544067011214793, "source": "Federal Register API & Regulations.gov API", "source_url": "https://www.federalregister.gov/developers/api/v1", "license": "Public Domain (U.S. Government data)", "license_url": "https://www.regulations.gov/faq"}