August 3, 2012 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — Extensions of Remarks E1409 

in 81 percent of patients for an average of 

eight months. Brandon died in 2010. Id. 

(XI) LIDDY SHRIVER

In April 2002, Elizabeth Shriver was diagnosed with Ewing’s sarcoma. http:// 

sarcomahelp.org/liddy.html. She died January 15, 2004 at the age of 37 after the cancer 

metastasized to her right thigh, lungs, brain 

and abdomen. Id. Liddy was a computer scientist and sought to approach the cancer as 

‘‘just another problem to solve reading as 

much as she could about cancer, various 

treatments, and the results of clinical trials. 

Id. More information can be reached by 

going to http://sarcomahelp.org/index.html. 

(XI) LORRAINE HEIDKE MCCARTIN

Lorraine raised four children and has been 

battling a rare form of breast cancer since 

2006. http://www.boston.com/business/health 

care/articles/2011/01/05/testinglruleslforce 

lpatientsltolwaitlforlnew drugs/?page=2 

(last viewed May 21, 2012). In 2010 her hopes 

were buoyed when doctors said she was a 

good candidate to take a promising experimental drug called T–DM1 which had reduced 

patient’s tumors with few side effects in clinical trials. Id. But before the treatments 

were to start under an expanded access program the drug’s maker Roche shut down the 

program after the FDA refused to speed the 

approval process. Id. She is still alive, but 

must drive about 500 miles to get the treatment. 

f 

RECOGNIZING MASTER CHIEF 

PETTY OFFICER (RET.) JOHN R. 

BRINKHEIDE AND HIS MORE 

THAN 20 YEARS OF HONORABLE 

SERVICE TO THE U.S. NAVY 

HON. GERALD E. CONNOLLY OF VIRGINIA

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

Thursday, August 2, 2012 

Mr. CONNOLLY of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I 

rise today to commend Master Chief Petty Officer (Ret.) John Robert Brinkheide for his 

more than 20 years of honorable and courageous service to the United States Navy, his 

subsequent 17 years of service as a contractor supporting the Department of Defense, 

and his continued service to our community. 

We are fortunate to have among us veterans 

with MCPO Brinkheide’s sense of duty and 

continued commitment to public service. 

MCPO Brinkheide enlisted in the U.S. Navy 

in 1962 and completed electronics school the 

same year. From 1962 to 1964 he served 

aboard the USS Semmes, a ship he describes 

as truly unique, tied together by a crew committed to doing good. His service aboard the 

USS Semmes instilled in him his sense of professionalism and ethics that guided him 

throughout the entirety of his military and professional career. He attended advanced electronics school in 1965 upon leaving the USS 

Semmes and then served for three years in 

Vietnam aboard an in-river LST. After completing his tour in Vietnam, MCPO Brinkheide 

served aboard the USS America from 1969 to 

1976 and was promoted to Master Chief Petty 

Officer. MCPO Brinkheide’s last few years at 

sea were served aboard the USS Nashville as 

the Electronics Material Officer from 1976 to 

1980. MCPO Brinkheide spent his last year 

with the Navy working on strategic communications for the Naval Electronic Systems 

Command performing oversight of electronic 

equipment acquisitions. 

After retiring from the Navy in 1981, he 

began a long career as a contractor supporting the Department of Defense, specializing in systems acquisitions. Since retiring 

from the Navy, Mr. Brinkheide has actively 

worked to better his community through the 

Knights of Columbus and served as the Grand 

Knight of the John Paul I Council of Dale City, 

Virginia, from 2006 to 2007. MCPO Brinkheide 

also worked tirelessly for 24 years to help organize and implement the Prince William 

County Tree Trimming Day of Remembrance, 

a ceremony held to honor those who died in 

alcohol- and drug-related vehicle crashes. 

Mr. Speaker, I ask that my colleagues rise 

to join me in recognizing and thanking John R. 

Brinkheide for his steadfast and selfless service to our country and our community. 

f 

IRAN THREAT REDUCTION AND 

SYRIA HUMAN RIGHTS ACT OF 2012 

SPEECH OF

HON. CHRIS VAN HOLLEN OF MARYLAND

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

Wednesday, August 1, 2012 

Mr. VAN HOLLEN. Mr. Speaker, I rise in 

support of the conference agreement for H.R. 

1905, the Iran Threat Reduction and Syria 

Human Rights Act of 2012, a bill of which I am 

a cosponsor. In addition to imposing sanctions 

on anyone found to be guilty of committing or 

contributing to the repression or abuse of the 

human rights of the Syrian people, this measure also continues the congressional efforts to 

apply pressure to the government of Iran for 

its nuclear enrichment activities. 

Mr. Speaker, yesterday the president announced the application of new sanctions on 

the Iranian oil industry and on Chinese and 

Iraqi banks for helping Iran to circumvent the 

global sanctions regime. These sanctions are 

a part of an escalating series of penalties 

against Iran. In June, the U.S. imposed a 

round of sanctions targeting any foreign country that buys Iranian oil. Then, in early July, 

the EU, a major market for Iranian oil, put in 

place a complete embargo of oil imports from 

the country. 

Since the effort began, Iranian oil production 

has declined by a million barrels a day, its exports have fallen by about 50 percent and its 

currency has plunged more than 40 percent 

against the dollar. Today, the House meets to 

further tighten the sanctions on Iran’s energy, 

shipping and insurance sectors. This package 

of sanctions will be the most comprehensive 

passed to date. Virtually all of Iran’s energy, financial, and transportation sectors will be subject to U.S. sanctions and any company that 

does business in these sectors will run the risk 

of losing access to U.S. markets. 

The economic sanctions imposed on Iran 

have succeeded in bringing the Iranians to the 

negotiating table. It remains to be seen whether the Iranians are simply engaged in stall-tactics or are willing to end their effort to produce 

weapons-grade nuclear material. 

As President Obama has made clear, it is 

unacceptable for Iran to develop a nuclear 

weapon. The U.N. Security Council has 

passed numerous resolutions demanding that 

Iran comply with the Nuclear Nonproliferation 

Treaty and suspend its nuclear enrichment activities. The IAEA has repeatedly found Iran to 

be in violation of the U.N. resolutions. 

A nuclear-armed Iran would pose a grave 

threat to the State of Israel, a country the 

President of Iran has stated should ‘‘be wiped 

off the map.’’ A nuclear Iran could also trigger 

a nuclear-arms race in the Middle East that 

would further destabilize an already volatile region. It is in the national security interests of 

the United States to prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons. 

By most accounts, the sanctions passed by 

Congress have ratcheted up pressure on the 

Iranian government. But Iran continues to increase its stockpile of enriched uranium. This 

bi-partisan measure is necessary to give the 

President additional tools to penalize the Iranian regime for its continual refusal to heed 

the objections of the international community. 

I encourage my colleagues to join me in 

support of this conference agreement. 

f 

VIETNAM’S CONTINUING ABUSE OF 

HUMAN RIGHTS AND RELIGIOUS 

FREEDOM 

HON. FRANK R. WOLF OF VIRGINIA

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

Thursday, August 2, 2012 

Mr. WOLF. Mr. Speaker, I submit for the 

record several months’ worth of correspondence with the State Department regarding 

Vietnam’s deplorable human rights and religious freedom record. 

The correspondence includes a recent letter 

signed by three other members and myself 

calling for the removal of David Shear, U.S. 

Ambassador to Vietnam, for his failure to advocate for basic human rights and religious 

freedom in Vietnam while conditions are getting worse. 

The U.S. must ensure that human rights 

and religious freedom are at the forefront of 

bilateral relations with Vietnam and the American embassy must be an island of freedom. 

CONGRESS OF THE UNITED STATES, 

Washington, DC, May 15, 2012. 

Hon. DAVID SHEAR, 

U.S. Ambassador to the Socialist Republic of 

Vietnam, U.S. Department of State, C 

Street, NW, Wasington, DC. 

DEAR AMBASSADOR SHEAR: We write today 

to express our concern over the arrest and 

detention of a U.S. citizen, Dr. Nguyen Quoc 

Quan, by Vietnamese authorities on April 17, 

2012. Further, we write to express our concern that you, as U.S. Ambassador to Vietnam, have not yet visited the U.S. citizen 

and democracy activist, who has been imprisoned for nearly one month on politically 

motivated charges. 

During a hearing convened by the Tom 

Lantos Human Rights Commission today, 

Dr. Nguyen’s wife, Mrs. Mai Huong Ngo, provided emotional testimony about her husband’s ongoing detention. It was shocking to 

hear that no one from the U.S. Embassy has 

reached out to Mrs. Ngo regarding the detention of her husband. We urge you to personally contact both Dr. Nguyen and Mrs. Ngo 

to show solidarity with and concern for two 

American citizens. 

In addition, if Mrs. Ngo decides to go to 

Vietnam and attempt to see her husband, we 

request that you ensure her safety by personally meeting her at the airport and escorting 

her to the embassy and the jail where Dr. 

Nguyen is being held so that she does not 

meet the same fate as her husband. 

If the U.S. Embassy does not stand with 

Dr. Nguyen Quoc Quan then what assurances 


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