E1478 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — Extensions of Remarks September 11, 2012 

dedication to others, jovial nature and innate 

leadership capabilities were evident in all facets of his life. Whether serving his Nation for 

26 years as a combat-proven Naval Aviator, 

decorated Fighter Pilot, experienced Test 

Pilot, respected Astronaut and Space Shuttle 

Pilot, esteemed Dean of Students at the U.S. 

Naval Postgraduate School or, for nearly 30 

years, living out his enduring love and respect 

for his wife—Lisa—and his steadfast devotion 

to his beloved sons—Zachary and Samuel— 

‘‘Dex’’ made a profound difference on our 

world that will never fade away. 

Born on November 5, 1961 in Pasadena, 

CA, Alan Poindexter grew up in Rockville, MD 

and Coronado, CA. As a youngster, he served 

in the Cub Scouts and Boy Scouts and fulfilled 

his interest in aviation by playing with model 

aircrafts and watching the Apollo flights. Following his graduation from Coronado High 

School in 1979, Alan attended junior colleges 

in both California and Florida. 

While in Florida in 1981, Alan met Lisa A. 

Pfeiffer of Pensacola, FL. They married on 

December 23, 1983 while Alan was a midshipman in the Georgia Institute of Technology 

Navy ROTC program. Their son, Zach, was 

born on August 9, 1985. Alan earned a Bachelor of Aerospace Engineering degree in 1986, 

graduating with highest honors. 

Following his commissioning in the U.S. 

Navy, and eventual designation as a Naval 

Aviator in 1988, Alan reported to Fighter 

Squadron 124 located at Naval Air Station 

Miramar, CA, for transition to the F–14 Tomcat. Following his initial training, Alan—whose 

call-sign was now ‘‘Dex’’—was assigned to 

Fighter Squadron 211, also at Miramar, and 

made two deployments to the Arabian Gulf 

during Operations Desert Storm and Southern 

Watch. During this time, Alan, his wife, Lisa, 

and their son, Zach, welcomed a second son, 

Samuel, on October 30, 1989. 

While on his second deployment in 1993, 

Dex was selected to attend the Naval Postgraduate School/U.S. Naval Test Pilot School 

Cooperative Program. Following graduation in 

December 1995, he was assigned as a Test 

Pilot and Project Officer at the Naval Strike 

Aircraft Test Squadron (NSATS), Naval Air 

Station Patuxent River, MD. Dex was with 

Fighter Squadron 32, NAS Oceana, VA, when 

he was selected for Astronaut training in June 

1998. As a Naval Aviator, Dex logged over 

4,000 hours in more than 30 aircraft types with 

over 450 carrier landings. 

Alan reported for Astronaut training in August 1998 and initially served in the Astronaut 

Office Shuttle Operations Branch performing 

duties as the lead support astronaut at Kennedy Space Center. He later served as a Capsule Communicator (CAPCOM) for several 

missions and was a veteran of two space 

flights—he served as Pilot on STS–122 

aboard Atlantis from February 7–20, 2008 and 

from April 5–20, 2010 he was the Commander 

of STS–131 aboard Discovery. During his 

NASA career, Alan logged over 669 hours in 

space. After his retirement from NASA in December 2010, Dex returned to the Navy and 

was assigned to the Naval Postgraduate 

School as the Dean of Students until his untimely death. 

Alan’s many decorations include the Defense Meritorious Service Medal, two Legions 

of Merit, NASA Outstanding Leadership 

Award, NASA Aviation Safety Award, Navy 

and Marine Corps Commendation Medal with 

Combat V and various other service awards. 

Always active, Alan’s recreational interests included motorcycling, cycling, photography, 

running, weightlifting, boating, hunting, fishing, 

and spending quality time with family and 

friends. 

But a man is not measured alone by the 

awards he earned or the medals he wore, nor 

even for his personal interests, sense of 

humor and honor, his courage and compassion. It is all of that and more. 

Alan’s wife, Lisa, and his two loving sons, 

Zach and Sam, will always remember Alan for 

his unflinching willingness to be the one who 

‘‘slept on the rock’’ at the campsite, so that 

they could take the more comfortable places. 

He became fondly, and gratefully, known to 

them over the years as the ‘‘guy who slept on 

the rock.’’ Nothing greater could be said, with 

more love, of any man. 

Mr. Speaker, I know that I speak on behalf 

of the entire House, when I offer the Nation’s 

deepest sympathies to Alan’s wife, Lisa, his 

sons Zach and Sam, and to their entire extended family. Captain Alan Poindexter, loving 

husband and father, fighter pilot, astronaut, 

and friend, demonstrated for all of us the 

qualities that characterize the greatness of 

America. 

f 

RECOGNIZING AMTRAK AND ITS 

IMPORTANT ROLE ON SEPTEMBER 11, 2001 

HON. CORRINE BROWN OF FLORIDA

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

Tuesday, September 11, 2012 

Ms. BROWN of Florida. Mr. Speaker, on 

this day of remembrance of the tragic events 

of September 11, 2001, I would like to take 

this opportunity to thank Amtrak and its employees for its efforts in the minutes, days and 

weeks following the attacks. 

On this very day 11 years ago, Amtrak and 

its employees worked around the clock to provide one of the only travel options in many 

parts of this country. Within minutes of the incident, Amtrak jumped into action. It mobilized 

and established a command center; evacuated 

a number of stations for inspections of trains 

and infrastructure; and dispatched police officers and staff throughout Amtrak facilities to 

patrol and conduct ongoing inspections. 

On the Northeast Corridor, Amtrak added 

about 30 percent more seating capacity to fill 

the travel gap. Over 1,600 daily seats were 

added to long-distance trains and another 300 

seats to West Coast trains. 

Amtrak also provided transportation to New 

York City for families and friends of victims, 

firefighters, police, medical teams, military and 

other public officials, and even airline crew 

members. In partnership with the American 

Red Cross, Amtrak transported thousands of 

emergency relief kits to New York City. In fact, 

with the airlines grounded, the U.S. Postal 

Service turned to Amtrak to carry mail. 

Mr. Speaker, on the anniversary of September 11, it is important we reflect on the important role of Amtrak and its employees and 

it is essential that we maintain our vigilance of 

the security of all modes of transportation. 

LAMENTING THE FACT THAT H.R. 

2362 DID NOT PASS 

HON. JAMES P. MORAN OF VIRGINIA

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

Tuesday, September 11, 2012 

Mr. MORAN. Mr. Speaker, I wanted to submit an article printed in the July 27th issue of 

The Hill that came to my attention. Entitled 

‘‘Native American tribal leaders: Indian Country shouldn’t be hostage to far-off conflicts’’ 

and written by Native American tribal leaders 

Eric Bruguier and Lloyd Irvine, the authors lament the fact that the Indian Tribal Trade and 

Investment Demonstration Project Act (H.R. 

2362) failed to secure the necessary votes to 

pass under a suspension of the rules. 

As a cosponsor of this measure, I am also 

disappointed this measure failed to pass. With 

the unemployment rate on American Indian 

reservations averaging between 40 percent 

and 50 percent, with poverty that transcends 

generations and incomes and educational attainment all well below the national average, 

this bill would have enabled foreign investors 

to partner with Native Americans on reservations to create new businesses and generate 

income where little to none exists today. 

NATIVE AMERICAN TRIBAL LEADERS: INDIAN

COUNTRY SHOULDN’T BE HOSTAGE TO FAROFF CONFLICTS

(By Eric Bruguier and Lloyd Irvine) 

Being able to conduct business easily 

internationally is the lifeblood of the American economy. Trade provides new markets 

for American products and know-how, providing choices to foreign consumers and 

growth and prosperity at home. Yet apparently Congress does not feel that Native 

Americans deserve to participate. 

This week, the House voted on H.R. 2362, a 

simple yet important piece of legislation 

that would have allowed Native Americans 

to do business with foreign companies from 

any of the 155 countries that are members of 

the World Trade Organization. 

Despite earning the support of 58 percent 

of House members—and the backing of the 

National American Indian Housing Council, 

the National Congress of American Indians, 

and the National Center for American Indian 

Enterprise Development—the bill failed to 

meet the two-thirds majority needed to pass 

under the expedited process known as suspension. It failed not because of any substantive arguments against the bill’s merits 

but because of pressure from two ethnic lobbies with a history of grievances against 

Turkey. And once again, Native Americans 

are left to suffer. 

Current regulations and red tape prevent 

Native Americans from taking control of 

their own economic development. If a business wants to lease property to open a store 

or a factory, that business must first go 

through a multilayer, multiyear review process required by the Bureau of Indian Affairs, 

a process that can take up to six years—six 

years to complete paperwork that takes a 

week to complete in the rest of the country. 

Business cannot operate under these conditions. This bill would have changed that. 

Rep. Tom Cole (R–Okla.), the only Native 

American member of Congress, introduced 

this legislation with the sole intention of 

creating economic sovereignty for Native 

Americans. He has firsthand experience of 

the challenges faced by tribes. Native Americans suffer from the highest poverty and unemployment rates in the country. Compared 

with the rest of the United States, they are 


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September 11, 2012 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — Extensions of Remarks E1479 

more likely to suffer from drug and alcohol 

addiction and have less access to quality 

healthcare. 

It was a shock to see a positive and seemingly noncontroversial bill fall short. After 

all, the bill would provide a clear avenue for 

foreign investment in Indian Country, 

streamline archaic and incredibly inefficient 

regulations that add years of delays to potential business deals, and for the first time 

allow tribes to enter into business deals as 

sovereign entities, much like every state in 

the country can already do. It would do all of 

these things at no additional cost to the federal government. 

H.R. 2362 was also designed to complement 

H.R. 205, the HEARTH Act, which easily 

passed the House and Senate and will soon be 

signed into law. The bills are complementary 

but different. H.R. 205 was specifically designed to address housing needs on tribal 

lands but makes no mention of investment 

from foreign companies. H.R. 2362 invites 

companies from all 155 WTO countries to invest in Indian Country. It establishes a demonstration project that will help us learn 

best practices for future business deals. Once 

we work the kinks out, we would open it up 

to all tribes. 

So why the opposition? One word: Turkey. 

Turkey and Turkish Americans helped bring 

this bill to fruition through years of business 

exchanges and negotiations on how to best 

facilitate trade and investment with Indian 

Country. Turkey was the first and only country to send an official delegation to the Reservation Economic Summit, the premiere 

tribal business conference. Turkey is the 

only WTO country that has demonstrated an 

active economic interest in tribal lands. Turkey was mentioned in the text of H.R. 2362 in 

recognition of these efforts. 

But the word ‘‘Turkey’’ in a tribal economic development bill turned into a call to 

action for special interests. Rather than focusing on the bill’s many economic benefits 

for tribes and all WTO countries, these communities focused on the word ‘‘Turkey’’. In 

the process, they hijacked a bill that has 

nothing to do with their centuries-old grievances and put an end to promising new economic opportunities for some of the most 

impoverished people living within America. 

Native Americans have too few—not too 

many—tools for economic development. We 

need to give them as many options as we 

can. Tribes should have the power to choose 

which tools they wish to use to grow their 

economies. 

H.R. 2362 is a good bill that would have 

spurred economic development on tribal 

lands. Instead, it was killed by special interests that chose this opportunity to advance 

their own agenda. An agenda that has nothing to do with tribal sovereignty. 

(Eric Bruguier is the chairman of economic 

development for the Fort Peck Tribes. Lloyd 

Irvine is a councilman for the Confederated 

Salish and Kootenai Tribes.) 

f 

AMERICA’S CAMP PENTAGON 

EXHIBIT 

HON. CHELLIE PINGREE OF MAINE

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

Tuesday, September 11, 2012 

Ms. PINGREE of Maine. Mr. Speaker, I rise 

today to call my colleagues’ attention to an art 

exhibit on display at the Pentagon. 

Over the course of ten years, for one week 

each summer, a camp in the Berkshires of 

Massachusetts became ‘‘America’s Camp.’’ 

This camp welcomed children whose parents 

or relatives were killed in the September 11, 

2001, terrorist attacks on the World Trade 

Center, the Pentagon, and on American Airlines Flight 93. America’s Camp was a place 

for these children to experience a traditional 

recreational summer camp—swimming, canoeing, and singing camp songs. But more importantly, it provided a peer-supported environment where these children could memorialize their lost loved-ones among other children who experienced similar losses. It was a 

place where the kids could be kids, without 

the label of being a ‘‘9/11 kid,’’ as was the 

case in so many other aspects of their lives. 

I am extremely proud of an organization in 

my district—The Center for Grieving Children—for the contribution they made to this 

special camp. The Center, based in Portland, 

Maine, has provided loving support to children 

and families during times of loss through peer 

support, outreach, and education. It has done 

so for 25 years and has provided its services 

free of charge for as long as families have 

needed them. The Center for Grieving Children has played a role in America’s Camp 

since its founding. Each year, the Center sent 

staff and volunteers to camp where they provided ‘‘Buddy Central,’’ a drop-in center where 

grief facilitators offered support to campers. 

An annual art project offered children the 

opportunity to express their grief as well as 

their hope at camp. There was a quilt project, 

a tapestry of loss and love, anger and joy; a 

‘‘Sky Project,’’ with stars from each child with 

their own tributes to loved ones; and the 

amazing ‘‘Feathers of the Phoenix,’’ with 

feathers made by the children with images of 

a person they wished to honor. A collection of 

these and other art projects has been on display for the past year or so at the Pentagon. 

I encourage my colleagues to view this exhibit if given an opportunity to do so. The 

strength and hope shared by these children 

hold great power for moving us toward a more 

peaceful world. 

f 

FLORIDA PATRIOT GUARD RIDERS—STANDING FOR THOSE WHO 

STOOD FOR US 

HON. C.W. BILL YOUNG OF FLORIDA

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

Tuesday, September 11, 2012 

Mr. YOUNG of Florida. Mr. Speaker, on this, 

the somber anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks on our nation, I rise to say thank you to 

the more than 7,000 members of the Florida 

Patriot Guard Riders who have provided invaluable support to the families of the fallen 

and injured servicemembers in the ongoing 

war against terrorism. 

With the motto of ‘‘Standing for Those Who 

Stood for Us’’, the Patriot Guard Riders provide motorcycle escorts for our fallen as they 

take them to their final resting places. They 

provide escorts for our injured servicemembers as they return home. And they provide 

color guard support for hundreds of ceremonies throughout our state of Florida and our 

Nation as we honor those who wear and who 

have worn the uniform throughout our history. 

In the past month alone, hundreds of Patriot 

Guard Riders joined as we escorted Staff Sergeant Matthew Sitton of Largo, Florida, home 

to his final resting place. Staff Sergeant Sitton 

paid the ultimate price for freedom when he 

was killed by an IED blast in Afghanistan. 

Thousands and thousands of Matthew’s 

friends and neighbors, and thousands more 

who had never met Matthew or his family, 

lined the streets of Tampa and Pinellas County to say thank you to him and his family as 

hundreds of Patriot Guard Riders provided a 

mile long escort to honor this American hero 

and his equally heroic family. 

The Patriot Guard Riders were with us when 

we opened a Clearwater, Florida exhibit to remind us to never forget the lessons of the Holocaust. They lined the exhibit area with American flags as a tribute to those who served our 

nation during World War II, ‘‘The Greatest 

Generation’’ who restored freedom to Europe 

and freed the Nazi concentration camps. 

The Patriot Guard Riders were also with us 

last week when we opened the new USO 

Lounge at the Tampa International Airport, to 

provide a place to support the thousands of 

troops who pass through Tampa annually, and 

to support their families when they come to 

await their return from their deployment and 

from their hospitalizations. Again, the Patriot 

Guard Riders lined the halls to show their 

thanks and their respect for our veterans of all 

generations as we dedicated this new facility. 

Mr. Speaker, the Florida Patriot Guard Riders are led by State Captain Mike Donohoe, 

and Assistant State Captains Thomas ‘‘TMan’’ Brown, Al Kaufman, Dave ‘‘Buzzard’’ 

Clark, Terry Hanifin, and Doug Horton. If 

space permitted, I would list the names of all 

7,000 of the Florida riders who served our nation in uniform and who continue to serve their 

brothers and sisters in uniform. 

The mission of the Patriot Guard Riders 

throughout our nation is to, ‘‘show our sincere 

respect for our fallen heroes, their families, 

and their communities.’’ It is also to, ‘‘shield 

the mourning family and their friends from 

interruptions created by any protestor or group 

of protestors.’’ Both of these missions are critical to our troops and their families. Throughout our nation’s war against terrorism, my wife 

Beverly and I have been asked by the injured 

Soldiers, Sailors, Marines, Airmen, and Coast 

Guardsmen at our military and veterans hospitals if the American people continue to support their mission. The Patriot Guard Riders 

make sure that when these American heroes 

return home, they know they are loved and 

appreciated by the people of their hometowns. 

Mr. Speaker, it is my hope that my colleagues will stop and say a word of thanks 

every time they see a Patriot Guard Rider 

back home in their communities. These men 

and women do not serve and ride for their 

own personal recognition. They ride and they 

stand in formation as a group to say thank you 

from a grateful nation and to do as their motto 

states, to ‘‘Stand for Those Who Stood for 

Us.’’ 

f 

THE 11TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE 

SEPTEMBER 11, 2001 ATTACKS ON 

THE UNITED STATES 

HON. JERRY F. COSTELLO OF ILLINOIS

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

Tuesday, September 11, 2012 

Mr. COSTELLO. Mr. Speaker, today we 

mark the llth Anniversary of the September 11 


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