E1628 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — Extensions of Remarks September 21, 2012 

His service culminated with his position as the 

Director of House Affairs and Acting Deputy 

Assistant Secretary of Defense for House Affairs, Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Legislative Affairs (OASD–LA). 

His character, capabilities, and good humor 

enabled him to interact effectively with Members of Congress and their staffs and other 

Executive agencies under the most strenuous 

circumstances. Commander Gilliland’s work ultimately led to successful legislative outcomes 

on a wide-range of issues critical to our National Defense to include the military drawdown in Iraq, the Afghanistan surge, the establishment of Cyber Command, and support 

for NATO missions in Libya. 

Commander Gilliland represents the epitome of what our military seeks in a congressional liaison and officer in uniform our country 

expects, and I am proud and honored to have 

known him. His dedication to service, commitment to excellence, and performance of duty 

have been extraordinary throughout his career. I am proud to share in the celebration of 

Commander Gilliland’s career, and I join his 

colleagues in honoring his distinguished military service. 

Commander Gilliland was supported, encouraged, and nurtured by a strong and loving 

family. I would also like to recognize his wife, 

Amy, and their son Patrick. As he goes on to 

pursue new endeavors and challenges, I wish 

Commander John Gilliland and his family well 

and ask God to bless them. 

f 

THE ETHNIC BALOCH PEOPLE 

HON. DANA ROHRABACHER OF CALIFORNIA

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

Friday, September 21, 2012 

Mr. ROHRABACHER. Mr. Speaker, the Ethnic Baloch people live in an area of South 

Asia now claimed by Pakistan, Iran, and Afghanistan. In Pakistan in particular, they comprise an important segment of the population 

and live in the least developed province, despite an abundance of natural resources. Until 

the arrival of the British Empire, the Baloch 

people organized themselves in a confederation with local tribal chiefs holding power. 

When India and Pakistan were partitioned the 

Baloch people desired to return to their own 

sovereign state, but were prevented by the 

Pakistani military led government. Baloch aspirations for independence have been checked 

by force and their basic human rights have 

been denied by the Pakistani state. The Pakistan government and military is dominated by 

members of the Punjab ethnic group. 

The first major Baloch uprising occurred in 

1973 and was crushed two years later. The 

Baloch again resisted their Pakistani Punjabi 

occupiers by force beginning in 2005. A lowlevel insurgency continues to this day. Pakistan’s elite refuses to release their grip on the 

strategic coastline or the natural riches of 

Balochistan which they and their ally, Communist Chinese exploit. 

The Pakistani security services, which are 

overwhelmingly made up of Punjabis, use violence against civilians to intimidate the Baloch 

population. One particular grotesque method 

of intimidation is called ‘‘kill and dump.’’ That 

is when the body of a man or woman who has 

disappeared is later dumped in a busy section 

of a town for all the people to see. Many of 

the bodies show extreme signs of torture and 

are badly mutilated. 

I submit for the RECORD a document titled, 

‘‘Some of the Souls in Traumata’’ which reputedly documents 2,251 Baluchis who have 

been ‘‘disappeared’’ by the Pakistani security 

services or who died while in custody. 

This abysmal human rights record of the 

Pakistani government is shameful. It is even 

worse because American foreign and military 

aid money contributes to strengthening the security forces which kill innocent Baluchis. The 

Baluch people have a right to self-determination and not to live under the control of 

Islamabad, if they choose. 

Mr. Speaker, a copy of this report can be 

viewed at: http://gwank.org/Some%20of%20 

the%20souls%20in%20traumata.pdf. 

f 

IN HONOR OF THE CITY OF 

INDEPENDENCE 

HON. DENNIS J. KUCINICH OF OHIO

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

Friday, September 21, 2012 

Mr. KUCINICH. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in 

honor of the City of Independence, Ohio, an 

exemplary community within Northeast Ohio. 

Independence was first organized as a 

township in 1814. Its first resident, Ichabod 

Lord Skinner, settled in the area in 1818. Not 

until 1827, with the opening on the Ohio and 

Erie Canal, did the township become accessible to trade and more settlers. Independence 

grew quickly in the subsequent century, reaching the status of village in 1914. It became the 

City of Independence in 1960. 

Known as the ‘‘Heart of Cuyahoga County,’’ 

Independence is one of Northeast Ohio’s most 

desirable cities for families to work and raise 

their families. It is also home to the Cleveland 

Cavalier’s training facility. 

Today, the City of Independence is home to 

approximately 7,000 residents who are led by 

Mayor Gregory Kurtz. There are seven members on the City Council: Anthony Togliatti, 

Patricia Wisnieski, Jim Crooks, Jim Riley, Carl 

Asseff, Tom Naduzzi and Peter Nelson. 

Mr. Speaker and colleagues, please join me 

in honoring the City of Independence and all 

of its residents. 

f 

HONORING JOSEPH WILLIAM 

‘‘COACH JOE’’ AVEZZANO 

HON. KEVIN BRADY OF TEXAS

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

Friday, September 21, 2012 

Mr. BRADY of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I rise 

today to honor Coach Joe Avezzano. 

As we kick off the 2012 football season, 

there are heavy hearts in Texas and throughout the country because of the passing of 

former Dallas Cowboys’ special teams Coach 

Joe Avezzano. 

For four decades, Coach Joe gave all his 

time and dedication to the sport we all love 

and today we take a minute to honor him. 

Coach Avezzano was on the sidelines for 

three of the Dallas Cowboys Super Bowl wins 

(1993, 1994 and 1996). He was named the 

National Football League’s special-teams 

coach of year in 1991, 1993 and 1998. 

It’s not just his colleagues and players who 

are mourning his loss, but the fans who loved 

how animated he was on the sidelines and 

how his indomitable spirit inspired his ‘‘specialteams demons’’ to play the game of football 

and the game of life at a whole new level. 

Coach Joe was a young 68 when he collapsed on a treadmill while in Milan coaching 

the Milano Seamen of the Italian Football 

League. 

His work in Milan, as an Ambassador to the 

world for American football, was just the latest 

stop on Coach Joe’s football world tour which 

started when he played offensive lineman for 

the Boston Patriots. 

In the 1980’s, Coach Avezzano served as 

the head coach at Oregon State University. 

And who could have predicted then that in a 

short four year span he would go on to be instrumental in three Super Bowl victories. 

After leaving Dallas, Coach Joe led the 

Oakland Raiders special teams and coached 

in the Arena Football League. 

While football was his life, music was his 

passion and even former Dallas Cowboys 

coach Barry Switzer said ‘‘Joe would rather 

have been a country western music star or onstage performer than a football coach if he 

had a choice.’’ 

Mr. Speaker, Joseph William Avezzano is 

survived by his wife, Diann, son Tony, many 

friends and family members, his crews at 

Coach Joe’s Bar and Grill in Frisco and Coach 

Joe’s Hat Trick in Lewisville and millions of 

football fans who will always miss how his personality and spirit filled the sidelines of any 

game he ever coached. 

f 

U.S. POW DELEGATION TO JAPAN, 

OCTOBER 12–21, 2012 

HON. MICHAEL M. HONDA OF CALIFORNIA

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

Friday, September 21, 2012 

Mr. HONDA. Mr. Speaker, I rise today on 

National POW/MIA Recognition Day to honor 

prisoners of war from America’s greatest generation and thank the Government of Japan 

for recognizing the sacrifices these men have 

made for peace. On October 12, seven former 

members of the U.S. Army, Army Air Corps, 

Air Force, Marines, and Navy who fought in 

the Pacific Theater of World War II will travel 

to Tokyo as guests of the Japanese government. This will be the third U.S. POW delegation to Japan. 

These brave veterans all suffered as prisoners of war of Imperial Japan. The conditions 

in which they were held are unimaginable. For 

most, their first trip to Japan was on aging 

freighters called ‘‘Hellships,’’ where the men 

were loaded into suffocating holds with little 

space, water, food, or sanitation. At the POW 

camps in the Philippines, Japan and China, 

they suffered unmerciful abuse aggravated by 

the lack of food, medicine, clothing, and shelter. Each POW also became a slave laborer at 

the mines, factories, and docks of some of Japan’s largest companies, including Mitsubishi, 

Nippon Express, Ube Industries, Rinko Corporation, and Fushiki Kairiku Unso. 

In September 2010, the Japanese government delivered to the first American POW delegation an official apology for the damage and 


tjames on DSK6SPTVN1PROD with REMARKS