E1602 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — Extensions of Remarks September 21, 2012 

happy to offer my support for the First Annual 

America’s Family Day. 

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HONORING STATE 

REPRESENTATIVE PAUL ROAN 

HON. DAN BOREN OF OKLAHOMA

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

Thursday, September 20, 2012 

Mr. BOREN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to 

recognize a man of determination, service, 

and integrity—State Representative Paul Roan 

of Tishomingo, Oklahoma. 

Roan, a member of the Oklahoma House of 

Representatives, has served his district and 

state with distinction during the years of 2000 

to 2012. 

Paul’s legislative work has been devoted to 

helping Oklahoma’s brave veterans and emergency responders, protecting the state’s natural resources and improving education for 

young people. 

His personal career has been built on a 

foundation of public service. Roan proudly 

served our country as a member of the United 

States Air Force, he then spent time as an educator, a police officer and was elected Deputy Sheriff of Pontotoc County, followed by 

over 20 years of service as an Oklahoma 

Highway Patrol State Trooper. 

Representative Roan has been a civic leader in the Oklahoma community for several 

years, serving as 1st Vice-President of the 

Oklahoma State Troopers Association, President of Tishomingo Lions Club, Master of 

Tishomingo Masonic Lodge #91, and a member of Johnston County Chamber of Commerce and American Legion Post 164. 

It is with great pleasure that I take this opportunity to acknowledge not only his successes in the Oklahoma legislature, but also 

as a devoted father and family man. 

Paul Roan is the husband of Betty Roan 

and father of Chris, Brad, and Angela Roan. 

The 20th House District of Oklahoma is a better place because of the service of Paul Roan. 

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IN HONOR OF SEA OTTER 

AWARENESS WEEK 

HON. SAM FARR OF CALIFORNIA

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

Thursday, September 20, 2012 

Mr. FARR. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to call 

attention to the 10th Annual Sea Otter Awareness Week, September 23–29, 2012 sponsored by Friends of the Sea Otter located in 

my congressional district. This week-long 

event highlights one of the most iconic species 

in California and the integral role they play in 

the near-shore marine ecosystem and draws 

public attention to sea otters and the conservation issues they face. 

We all know that sea otter recovery has 

been met with challenges and sea otter populations remain threatened. Each day, research 

is uncovering additional causes of sea otter 

population declines. As a keystone species, 

sea otters hold the entire kelp forest ecosystem together, and as a bellwether species, 

they are an important indicator of the health of 

the marine environment. The decline of southern sea otters off of the California coast not 

only impacts the species itself, but also affects 

other marine populations and the surrounding 

ecosystems. The demise of sea otters allows 

their prey, sea urchins, to proliferate unchecked—leading to the alarming overgrazing 

of kelp beds, which function as critical nursery 

grounds for many marine animals, and also 

help to sequester CO2. Recent research has 

shown that spreading kelp can absorb as 

much as 12 times the CO2 from the atmosphere than would an urchin dominated system. 

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service should 

be commended for their efforts in the recovery 

of the southern sea otter. Termination of the 

translocation program, allowing sea otters expansion into southern Californian waters, is a 

critical step along that path to recovery. I am 

concerned that language in the House version 

of the FY13 NDAA contains language that 

would impede the termination of this failed 

program and those flawed sections of the bill 

must be removed. 

Mr. Speaker, I applaud the many accomplishments of Friends of the Sea Otter and 

other non-profit environmental organizations 

that work on southern sea otter recovery in 

the Monterey Bay region. The Monterey Bay 

Aquarium, researchers, fishermen, state and 

federal agencies, schools, and many other institutions and individuals devote tremendous 

time and resources to protect and recover the 

southern California sea otter. Sea Otter 

Awareness Week is just one of their many activities geared towards honoring and saving 

this species, and I am proud to be associated 

with this vital work. 

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IN RECOGNITION OF TAIWAN’S 

NATIONAL DAY 

HON. EDOLPHUS TOWNS OF NEW YORK

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

Thursday, September 20, 2012 

Mr. TOWNS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to 

congratulate the people of the Republic of 

China (Taiwan) on its upcoming National Day. 

During the last four and a half years, the 

Republic of China’s President Ma has further 

strengthened the ties between Taiwan and the 

United States. One way Taiwan has accomplished this has been by reducing its trade 

surplus with the U.S. year after year. Additionally, Taiwan recently lifted its ban on U.S. beef 

imports. Taiwan’s lifting will help our beef industry economically and Taiwan’s example will 

encourage other countries to lift their bans 

against U.S. beef and beef products. 

Taiwan is also known for being a champion 

of peace. In addition to reducing tensions 

across the Taiwan Strait, Taiwan has continued to assert itself as a proponent of peaceful 

solutions. For instance, in the most recent dispute over the Diaoyutai/Senkaku islands, Taiwan has urged all parties to exercise patience 

and to put aside their differences, instead of 

resorting to military threats. 

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to join 

me today in congratulating Taiwan on its 101st 

National Day. I am confident that the friendship and close relationship that has been cultivated by the United States and Taiwan will 

continue for many years to come. 

HONORING SENIOR MASTER 

SERGEANT EMILIO HERNANDEZ 

HON. MARIO DIAZ-BALART OF FLORIDA

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

Thursday, September 20, 2012 

Mr. DIAZ-BALART. Mr. Speaker, I proudly 

rise today to honor Senior Master Sergeant 

Emilio Hernandez, an exceptional individual 

who has most recently been awarded the 

2012 Outstanding Airman of the Year award 

by the United States Air Force. This prestigious award is given to only 12 members of 

the Air Force each year for their superior leadership, job performance, community involvement, and personal achievements. 

SMSgt Hernandez was born in Havana, 

Cuba but grew up in Miami, FL. He graduated 

from Hialeah High School in 1990 and began 

his military career in 1992, serving at both 

Sheppard AFB in Texas and K.I. Sawyer Air 

Force Base in Michigan. He was deployed to 

Incirlik Air Base in Turkey later that year in 

support of Operation PROVIDE COMFORT 

where he garnered two achievement medals, 

and was selected as a holiday phone call recipient from then President Bill Clinton. His 

decorated service history includes deployments to Kuwait in support of Operation 

SOUTHERN WATCH, and Baghdad in support 

of both Operations IRAQI FREEDOM and ENDURING FREEDOM. 

In 2008, SMSgt Hernandez was assigned to 

his current position in the 100th Civil Engineer 

Squadron as Superintendent Operations Flight 

at RAF Mildenhall in the United Kingdom. In 

2009 he deployed to Ali Base Iraq, where he 

served as Electrical Superintendent of the 

407th Expeditionary Civil Engineer Squadron 

and received the Meritorious Service Medal. 

Later, he was selected as the 100th Civil Engineer Squadron’s 2009 Senior Noncommissioned Officer of the year. In 2011 SMSgt Hernandez was awarded the Bronze Star Medal 

for his service at Kandahar Airfield as the Operations Flight Chief of the 777th Expeditionary Prime BEEF Squadron. 

In his current position, SMSgt Hernandez 

has led 52 people in 53 civil engineering 

projects at 163 forward operating bases in 

support of 85,000 warfighters. He orchestrated 

$80,000 in repairs to nine Marine Corps aircraft hangers to safeguard $300 million in assets in support of a vital ISR platform. He 

oversaw a project to upgrade an electrical grid 

on a dam which preserved water and power 

flow to 450,000 Afghans, and managed the 

construction of two tactical operations centers 

worth $500,000, securing Afghanistan’s key 

district of Panjwai. 

Mr. Speaker, I am honored to pay tribute to 

Senior Master Sergeant Emilio Hernandez for 

his continued service to our nation, and I ask 

my colleagues to join me in recognizing this 

remarkable individual. 

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RECOGNITION OF TAIWAN’S 

NATIONAL DAY 

HON. TIM RYAN OF OHIO

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

Thursday, September 20, 2012 

Mr. RYAN of Ohio. Mr. Speaker, in celebration of Taiwan’s National Day on October 


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