October 3, 2008 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — Extensions of Remarks E2233 

House lifted the moratorium on off-shore oil 

exploration and oil shale production. If the 

moratorium is lifted in the Senate as well, 

America will be one step closer to energy relief. 

Lastly, the House passed legislation last 

week to uphold the landmark Supreme Court’s 

decision in DC v. Heller. DC v. Heller upheld 

the 2nd Amendment rights of residents of 

Washington, DC that had been trampled on 

for over 30 years. I would have proudly supported the Childers amendment to H.R. 6691 

and supported the amended bill on final passage. As a matter of fact I am a co-sponsor 

of legislation very similar to the Childers 

Amendment, H.R. 1399, the District of Columbia Personal Protection Act. I am glad to see 

that the House has taken a bi-partisan step to 

protect the Constitutional right to keep and 

bear arms. 

I look forward to working with my colleagues 

on both sides of the aisle to continue providing 

relief to those suffering from Hurricane Ike and 

I appreciate the speed with which this Congress has acted to help provide that relief thus 

far. However, just as we learned after Hurricane Rita, this process will be on going and it 

will take the continued effort of Congress, 

Texas, local communities and individual citizens to complete the recovery effort. I ask that 

all Americans continue to offer their thoughts 

and prayers to those along the gulf coast. 

f 

100TH ANNIVERSARY OF WAYLAND 

BAPTIST UNIVERSITY 

HON. RANDY NEUGEBAUER OF TEXAS

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

Friday, October 3, 2008 

Mr. NEUGEBAUER. Madam Speaker, I rise 

today in recognition of a fine educational institution in the 19th Congressional District of 

Texas. This year, Wayland Baptist University, 

located in Plainview, Texas celebrates its l00th 

anniversary of excellence in education. 

Wayland Baptist University is a 4-year university with a total of 14 campuses and a student body of more than 6,000. Founded in 

Plainview in 1908 by Dr. James Wayland, the 

University has become one of the largest 

Southern Baptist institutions of higher education in the country. 

Throughout its 100 years, Wayland Baptist 

University has seen much progress and 

growth. While maintaining its commitment to 

providing a quality Christian education, 

Wayland has been at the forefront of change. 

It was among the first universities in the country to admit women and minority students, 

offer distance learning programs, and to create programs directed toward military students. 

Wayland places a strong emphasis on student success and provides an excellent learning environment. The school offers a wide variety of disciplines, from fine arts to engineering, as well as a wide variety of extracurricular 

activities. Athletics at Wayland provide a constant source of pride for the community, producing more than 800 All-Americans and 100 

individual national championships in the last 

century. 

Dynamic vision and devotion to students are 

the true marks of an exceptional educational 

institution. On this occasion of its 100th anniversary, I congratulate Wayland Baptist University and look forward to watching this institution thrive in the years to come. 

f 

TRIBUTE TO ST. JOHN’S HEALTH 

SYSTEM 

HON. ROY BLUNT OF MISSOURI

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

Friday, October 3, 2008 

Mr. BLUNT. Madam Speaker, today I rise to 

congratulate St. John’s Health System in 

Springfield, MO, for their work to improve the 

quality of health care services provided to our 

seniors. St. John’s Health System was recently recognized by the Centers for Medicare 

and Medicaid Services for their outstanding 

commitment to improving Medicare patient 

outcomes as participants in a new chronic disease management demonstration program. 

Nearly 70 percent of all deaths in America 

are attributable to chronic diseases. Chronic 

diseases like heart disease, cancer, and diabetes are some of the most common diseases 

but they are also the most preventable diseases. Working to prevent these diseases 

from being acquired in the first place should 

be our top priority. Managing these diseases 

so that adverse outcomes are minimized 

should be next on the list. 

Unfortunately, most of the health insurance 

programs that the Federal Government operates do not place the same prioritization in its 

payment policies. We don’t encourage individuals to seek preventative care and we barely 

reward individuals who change their lifestyles 

when diagnosed. We pay in the end with the 

final bill, but the Federal Government doesn’t 

pay for the course of treatment that will deliver 

better health outcomes and a longer, more 

productive life. Ultimately all Americans pay 

the price for the high costs of chronic diseases. 

Over the past 2 years St. John’s Health 

System has participated in a national demonstration program. The results of this project 

will help to identify new, innovative models to 

deliver higher quality health care. St. John’s 

was one of only five physician groups that 

achieved benchmark quality performance for 

all measures used during the evaluation. I am 

pleased that St. John’s is being recognized 

nationally for their excellent care for the citizens of southwest Missouri. I hope that, following St. John’s leadership, the final results 

of the demonstration program will bring meaningful changes in delivery of health care services for all of our seniors. 

f 

IN RECOGNITION OF THE VETERANS OF OSS GREEK OPERATIONS GROUP II ON THE OCCASION OF THEIR RECEIVING THE 

BRONZE STAR MEDAL FOR 

VALOR 

HON. CAROLYN B. MALONEY OF NEW YORK

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

Friday, October 3, 2008 

Mrs. MALONEY of New York. Madam 

Speaker, I rise to pay tribute to the brave men 

of the Office of Strategic Services’ Greek Operations Group II who fought to liberate occupied Greece during World War II. This month, 

these heroes are being awarded the Bronze 

Star Medal for Valor for their service in defense of freedom. 

In February 1943 at the height of World War 

II, the Greek government in exile sought help 

from the United States for Andartes, the Greek 

Resistance against Nazi occupation. In response, the Office of Strategic Services (OSS, 

the forerunner of the CIA) formed top-secret 

Greek Operations Groups (OGs) from the 

122nd Infantry Battalion. After undergoing rigorous training, almost 200 largely Greek-born 

or Hellenic-American soldiers launched their 

secret mission, undeterred by warnings that 

most would not likely survive the perilous fighting behind enemy lines. Chosen for their fluency or near-fluency in Greek, their physical 

fitness and ability to endure arduous service in 

rugged mountain terrain, and their intense motivation to oust the Nazi occupiers from the 

land of their ancestors, these teams were inserted behind enemy lines. From April to September 1944, the men of OG II fought alongside the Greek Resistance, delaying and 

harassing the Nazi withdrawal, eliminating 

enemy troops, and destroying their equipment 

in order to weaken the final defense of Germany against the Allies. 

Operations Group II, led by Lt. John 

Giannaris, operating chiefly out of the tiny remote village of Pappas, conducted military operations primarily against the railroad in the 

mountains between Lamia and Domokos. During a four-month period the team participated 

in 14 missions during which they destroyed 

three locomotives and 31 railway cars, blew 

up 7,400 yards of rail line, and inflicted 675 

casualties on the enemy. On September 8th, 

1944, as the group approached a heavily patrolled area, it came under point-blank enemy 

machine gun fire. 

OG II member Michalis Tsirmulas was hit. 

Under a withering assault, Lt. Giannaris ordered a withdrawal while himself crawling to 

aid Tsirmulas, only to learn he had been 

killed. After being severely wounded, Lt. 

Giannaris narrowly escaped capture, passing 

within earshot of German soldiers hunting him 

down. He was found by two local 

shepherdesses, who cared for him and contacted his men. In a daring daylight escape, 

Lt. Giannaris was spirited to safety in a British 

aircraft. 

The story of the Greek-American OGs was 

highly classified for more than 40 years. The 

full account of these soldiers and their accomplishments was unknown even to the surviving 

participants. After fighting in Greece ended, 

most of them went on to other assignments in 

Europe and Asia. They returned home never 

knowing the enormous impact their mission 

had on events in Greece. Most never spoke of 

their experience with the O.S.S for many 

years, even to their families. Many years later, 

Giannaris, since promoted to Captain, recommended his men for an award. The Defense Department agreed and authorized the 

Bronze Star Medal for valor. 

Recently, a search began for survivors and 

descendants of the deceased of OSS Greek 

OG II, undertaken by Dr. Robert Perdue, OG 

II historian and a retired agricultural research 

scientist. This month at a ceremony in Astoria, 

New York, the 22 enlisted men of OG II will 

be honored at a ceremony. One surviving enlisted member of OG II will attend as will families of six deceased members of the Group, 


smartinez on PROD1PC64 with REMARKS