January 7, 2009 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — Extensions of Remarks E35 

RECOGNIZING NANCY PASQUALINO 

OF SPRING HILL, FLORIDA 

HON. GINNY BROWN-WAITE OF FLORIDA

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

Wednesday, January 7, 2009 

Ms. GINNY BROWN-WAITE of Florida. 

Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor Nancy 

Pasqualino of Hernando County, Florida. 

Nancy has done something that all of us strive 

to do, but that very few of us will ever accomplish, celebrate her 101st birthday. 

Nancy was born May 12, 1907 in Brooklyn, 

New York. Coming from a loving family, Nancy 

grew up and attended school in Brooklyn. She 

did not get married or have any children, but 

she did have a long career as a bookkeeper 

and office manager at Gucci Shops on 5th Avenue in New York City. While she has not met 

any famous people in her life, Nancy said she 

and her sister Connie are second cousins to 

Mother Theresa. 

Living in Hernando County with Connie, 

Nancy says that the beautiful weather is what 

drew her to this area of Florida. Still active in 

the community, she is still driving her car and 

has recently renewed her driver’s license. She 

enjoys the company of her sister and likes to 

read literature. Nancy’s advice to young people today is that they should always listen to 

their parents. 

Madam Speaker, I ask that you join me in 

honoring Nancy Pasqualino for reaching her 

101st birthday. I hope we all have the good 

fortune to live as long as her. 

f 

BIPARTISAN CONGRESSIONAL DELEGATION TO NATO PARLIAMENTARY ASSEMBLY MEETINGS 

HON. JOHN S. TANNER OF TENNESSEE

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

Wednesday, January 7, 2009 

Mr. TANNER. Madam Speaker, during the 

period November 10–November 18, I led a bipartisan House delegation to NATO Parliamentary Assembly, NPA, meetings in Valencia, Spain and to additional meetings in Rome 

and Florence, Italy. The co-chair of the NPA 

delegation was the Hon. JOHN SHIMKUS. The 

delegation also included, Representatives JO

ANN EMERSON, DENNIS MOORE, JOHN

BOOZMAN, BARON HILL, KENDRICK MEEK, 

CHARLES MELANCON, CAROLYN MCCARTHY, 

MELISSA BEAN, JEFF MILLER, MIKE ROSS, DAVID

SCOTT and staff. The NPA delegation had a 

highly successful trip in which a wide range of 

political, economic and security issues on 

NATO’s agenda, as well as issues involving 

the U.S.—Italy bi-lateral relationship, were examined. 

The NATO Parliamentary Assembly, NPA, 

consists of parliamentarians from all 26 NATO 

member states. The NPA provides a unique 

forum for elected officials to analyze and debate issues that the NATO leadership discusses in Brussels. In addition to the 26 member parliaments, parliamentarians from countries such as Russia, Georgia, Croatia, and Afghanistan also participated in the sessions as 

associate states or observers and engaged in 

the discussions and debates. Through these 

sessions, delegates have the opportunity to 

learn first-hand the views and concerns that 

other countries have over the key security 

issues of the day. An invaluable aspect of the 

meetings is the chance to meet and come to 

know members of parliaments who play important roles in their own countries in shaping the 

security agenda that their governments pursues at NATO. These contacts can endure 

through a career, and can provide an invaluable private avenue for insights into each 

ally’s particular views on an issue. 

As NATO approaches its 60th anniversary 

summit in April 2009, the key issues on the 

agenda of the Alliance include the broader 

issue of the future of NATO and more specific 

issues including relations with Russia, energy 

security, missile defense, the conflict in Afghanistan, and emerging threats, such as piracy. Each of these issues was on vigorous 

display at the NPA meetings. The conflict between Russia and Georgia that played out this 

past August was the one issue that dominated 

the Valencia sessions. Many members of the 

Alliance expressed concern that Russia has 

begun to implement an increasingly assertive 

security policy including efforts to intimidate 

neighboring states, through the threat of force. 

There was also continued concern that Russia 

would use its energy supplies as a political 

lever to influence European policy. It was clear 

from our meetings that not only the United 

States and NATO, but the European Union as 

well, are concerned about Moscow’s posture 

on a wide range of issues. There were, however, differences of opinion over how to structure future relations between NATO and Russia as well as the NPA and the Russian delegates to the Assembly. While the consensus 

among the delegates was that dialogue between NATO and the NPA and Russia was 

important and should continue, there were 

calls for the NPA to take some action against 

the Russian delegation as a show of displeasure over Russia’s conduct in Georgia. As 

a result, the Assembly, at large, adopted a series of measures limiting, for now, the participation of the Russian delegation. These measures included, among others, the downsizing 

of the Russian delegation and the suspension 

of Russian participation in Committee and 

Sub-committee visits and the Transatlantic 

Forum. 

In addition to these issues, many of the 

NPA delegates were extremely interested in 

the outcome of the U.S. Presidential elections 

and how the incoming administration would 

conduct relations with Europe in general and 

with NATO in particular. Questions over the incoming Administration’s views on Afghanistan, 

Iran and missile defense were on everyone’s 

agenda. A highlight of the session was a letter 

that President-elect Obama had written to outgoing NPA President Jose Lello of Portugal 

pledging to work with NATO and the NPA during the Obama administration. 

Before the opening sessions of the Assembly’s plenary the U.S. delegation received a 

detailed briefing from Ambassador Kurt Volker, 

the U.S. representative to NATO. He very ably 

prepared us for the nuances involved in some 

of the issues that would be debated during the 

NPA sessions, particularly regarding Russia 

and whether NATO should offer a Membership 

Action Plan to Georgia. In addition to the briefing by Ambassador Volker, various members 

of our delegation held private meetings with 

NATO Secretary General Jaap de Hoop 

Scheffer, who gave an overview of member 

state perspectives on the most controversial 

issues confronting the alliance; he later addressed the NPA’s plenary session. The Foreign Minister of Spain, who also addressed 

the plenary, briefed several of our Members. 

And, we met with General Bantz John 

Craddock, Supreme Allied Commander for Europe who covered a wide range of issues, including the situation in Afghanistan. I also had 

the opportunity to attend a private meeting 

with Mikheil Saakashvili, President of Georgia 

who recounted the August conflict between his 

country and Russia and what Georgia faces 

today with respect to reconstruction of the 

country. 

Over two days of the NPA session, intense 

meetings of the NPA committees took place. 

There are five NPA committees. In each, parliamentarians presented reports on issues before the alliance. The reports were debated by 

all members of the committee who often made 

counter-arguments or suggestions for amending a report. Members of our delegation were 

present in each committee meeting. 

I chaired the Economics and Security Committee, which heard reports on reconstruction 

efforts in Afghanistan, on Russia’s economy, 

and on economic developments in India. Representative BOOZMAN was the co-rapporteur of 

this last report, which he very ably presented, 

and which generated an interesting discussion. The Committee also heard an interesting 

presentation by Rodrigo Rato, former managing director of the International Monetary 

Fund who spoke on the impact of the current 

global financial crisis. The Committee also 

heard from Lt. Gen. Karl Eikenberry, former 

head of the military command in Afghanistan 

who spoke on the nexus between security and 

development in Afghanistan. 

The Political Committee heard several reports that touched off sometimes animated debates. Most notable were the reports on 

NATO’s future political agenda and NATO’s 

partnerships that included a lengthy discussion 

on the recent Russia-Georgia conflict and the 

future of Georgia’s membership in NATO. 

There were significant differences of opinion 

on who actually was responsible for starting 

the war in Georgia and whether to grant Georgia a Membership Action Plan for eventual 

membership in NATO. U.S. Representative 

MIKE ROSS was a rapporteur for a report on a 

possible NATO political engagement with Iran. 

When Mr. ROSS was unable to present his 

paper to the Committee, Representative 

CAROLYN MCCARTHY stepped in and made the 

presentation. The report was well received. 

Representative BEN CHANDLER serves as a 

vice-chairman on this Committee and during 

the session, Representative CAROLYN MCCARTHY was elected to serve as a Subcommittee 

vice-chairperson. 

The Defense and Security Committee heard 

two reports on NATO’s ongoing operations, including the ISAF mission in Afghanistan and 

on the contributions non-NATO states were 

making to NATO operations. The Committee 

also received a report on NATO’s future capability requirements. During the session, the 

Committee received presentations from the 

Minister of Defense of Spain, and the Defense 

Minister of Georgia. Representative TAUSCHER

is a vice-chair of one of the Committee’s subcommittees. 

The Science and Technology Committee 

heard reports on energy security, reducing 

global nuclear threats, and on missile defense. 


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E36 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — Extensions of Remarks January 7, 2009 

Representative DAVID SCOTT was very engaged on the issue of energy security and 

was successful in offering three amendments 

to the resolution proposed on energy and security. 

The Committee on the Civil Dimension of 

Security also heard a report on energy security and the protection of energy infrastructure, 

along with reports on Kosovo and the future 

stability in the Balkans, and democracy and 

security in Central Asia. The Committee also 

heard presentations on the Balkans and Central Asia. 

On Tuesday, the final day of the plenary, 

the general assembly debated and approved a 

resolution on relations with Russia. The consensus view was that NATO and Russia 

should resume their dialogue and continue to 

find ways to cooperate with each other on critical issues. Also on Tuesday, the Assembly 

elected new officers to serve during 2009. I 

had the honor of being elected President of 

the Assembly and look forward to an interesting and productive year. 

Prior to arriving in Valencia for the NPA Plenary, the delegation traveled to Italy on November 10–13 for bi-lateral meetings in Rome 

and Florence. In Rome, the delegation received a briefing by U.S. Charge d’ Affairs, 

Barbara Leaf and Embassy staff on current relations between Italy and the United States, 

that continues to be strong. After the briefing, 

the delegation, in honor of Veterans Day, traveled to the Sicily-Rome Cemetery in the town 

of Nettuno, just outside the city of Anzio. 

During the Second World War, the critical 

Italian campaign was launched in Sicily and 

proceeded up the coast of Italy. The delegation visited the resting place of almost 8,000 

U.S. soldiers, sailors, and airman who died in 

the liberation of Sicily and in the landings at 

Salerno and Anzio. The beautiful cemetery is 

managed by the U.S. American Battle Monuments Commission. Together, the members of 

the delegation laid a wreath at the cemetery’s 

central monument, ‘‘Brothers in Arms.’’ Members of the delegation also visited individual 

graves of fallen soldiers from their states to 

place a rose in memory of those servicemen. 

This was perhaps the most memorable and 

poignant moment of the delegation’s trip. We 

were deeply honored to visit the cemetery and 

want to thank Ron Grosso of the Commission 

and Joseph Bevilacqua, Cemetery Superintendent, for their hospitality and the fine job 

they do preserving the memory of those U.S. 

servicemen who gave their lives in Italy. 

Upon our return to Rome, the delegation 

visited the NATO Defense College for a tour 

and briefing by the College Commandant, Lt. 

Gen. Wolf-Dieter Loeser. The College was 

created in 1951 at the suggestion of General 

Dwight Eisenhower who argued that military 

officers from the newly created NATO Alliance 

‘‘needed an establishment where they could 

meet and learn to operate together.’’ The 

Commandant briefed us on the work taking 

place at the College and the issues currently 

under discussion in the Fall curriculum. We 

also had the opportunity to meet several U.S. 

military personnel attending the Senior 

Course. 

Following the visit to the Defense College, 

the delegation visited the Italian Ministry of 

Defense. We were briefed by the Deputy Minister of Defense Crosetto and the head of the 

Italian General Staff, General Camporini who 

gave us an overview of the numerous operations that the Italian military were currently 

engaged in. Italy has approximately 8,000 

troops stationed abroad, including 2,200 in the 

ISAF mission in Afghanistan, 2,500 in Lebanon, and 83 engaged in training the Iraqi National Police. This meeting provided a precise, 

focused discussion of how Italy is contributing 

to the global security mission. 

Also in Rome, the delegation was hosted at 

a working lunch by Senator Sergio Di 

Gregorio, President of the Italian delegation to 

the NATO Parliamentary Assembly. We had a 

very animated discussion on issues ranging 

from the U.S. presidential elections, to Afghanistan, to Russia and energy security. At the 

time of our visit, the Italian Senate was in the 

middle of a debate on their defense budget. 

With the global economic crisis affecting everyone, Senator Di Gregorio told us that the 

defense budget for next year would be less 

than 1 percent of the Italian GDP. As a result, 

we were told it was unlikely that Italy could do 

much more in Afghanistan. Following our 

meeting at the Senate, the delegation met with 

Mr. Gianni Letta, Under Secretary of the 

Council of Ministers and close advisor to 

Prime Minister Berlusconi. Mr. Letta covered a 

range of issues but spent some time addressing the impact of the global financial crisis on 

Italy. 

On November 13, the delegation traveled to 

Florence. We were met by U.S. Consul General Mary Ellen Countryman who briefed the 

delegation on the work the Consulate does in 

Tuscany and the surrounding region. Tuscany 

is home to several thousand U.S. citizens, retired, employed, or students studying abroad. 

While in Florence we also visited the European University Institute which operates a 

campus comprising doctoral students from all 

over Europe. We were warmly welcomed by 

EUI President Yves Menv, faculty and students. A lively discussion followed on the U.S. 

elections and its impact on transatlantic relations, the differences between the European 

and U.S. views of the world, and the future 

role of NATO, relations with Russia, and the 

conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan. 

Our visit to Italy concluded that evening at 

a dinner hosted by New York University which 

operates a campus outside Florence for American students studying in Italy. Our dinner was 

hosted by Ms. Ellyn Toscano, Director of the 

Campus. Ellyn is no stranger to the House of 

Representatives where she served for several 

years as the chief of staff to our colleague, 

JOSE ́ SERRANO. 

Madam Speaker, the NATO Parliamentary 

Assembly provides a unique opportunity for 

Members of Congress to engage in serious 

discussions on critical issues with our colleagues from other NATO member states. I 

believe our delegation, and thus this Congress, benefits greatly from the information we 

exchange and the personalities we meet during these meetings. I look forward to a very 

productive Assembly during 2009. 

In conclusion, I would like to acknowledge 

the hard work and dedication of our Embassy 

staff in Rome and Madrid, our Consular services in Florence and our entire military escort 

group from the United States Air Force, including the pilots who took us to Europe and back 

for the NPA sessions. Our diplomatic corps 

and military personnel provide a quiet but invaluable service in ensuring safety and an efficient schedule for U.S. congressional delegations, and this group of diplomats, servicemen 

and women was no exception. I thank them 

for their hard work and their dedication to 

duty. 

f 

TRIBUTE TO MUNSON’S 

CHOCOLATES 

HON. JOE COURTNEY OF CONNECTICUT

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

Wednesday, January 7, 2009 

Mr. COURTNEY. Madam Speaker, I rise 

today to honor Bob Munson and the employees of Munson’s Chocolates which is 

headquartered in Bolton, Connecticut. 

During the recent holiday season, I had the 

privilege of visiting Iraq and Afghanistan with 

a Congressional Delegation led by Representative GENE TAYLOR of Mississippi and witnessed first hand the important work being 

done by the men and women of our armed 

forces. Our group spent time meeting with civilian and military leaders serving on the 

ground in each country. The holidays are always a difficult time for the men and women 

of the armed forces as they are away from 

their loved ones. One of the things that they 

will tell you makes this time of year a little 

easier is to enjoy some of the comforts of 

home. 

Thanks to Bob Munson, President of 

Munson’s Chocolates of Bolton, the men and 

women of the 890th Engineer Battalion and 

the 926th Engineer Brigade, Multi-National Division currently serving in Baghdad were able 

to enjoy a sweet reminder of home. A few 

days before Christmas Congressman TAYLOR

arranged for 2,000 pounds of shrimp gumbo to 

be served to the battalion and Munson’s donated almost 600 Connecticut made chocolate 

bars for dessert. This gift is just another example of the generosity of the Munson family, 

who for generations has been active supporters of the military community. 

The Munson family of employees is no 

stranger to the heartache families endure 

while their loved ones are serving overseas. 

During my visit to the Munson factory, I had 

the honor of meeting Kay Doherty. Kay’s son 

Stephen recently returned from a tour in Iraq. 

As Kay can attest, the holidays are an extremely difficult and trying time for military 

families which is why this generous gift is so 

timely. 

f 

HONORING JADE MOORE, THERE 

WAS NO BETTER FRIEND OF 

TEACHERS 

HON. C.W. BILL YOUNG OF FLORIDA

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

Wednesday, January 7, 2009 

Mr. YOUNG of Florida. Madam Speaker, 

Pinellas County, Florida lost one of the pillars 

of our community and our teachers lost their 

greatest advocate December 16th with the 

passing of Jade Moore. 

Jade served for 34 years as Executive Director of the Pinellas Classroom Teachers Association. In that role, he was the champion 

for teachers, but he was also the champion for 

the students they taught. 

Jade Moore was a tough but fair negotiator, 

one who earned the trust and respect of all 


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