Date: 1994-04-26
Speaker: DE LUGO (democrat)
Chamber: H

Mr. Speaker. I plan to attend the funeral at Arlington National Cemetery later today of someone who symbolized the bipartisanship with which this House has generally approached questions concerning the insular areas. Thomas S. Dunmire. a member of the staff of the Committee on Interior and Insular Affairs from 1973 until 1985. died last week in his retirement home of Hawaii. * Tom was the epitome of an objective. knowledgeable. and insightful staffer and assisted members of both parties with equal professionalism. In fact. although he was the Republican consultant on Insular issues. he was the corn- mittees key adviser on them from 1977 to 1981. His expertise and judgment were relied upon greatly by my predecessor as chairman of the subcommittee with primary jurisdiction regarding insular matters. Phillip Burton. Tom had been brought to the committee by his fellow Californian. Don Clausen. after more than 20 years in the Army. A West Point graduate. Tom rose to the rank of lieutenant colonel. served in Viet Nam. and earned the Bronze Star and Legion of Merit. among other commendations. For many of his years here. Tom worked under the Insular Subcomrittees ranking Republcan. Robert J. Lagomarsino. When Tom retired. Bob paid a tribute to him in which he said that Tom had "provided intelligent and sound counsel enabling Congress to formulate effective and successful policies! regarding the insular areas and "played a critical role in the promotion of political. social. and ecoE 774 nomic development" of these Caribbean and Pacific islands associated with the United States. He also pointed out that Toms hardwork. sound advice. and friendly nature would be missed. And Tom was missed to the extent that full committee chairman Mo Udall. ranking Republican DON YOUNG. and I formally called him back into congressional service for special assistance. The assignments were in connection with the committees consideration of the legislation that will enable the worlds last remaining trust territorythe western Pacific islands of Palau--to become a sovereign State in free association with our Nation. These assignments were not easy ones. In one case. they involved Tom going to Palau to provide an essential and visible Federal presence at a time that individuals connected with the incumbent administration of the islands were violently intimidating critics of that administrations policies--and the Reagan administration refused to do anything about it or even admit it even though our Government was fully responsible for the governing of the territory. The assignments also involved Tom investigating matters that proved very embarrassing to the powers that were at the time and helping to identify the assistance that Palau needed to overcome the very serious problems that it then faced. Mr. Speaker. Tom took these assignments on in spite of the cause for his departure from the staff. And there is a message in the story which should be recognized. Tom left because some policymakers did not want to face ip to the flaws in the free association compact that had been negotiated with the Marshall Islands and Micronesia. Others of us. however. listened to the con.cerns that Tom raised as one who was sincerely interested in the peoples of the islands and equally dedicated to good public policy for our Nation. So. we forced major improvements of the proposal into the compact legislation which was enacted in 1986. I have been very gratified in the years since as the wisdom of Toms concerns has been proven in instance after instance. as the problems that Tom foresaw in the originally negotiated compact developed. The peoples of the islands involved and our Nation were. indeed. fortunate that Tom was willing to say what needed to be said although it was not politically convenient at the time. Because of what he did. measures were taken to address the problems that he identified. Mr. Speaker. I want to close by expressing my condolences to Toms widow. Gail. and to his five children: Nancy. Ann. Lisa. Tom. Jr.. and Kate.