Recognizing Samantha Gonzalez

Floor Speech

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Mr. BOST. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to celebrate the service of one of my staffers on the Committee on Veterans' Affairs.

Ms. Samantha Gonzalez has dedicated over 10 years of her career to our Nation's veterans, their families, and their survivors. She started on the committee as an intern and has worked her way up to being the communications director and senior health policy adviser.

Samantha helped craft messages and advance a number of bills supporting veterans and their families--notably, the Choice and VA MISSION Acts, the Commander John Scott Hannon Veterans Mental Health Care Improvement Act, the PACT Act, and so many more landmark pieces of legislation.

There is no doubt that the entire veteran community is better off because of her tireless work on their behalf.

I thank Samantha for her commitment to America's veterans, and wish her the best of luck in her next adventure. She will be missed. national suicide prevention awareness month

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Mr. BOST. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to remind everyone that while National Suicide Prevention Awareness Month is concluding, we cannot afford to lower our guard. It dismays me that still so many veterans take their lives every day.

In 2020, approximately 16 veterans died by suicide daily, another year with more than 6,000 veteran suicide deaths. We must stay vigilant.

It took an incredible amount of work to get the Staff Sergeant Parker Gordon Fox Suicide Prevention Grant Program passed in legislation through Congress. I am pleased that the first grants were awarded just last week.

Now, 80 community-based organizations in 43 States, D.C., and American Samoa will receive funding to provide or coordinate suicide prevention services for veterans and their families where and when they need it.

Many veterans either cannot or will not access the VA, but their community knows how to find them, how to get them out of isolation and out of trouble and get them the care that can save their lives and offer them a future of hope. I am excited to see just what these grants can do. celebrating the life of richard martin

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Mr. BOST. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to celebrate the life of Richard Martin, a good friend and great man who passed suddenly this week.

You get to know people very closely in stressful conditions. Well, many of you know that I was a professional firefighter, and Richard always had my back.

Richard and I both served on the Murphysboro Fire Department. Richard served with the department for 32 years, from 1984 until 2016. During that time, he was a member of the Firefighters Pension Board and served as the treasurer and president of the Murphysboro Firefighters Local 3042.

Never fully retiring, he went on to become the southern district's legislative representative for the Associated Fire Fighters of Illinois.

Richard was dedicated to his family, his friends, his career of service, our hometown, Murphysboro, and the community. Our prayers are with his family, including daughter Olivia and sons Eli and Zeke during this difficult time.

He was a close friend. He will be missed tremendously. His ability to teach others the art of fighting fire and doing it safely and the number of lives that he saved and the amount of property he saved will not be forgotten.

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