Recognizing Ogemaw Veteran of the Year Mr. Charlie Puzjak

Floor Speech

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Mr. BERGMAN. Mr. Speaker, it is my honor to recognize the Ogemaw County Veteran of the Year, Mr. Charlie D. Puzjak of West Branch, Michigan. Charlie's dedication to supporting his community is an inspiration to Veterans and makes him a deserving recipient of this recognition.

The Ogemaw County Veterans Alliance, a nonprofit organization representing all Veterans of Ogemaw County, annually honors a hero for their outstanding service to the United States and their continued activism in their community post-service. This year, the Veterans Alliance has chosen Mr. Charlie D. Puzjak to receive the highest honor the organization can bestow.

Charlie served honorably for 18 and a half years in the United States Army as a MOS H63. In December of 2004, he answered the nation's call once again, this time for deployment to Iraq. After completing his training in El Paso, Texas, Mr. Puzjak was deployed to Camp Arifjan in Kuwait and subsequently served at 12 other bases in the Middle East. Following an unfortunate accident in 2005, he received an honorable medical discharge. Despite this, Mr. Puzjak maintains that he would re- enlist in a heartbeat.

Mr. Puzjak's commitment to service extends beyond his military career. After his honorable medical discharge, Charlie immediately began advocating for other Michigan Veterans. Since 2005, Charlie has served as the Director of the Ogemaw County Veterans Museum, founder of the nonprofit ``A Soldiers First Aid from Home'', and organizer of many other Veterans' fundraisers and community events. It is incredibly heartening to see how Mr. Puzjak consistently puts others before himself.

Mr. Speaker, it is my honor to congratulate Mr. Charlie Puzjak on this well-deserved award. I extend to him my gratitude for his continuous efforts to uplift Veterans in his community and I wish him all the best in his future endeavors.

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