Condemning Anti-Semitism At U.S. Universities

Floor Speech

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Mr. RUTHERFORD. Mr. Speaker, I thank my good friend from California for yielding.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate Mr. Matthew Gapinski of Jacksonville, Florida, for his 42 years of dedicated Federal service to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and to our Nation.

He graduated from the United States Military Academy at West Point in 1984 and was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

Following graduation, he spent 8 years on Active-Duty assignments in Korea, North Carolina, and, Kevin, in your State, California.

He continued his service in the U.S. Army Reserves as commander of a company and served on Active Duty with the 350th Civil Affairs for Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2003 and 2004. He retired from the Army Reserves in September 2008 at the rank of lieutenant colonel.

Matt graduated from Stanford University with his master's in environmental engineering and science and began his civilian career in 1994 working at the Presidio of San Francisco.

Following that role, he worked for the Army Corps at the San Francisco District in the planning division and then to the Savannah division as a project manager and eventually the Jacksonville District as a senior project manager.

Since 2007, Matt has been the executive assistant and congressional liaison for the Jacksonville District where he served as the main point of contact for all congressional inquiries related to the district's civil works and military programs.

I can tell you, in that role, he also supported Jacksonville District Commanders, the South Atlantic Division Commanders, Chief of Engineers, and the Assistant Secretaries of the Army for Civil Works in their annual testimony before Congress and in their written responses to inquiries from Congress.

During this time, Matt also served temporarily as the acting deputy commander of the Jacksonville District and chief of the Military, Interagency, and International branch.

Through his expert knowledge of the civil works process, Matt consistently provided timely and accurate information and service to the public, to Members of Congress and their staff, and really was just an amazing resource for all of us in northeast Florida.

Matt has received numerous awards in recognition of his outstanding efforts, including the Superior Civilian Service Medal and the Legion of Merit.

Mr. Speaker, I ask the Members to join me today to thank Mr. Gapinski for his contributions to the Corps of Engineers, his local community, and the United States of America.

I sincerely wish Matt and his wife, Nina Kannatt, every success in the future and a very restful retirement.

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