Thanking Rocky Deal
Floor Speech
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Mr. McCLINTOCK. Mr. Speaker, I have been very fortunate, as have the people of my congressional district in the Gold Country of California, to have had guiding my office and shaping my decisions for many years now a truly exceptional individual, Rocky Deal.
Rocky is going to retire at the end of this month to take on a long list of pent-up retirement and family projects, and I will miss his assistance and advice greatly.
His 15 years of service leading my congressional office was actually the second chapter of his service to our country. His first chapter was 28 years of distinguished service in the United States Navy.
In those nearly three decades, he rose to the rank of captain, and for 2\1/2\ years commanded what Ronald Reagan called America's flagship, the aircraft carrier USS Constellation. This culminated an eventful career in the Navy and naval aviation, including command of the USS Kalamazoo and command of the legendary Jolly Rogers squadron of F-14 Tomcats off of the USS Abraham Lincoln.
During his command of the Jolly Rogers, the squadron earned the Battle E as the best fighter squadron in the Atlantic fleet. While he commanded the USS Kalamazoo in two Gulf deployments, it was rated the best logistical squadron in the Atlantic.
During his command of the USS Constellation, it won more Battle Es than any other Pacific fleet carrier during the Gulf and Indo-Pacific deployments. He concluded his career in the Navy as chief of staff to the commander of the Pacific Naval Air Forces responsible for 6 aircraft carriers, 2,000 aircraft, and 40,000 sailors.
After retiring from the Navy, Rocky returned to his hometown of Susanville, California, where he took over the family automobile dealership, first established there in 1929.
He served on the board of trustees of Lassen College, where he also taught history, and he served on the board of directors of Lassen Hospital. He also served in a wide range of civic organizations, including Rotary International, Boy Scouts of America, the chamber of commerce, and the Veterans of Foreign Wars.
I first met Rocky campaigning for Congress in 2008 and was very fortunate to have him join my office the next year as district director and then chief of staff.
I, my staff, my constituents, and especially our country are all extremely fortunate to have had the benefit of his good judgment, calming influence, team-building leadership, and above all, an innate ability to soothe ruffled feathers, an art that is often in very high demand in my office. Despite my best efforts over the years, he has managed to maintain good relations with our local officials, district leaders, and a diverse range of constituents.
John Boehner once told me that a good chief of staff allows a Congressman to be a Congressman, and Rocky has been successful at that throughout this decade and a half.
The progress we have made on forest management in this district that spans the western slope of the Sierra is in large part due to his constant interaction with local and Federal officials and his total devotion to the businesses of our gateway communities around Yosemite.
He cares deeply about the health and safety of the people of these mountain communities, about the struggles of local businesses, the welfare of his fellow veterans, the governance of our great Nation, and the principles of liberty that he has served in the United States Navy and the United States Congress.
He has trained a first-rate team that will carry on as he leaves congressional service to enjoy time with his wife of 51 years, Gail, his three grown children, and his eight grandchildren.
Our entire team will miss him greatly and miss the wisdom as we bid him, as Lincoln put it, an affectionate farewell.
Mr. Speaker, on my behalf and that of a grateful constituency and a grateful Nation, I thank Rocky Deal.
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