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“THANK YOU, RISDEN WALL, FOR YOUR LOYAL SERVICE” mentioning the U.S. Dept. of Justice was published in the Extensions of Remarks section on pages E1363 on July 24, 1996.
The publication is reproduced in full below:
THANK YOU, RISDEN WALL, FOR YOUR LOYAL SERVICE
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HON. JACK FIELDS
of texas
in the house of representatives
Wednesday, July 24, 1996
Mr. FIELDS of Texas. Mr. Speaker, it was with mixed emotions that I announced last December 11 my decision to retire from the House at the conclusion of my current term. As I explained at the time, the decision to retire was made more difficult because of the loyalty and dedication of my staff--and because of the genuine friendship I feel for each of them. They have served the men and women of Texas' 8th Congressional District in an extraordinary way.
Today, I want to thank one member of my staff--Risden Wall, a legislative assistant who is serving a congressional fellowship through the Brookings Institution. Risden is a senior special agent with the U.S. Customs Service who began his congressional fellowship in my office in January 1995.
Risden, a native of Ridgeland, SC, earned an associate degree from Brewton Parker Junior College in 1966, and received his bachelors degree from Florida State University in 1970. From 1967 to 1969, he served in the U.S. Army as an airborne combat infantryman with the 82nd Airborne Division at Fort Bragg, NC, and as a rifleman/radio transmitting operator with the 173rd Airborne Brigade in the Republic of Vietnam.
After leaving the Army and obtaining his college degree, Risden went to work for the U.S. Customs Service in Miami, where he served as a
``sky marshall,'' charged with deterring possible skyjacketings of domestic and international commercial flights. Soon thereafter, Risden served as a special agent in the Customs Service's Miami office--
working to prevent narcotics smuggling, money laundering, fraud and other criminal activities. He served in that position for 12 years before moving to Washington to become a senior special agent at Customs Service headquarters, where he worked on financial investigations and undercover operations.
In 1986, Risden was asked to represent the Customs Service on the National Drug Enforcement Policy Board. On the board, he helped establish strategic priorities for all federal anti-narcotics activities. From 1986 to 1991, he served as the Customs Service's representative to the U.S. National Central Bureau of INTERPOL, coordinating investigative activities between 160 member countries, 20,000 federal, state and local law enforcement agencies, the Justice Department and other authorities within the executive branch.
Prior to his fellowship, Risden served as the Customs Service's Northeast Area program manager. As such, he was responsible for overseeing all Customs Service investigations in the northeastern United States.
As a member of my staff, Risden has worked on banking, housing, veterans affairs, international relations, military affairs and judiciary issues--keeping me abreast of legislative developments in each of these areas and responding to constituent inquiries.
Risden is one of those hard-working men and women who make all of us in this institution look better than we deserve. I know he has done that for me, and I appreciate this opportunity to publicly thank him for the dedication, loyalty and professionalism he has exhibited throughout his tenure in my office.
Risden's future plans after I retire are as yet uncertain, but knowing him as well as I do, I am confident that the skills and professionalism he has demonstrated in my office will lead to continued success in the future.
Mr. Speaker, I know you join with me in saying ``Thank you'' to Risden Wall for his loyal service to me, to the men and women of Texas' 8th Congressional District, and to this great institution. And I know you join with me in wishing him and his lovely wife, Georgene, the very best in the future.
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