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“TRIBUTE TO JAMES ``BOB'' CURRIEO” mentioning the U.S. Dept of State was published in the Senate section on pages S8045-S8046 on Nov. 14, 2013.
The publication is reproduced in full below:
TRIBUTE TO JAMES ``BOB'' CURRIEO
Mr. McCAIN. Mr. President, I rise today to recognize the service and contributions to the State of Arizona and the Nation of James ``Bob'' Currieo. Bob spent his life serving our country as a soldier; a leader in the veterans community; and, for the last 17 years in my office, a valued advocate for constituents and veterans. Bob, 79 years young, retires this month.
Serving the residents of Arizona is one of the great pleasures of my office. When my constituents request assistance in matters dealing with the government, I try, as all my colleagues do, to move quickly to provide a fair and effective path for them to seek redress. And, in this regard, I have been lucky to have had a constituent-advocate of Bob's experience and caliber.
The experience that Bob brought to his working with me was informed by 22 years of service in the U.S. Army, retiring with the rank of sergeant major. Following decorated service in the Korean war, a fortunate assignment to the U.S. Army Combat Surveillance School at Fort Huachuca brought Bob to Sierra Vista and introduced him to a State that he would quickly come to love and consider home.
I first met him in 1982 while he was serving as the newly elected National Commander-in-Chief of the Veterans of Foreign Wars. He was then, and remains today, a quiet but powerful force--a man whose soft-
spoken words resonate among those around him. Despite his humble, modest demeanor, his talent for leadership and dedication to our Nation's veterans is immediately evident.
In 1984, Bob was invited by the State Department to join a U.S. delegation as an observer of El Salvador's first election in 50 years. I was also on that trip, and remember a long discussion we had about veterans and politics, two of Bob's interests. In 1986, I asked him to join my Arizona staff. Ever in demand, he departed for a period to serve as an executive in the VFW in Washington, DC, where I kept tabs on him. In 1996, Bob was ready to return to Arizona and I leapt at the chance to have him back on my staff.
From that time until just recently, he devoted himself to helping me work on behalf of veterans. On my many trips back home, as I checked in with Fort Huachuca, Davis Monthan, and our veterans communities, I always heard the same message, ``You are lucky to have a man like Bob Currieo on your team.'' I wholeheartedly agree.
In the nearly 20 years that Bob served in my office, he opened more than 8,000 cases. That is 8,000 servicemembers, veterans, military spouses and families who called out for help--calls that I am proud were answered on my behalf by a man as capable and caring as Bob. I thank him for his contributions to my team, his wise counsel, and his unwavering friendship.
As the late Coach Abe Lemons once said, ``The trouble with retirement is that you never get a day off.'' I know that my friend Bob won't face that dilemma--that he will remain active with the VFW and in his community as he embarks on the next exciting chapter of his life. I wish Bob and his wife Cecilia a long and happy retirement--filled with many joyful days and beautiful Tucson sunsets together.
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