,,iv  #aafth ,,congress  #ast ,session  
,h4 ,,res4 #dcd  ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of
 ,,representatives  ,june #aj1 #bjai,mr4
 ,takano 7for himself and ,mr4 ,smith of
 ,new ,jersey7 submitted the following  
resolution2 which was referred to the   
,committee on ,veterans' ,affairs       
,,resolution  ,expressing the           
appreciation of the ,house of           
,representatives for ,robert ,e4        
,wallace1 retiring ,executive ,director 
of the ,veterans of ,foreign ,wars of   
the ,united ,states1 ,washington        
,office4  ,whereas the                  
congressionally-chartered ,veterans of  
,foreign ,wars of the ,united ,states   
7hereinafter1 ,,vfw7 has1 since its     
founding in #ahii1 existed to serve     
,united ,states veterans1 members of the
 ,armed ,forces1 and their families1    
wherever they reside or are assigned2   
,whereas since #aiif1 ,robert ,e4 ,bob  
,wallace1 has helped lead the ,,vfw     
,washington ,office1 which this year    
marks a centennial of service and       

advocacy in our ,nation's ,capital to   
ensure that veterans and military       
communities are properly cared for by   
the ,government that creates them2      
,whereas ,bob received three ,purple    
,hearts for injuries sustained in       
,vietnam as a member of the ,marine     
,corps1 returned home to pursue a career
 in banking after earning a bachelor of 
science degree from ,rutgers ,university
 and a master's degree in business      
administration from ,fairleigh          
,dickinson ,university1 as well as      
graduating from the ,school for ,bank   
,administration at the ,university of   
,wisconsin2 ,whereas ,bob joined the    
,,vfw while in ,vietnam and would be the
 recipient of the national              
organization's #aigi ,young ,veteran of 
the ,year award1 as well as from his    
home ,state of ,new ,jersey1 and he     
would go on to appointed and to elected 
,,vfw positions1 including being the    
first ,vietnam veteran and the youngest 
veteran to command the ,,vfw ,department

 of ,new ,jersey from #aihj to #aiha1   
and culminating in his being elected as 
the ,,vfw ,national ,commander from     
#aiia to #aiib2 ,whereas ,bob has worked
 with five ,united ,states ,presidents  
and a countless number of members of    
,congress1 their staffs and fellow      
veterans organizations' leadership to   
implement change for ,america's         
veterans1 members of the ,armed ,forces1
 and their families2 his is a voice of  
reason and motivation1 coupled with a   
can-do attitude to meet every challenge 
that improves the quality of life of the
 military and veterans communities he   
serves2 ,whereas the ,,vfw's service    
officer program impacts lives1 and      
,bob's direct oversight of ,,vfw        
,national ,veterans ,service has enabled
 a nationwide and international cadre of
 #b1ajj accredited service officers to  
recoup #h4c billion in earned disability
 benefits for more than #ebf1jjj        
wounded1 ill1 and injured veterans in   
#bjah alone2 ,whereas the ,,vfw's       

advocacy on ,capitol ,hill creates      
change that affects lives1 and ,bob's   
direct oversight of the ,,vfw ,national 
,legislative ,service ensured that the  
organization continued to have its      
fingerprints on every piece of          
quality-of-life legislation signed into 
law at the end of the #bjth century and 
well into the #bast2 ,whereas ,bob's    
proudest legislative accomplishments are
 many1 from ,department of ,veterans    
,affairs funding battles prior to the   
signing of advanced appropriations1 to  
the ,millennium ,act1 significant       
improvements to the ,montgomery ,,gi    
,bill1 the ,,gi ,bill for the #bast     
,century1 and the ,forever ,,gi ,bill1  
as well the passage of the ,,vow to     
,hire ,heroes ,act1 appeals reform1     
expansion of the ,caregiver program1 and
 the new ,,va_/,department of ,defense  
electronic medical record1 among        
numerous others2 and ,whereas the       
,,vfw's support of our ,nation's ,full  
,accounting mission is without peer     

because of ,bob ,wallace's hands-on     
approach to ensure the governments of   
former enemies know from a veteran's    
perspective--and from a family          
perspective--that the return of fallen  
members of the ,armed ,forces is a      
humanitarian mission that transcends    
politics3 ,now1 therefore1 be it  that  
the ,house of ,representatives-- 7#a7   
salutes the leadership1 guidance1 and   
friendship of ,robert ,e4 ,wallace at   
the helm of the ,,vfw ,washington       
,office for the past #bc years2 he met  
every challenge and the ,,vfw1 veterans1
 members of the ,armed ,forces1 and     
their families everywhere are better off
 for his faithful service and advocacy2 
and  7#b7 wishes him best wishes in his 
retirement1 where every day is ,veterans
 ,day4