Remembering the Late Honorable Bob Badham



Remembering the Late Honorable Bob Badham

HON. DAVID DREIER

OF CALIFORNIA IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

Tuesday, October 25, 2005 The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the order of the House of January 4, 2005, the gentleman from California (Mr. Dreier) is recognized during morning hour debates for 5 minutes. Mr. DREIER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to remember our friend and former colleague Bob Badham who passed away suddenly last Friday. While Bob was a private man, he dedicated his life to public service. He was a veteran of the Korean War and served with great distinction as a member of the California State legislature. He represented Newport Beach, California here in the United States Congress from 1977 to 1989, and he served on the civil service board in his hometown of Newport Beach until his passing last Friday. Bob was a longtime friend and great supporter of President Reagan. They knew each other in Sacramento when Ronald Reagan was Governor of California and Bob was a member of the State assembly. Like the President, Bob was an optimist, a true American patriot, and a strong voice for freedom and democracy. As a senior member of the House Armed Services Committee, Bob was an advocate for America's veterans, and he pushed for a more muscular and modern U.S. fighting force. He supported the defense buildup of the 1980s because he knew our country's strengths could not be sustained with weak Armed Forces. He firmly believed that communism was no match for a strong United States military defending free people and our democratic system. Bob had vision and conviction and, Mr. Speaker, as we all know from looking at history, Bob Badham was right. His work in Congress involved serious national security and international policy efforts, but all of us who worked with Bob remember that his sense of humor and sense of self never deserted him. He was a gracious colleague with a strong backbone and a big heart. I feel honored to have worked with Bob Badham and I am grateful for his friendship and his stellar service to this body and to the United States of America. Mr. Speaker, the thoughts and prayers I know of all of us here in the Congress are with his wife Anne; his daughters Phyllis, Sharon and Jennifer; his sons Robert, Jr. and William; their 11 grandchildren; and his brother.

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