"On Friday, with the help of the Hot Springs Fire Department, I unveiled the results of a survey I conducted among our district’s first responders – our firefighters, police officers, EMS and emergency preparedness personnel, and others.  In this new era of homeland security, they face added challenges in protecting their communities and in conducting this survey; I set out to find exactly what our first responders need. 

"The report reveals a deficiency that as a citizen, I find unacceptable.  One responder asked, “How can we even think about being prepared for a large attack when a house fire is almost too much for us to handle?” 

"Our first responders do an excellent job with the resources they have – they protect lives and property every day, and I am grateful for all they do.  But the simple fact is, our police and fire departments, our emergency response personnel, our public health agencies are under funded.  How can we expect them to take on more responsibility with meager funding for the training, equipment, and adequate personnel necessary to keep us safe in this post-9/11 era?

"I want you to know that as your Congressman, I will do my part in making sure that our needs are brought to light.  I believe our district represents a typical slice of rural America, and as the Department of Homeland Security continues to develop, I want the needs of first responders to be heard and represented.  I plan to share this report with Secretary Tom Ridge, so he will know that this part of our homeland is not secure."

“It gives me great pleasure to present Ollie with this overdue medal for his brave service a half a century ago,” Ross said.  “He fought in one of the bloodiest events of World War II, helping to pave the way for U.S. forces during the Normandy Invasion.  He was later wounded during the Battle of the Bulge, and even then, he continued in the war effort, repairing gas masks for his fellow soldiers.  I am pleased that our office was able to obtain for him the Bronze Star medal, which he truly deserves.  His perseverance and patriotism are an example for us all.”

Ollie Cortez fought during one of World War II’s most memorable events; D-Day.  Cortez says he was supposed to be sent to the Pacific Theatre, but instead was re-routed to Boston to embark for London and prepare for the Normandy Invasion.  On D-Day, Cortez was with the 28th Infantry Division, 3rd Battalion, Company B, where he was trained to operate a flame-thrower to eliminate snipers hiding in buildings.

Later, fighting in the front lines in Belgium, a German mortar round hit his foxhole, killing his buddy and wounding Cortez in the abdomen.  He was airlifted to England, where he was hospitalized for several months.  Rather than being sent back to the States, he was sent to the 56th Signal Battalion in Paris, where he repaired gas masks.  He was later given an honorable discharge.

Unfortunately, Cortez’s personal war records were lost in a flood that damaged his family’s home, and the official copies of his records were destroyed along with many others in a fire that consumed a military warehouse in St. Louis, Missouri.  He has waited until now to receive the Bronze Star medal.  The medal is awarded to individuals who, while serving in any capacity with the Armed Forces of the United States in a combat theater, distinguish themselves by heroism, outstanding achievement, or by meritorious service.

WASHINGTON, DC – Fourth District Rep. Mike Ross (D-Ark.) this week announced that within the House-passed Defense Authorization bill for Fiscal Year 2004, $2.027 billion will benefit defense projects in Arkansas’s Fourth Congressional District.

“We have worked hard over the past few months to secure funding for these projects,” Ross said, “and I am glad to see that they have made it through the first major hurdle.  In total, an additional $115 million above the President’s budget request was secured for our district, and that means more jobs and economic opportunities for working families in our defense industry.  I am also pleased that $132.9 million was included to begin the chemical demilitarization operations at the Pine Bluff Arsenal.  Much planning has gone into this operation to destroy the Arsenal’s chemical stockpile, and for the safety and security of the Pine Bluff community, I am glad to see it get underway. 

“The defense contractors at Highland Industrial Park in East Camden provide jobs for many South Arkansas working families.  The products that they make not only protect our men and women in uniform but also our country, as was demonstrated in Operation Iraqi Freedom.  I am very proud of their service to our country, and am pleased that the Defense Authorization legislation provides the funding to continue this important work.  There is still much work to be done in the appropriations process, and I will continue working to ensure that these projects in our district receive proper funding.”

Fourth District projects included in the house-passed Defense Authorization are as follows:

East Camden Defense Contractors: 
· Extended Range Active Missile (ERAM) - $76.9 million
· Patriot Advanced Capability-3 Missile (PAC-3) - $688 million (this number includes $90 million above the President’s request)
· Guided Multiple Launch Rocket System (GMLRS) - $786 million
· Line-of-Sight Antitank (LOSAT) - $43.2 million
· High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) - $124 million
· Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System (APKWS) - $138.4 million ($9 million above the President’s request)
· Hydra 70- $32.981 million ($11million above the President’s request)

Pine Bluff Arsenal:
· Start-up of demilitarization operations at Pine Bluff - $132.9 million
· 120 mm Mortar Illumination Round – $5 million ($5 million above the President’s request)