July 24, 2020 - Issue: Vol. 166, No. 131 — Daily Edition116th Congress (2019 - 2020) - 2nd Session

[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E680-E681]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        MEMORY OF OSCAR TEMORES

                                 ______
                                 

                              HON. TJ COX

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                         Friday, July 24, 2020

  Mr. COX of California. Madam Speaker, we pray for the soul and family 
of Navy Master-at-Arms 3rd Class Oscar Temores.
  Oscar, a native of Lemoore, California and a dedicated husband, 
father, son and brother, was proudly serving his country and protecting 
his fellow sailors at Joint Expeditionary Base Fort Story, Virginia 
Beach, when he tragically lost his life in December 2019.
  Unfortunately, the tragedy did not stop there for the family of Oscar 
Temores. When Bethany Temores, the wife of this fallen hero, joined the 
Congress as my guest for this year's State of the Union, I learned just 
how difficult the experience had been for her and the family of Master-
at-Arms Temores. Numerous, compounding issues with the Casualty 
Assistance Program turned the process of laying Oscar to rest--one of 
the most traumatic things a spouse and family can endure--into what 
Bethany described as ``a nightmare.''
  All service-connected families deserve our respect. We owe it to our 
fallen heroes to honor their legacy and to ensure military families 
have support in their time of need, including timely communication, 
travel and accommodation assistance, and an understanding of all 
benefits and other forms of relief.
  To ensure that no other family endures what the Temores family 
endured, I introduced an amendment to the FY2021 National Defense 
Authorization Act that includes key changes to the way the Department 
of Defense (DoD) handles the transportation of fallen heroes and to 
direct the Department to review the current Casualty Assistance Calls 
Officer (CACO) procedure in order to make improvements to benefit all 
military families. Specifically, the amendment seeks to correct the 
miscommunication between the DoD, airports and transportation agencies 
in order to ensure survivors do not have to travel excessive distances, 
or experience undue effort, just to get their loved one home.

[[Page E681]]

  I thank my colleagues for voting to pass the NDAA with this 
amendment. It is a fitting tribute to the memory of Master-at-Arms 3rd 
Class Oscar Temores that we continue to support our brave 
servicemembers and to ensure their families receive all the support and 
respect they deserve.

                          ____________________