Lynn Woolsey                     Mike Thompson
Member of Congress            Member of Congress

Mr. Speaker, we rise today to recognize Bill Barrett who is retiring this month after twenty-six and a half years with the United States Post Service.

Mr. Barrett began his career as a letter carrier in Milpitas, California in 1976. In 1978 he worked briefly in his hometown of Yakima, Washington before returning to Milpitas, where he worked until 1985. He spent the last eighteen years of his career in Santa Rosa, California.

During this time Mr. Barrett also served his co-workers as a Trustee of the National Association of Letter Carriers Branch 183 from 1987 to 2002, and as Legislative Liaison from 1994 to 1998. He has also been a District Officer with the California State Association of Letter Carriers from 1998 to the present.

Prior to his career with the USPS, Mr. Barrett was a Staff Sergeant in the United States Air Force and served a tour of duty in Vietnam from 1968 to 1970. He is also active with his military service group, Blind Bat.

Mr. Barrett and his wife, Fran, are very proud of their two daughters, Amy, 26 and Missy, 22.

In his retirement, Mr. Barrett plans to continue his work with persons with special needs and to travel on his new motorcycle, with its special license plate that reads: XMAILMN.

His other hobbies are reading and researching genealogy on his computer.

Mr. Speaker, Bill Barrett has been a dedicated public servant all of his adult life, both in service to his county in the U.S. military and as an employee with the United States Postal Service. It is appropriate that we honor him today for his many contributions.