Díaz-Balart Honors FL-26 Veterans from Collier County with Congressional Veteran Commendation

Naples, FL - The office of Congressman Mario Díaz-Balart (FL-26), Dean of the Florida Delegation and member of the Defense Subcommittee on House Appropriations, presented the Congressional Veteran Commendationto the following local veterans in Collier County for their distinguished service to our country: Army and Marine Corps Colonel Martin B. Spann, Marine Corps Master Sergeant Gerald Van Hecke, Army Specialist Jairo Restrepo, and Air Force Airman 2^ndClass Michael Victor Ricci Jr.

"My team proudly recognized these exceptional patriots for the 2024 and 2025 Congressional Veteran Commendations alongside the Collier Veterans community.

With 17,000 veterans in Florida's 26^thDistrict, and over 20,000 veterans in Collier County alone, I'm proud to represent the most veteran-friendly county in Florida, and to work directly with our local veterans to deliver results - from working towards $9 million for a new Veterans Community Center to advancing legislation that expands care and benefits. I remain committed to being a tireless champion in ensuring our distinguished veterans receive all the support they deserve.

I also want to extend my sincere appreciation to Golden Gate Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 7721 Commander Mike Ricci and former Commander Dr. J.B. Holmes, as well as our Collier County Commissioners Daniel Kowal, Burt Saunders, and Rick LoCastro for their exceptional leadership.

God bless our veterans and troops."

The Congressional Veteran Commendation is a nominations-based program designed to recognize the wartime sacrifices and peacetime community involvement of veterans residing in Florida's 26th Congressional District. Each one of these veterans will be interviewed, and their wartime collection will be added to the Veterans History Project, sponsored by the Library of Congress.

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