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“Today’s decision to grant a key maintenance availability to Electric Boat reflects the value the Navy places in the private sector industrial base which has been critical in responding to the needs of the submarine force,” said Courtney. “This decision will help sustain key jobs and skills in the Groton shipyard as we prepare for a surge in submarine construction work. It also ensures that one of our newest submarines, the USS Indiana, will not delay its first deployment. This is good news for the hardworking men and women of Electric Boat and for the national security needs of the United States.

On June 3, 1969, Bill Thibeault was asleep on the destroyer USS Frank E. Evans as it sailed between Vietnam and the Spratly Islands before being struck by a much larger Australian aircraft carrier. The accident resulted in the ship being split in half with the bow section sinking in less than 5 minutes. A total of 74 sailors were killed in the disaster that day. Sadly, nearly 5 decades later, the names of Bill's deceased shipmates have still not been added to the Vietnam War Memorial wall because the Evans was technically outside of the designated combat zone, about 80 miles off the coast of Vietnam, when it was struck.

“In the wake of growing bipartisan calls for President Trump to end his Justice Department’s recently implemented policy of “zero tolerance” that results in separating families at the border, I am cosponsoring new legislation in the House of Representatives today called the Keep Families Together Act. This bill will prohibit the Department of Homeland Security from separating parents and children taken into custody within 100 miles of the border except for narrow cases involving abuse or neglect. It would also allow people seeking asylum in the United States to be given a fair hearing before subjecting them to criminal prosecution and tearing families apart.

“Our military service members have a proven themselves to be dedicated public service and they are exactly the type of professional we need to be recruiting to educate our future generations,” said Courtney. “I am very pleased that Connecticut will be receiving a sizable grant from the federal government to help transitioning service members join the ranks of teachers in our state. I’ve worked on a bipartisan basis to make sure that more servicemembers looking to continue their service to our communities can do so by sharing their skills and experience in our classroom. I have no doubt that Connecticut will be well served by the new teachers we are able to recruit and train with this funding.”