Mark Alford: “Today, I rise to honor our June Veteran of the Month for the Fourth Congressional District of the great State of…”

“Today, I rise to honor our June Veteran of the Month for the Fourth Congressional District of the great State of Missouri, Ben Trout, a Vietnam war veteran. Mr. Trout enlisted in the Marines and was a sergeant in the Fifth Marine Division in eastern Asia during the Vietnam war. He was also selected for the Naval Enlisted Scientific Educational Program leading to a Marine Corps regular officer commission. Mr. Trout completed the electrical engineering program through ROTC at the University of Missouri before being commissioned to a second lieutenant and later designated an infantry officer. During his first assignment, First Marine Division, First Regiment, he fought in the northern sector of south Vietnam. He received multiple wounds and upon release from the hospital, Lieutenant Trout limited his duty to stateside and later retired. Upon retiring, he moved to Columbia, Missouri, and added a new civil engineering degree, in addition to his previous electrical engineering degree. He now owns and operates an engineering design company that he founded. They design, manufacture, program, install, and service computerized temperature controls. He has been in business for 44 years and is still the sole stockholder, lead director, and president of the company. Madam Speaker, I thank Lieutenant Trout for all he does. ____________________”