Sheila Jackson Lee: “I include in the Record the actual resume of Michael Pender, a graduate of Annapolis and an excellent young man. Michael…”

“I include in the Record the actual resume of Michael Pender, a graduate of Annapolis and an excellent young man. Michael Pender Michael Pender is a 2016 United States Naval Academy graduate and a veteran naval officer who was separated from the Navy in April 2019. His separation was not due to any fault of his own, but because of the current processes of the United States Navy and the United States Naval Academy relating to speech fluency issues related to stuttering. Lieutenant Pender's stuttering was not severe, and undetectable to most individuals who engage him in conversation. However, for certain career opportunities in the military it matters a great deal if someone has even a slight almost imperceptible stutter. Michael Pender's story began with his enrollment at the Naval Academy in 2012. Mr. Pender dreamed of becoming a naval aviator from an early age. During the naval aviation screening during his junior year at Annapolis, the USNA flight doctor reviewing his medical records and USNA application and noticed that Mr. Pender had a history of speech disfluency. The flight doctor then administered a speech fluency test to Mr. Pender. During the test, Mr. Pender's speech fluency did not meet the Naval Aviation community's standards, and he was told that he was disqualified from serving as an aviator. Mr. Pender was disappointed with the determination. At that critical juncture Mr.…”