Floor SpeechNeutral2026-06-29

HONORING CHARLES B. ROBERTSON AS A DISTINGUISHED LEADER IN CENTRAL FLORIDA FOR MILITARY APPRECIATION MONTH

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On 2026-06-29, Representative Darren Soto (D-FL-9) delivered a floor speech titled "HONORING CHARLES B. ROBERTSON AS A DISTINGUISHED LEADER IN CENTRAL FLORIDA FOR MILITARY APPRECIATION MONTH" in the House.

Full Text

HONORING CHARLES B. ROBERTSON AS A DISTINGUISHED LEADER IN CENTRAL FLORIDA FOR MILITARY APPRECIATION MONTH

Congressional Record, Volume 172 Issue 108 (Monday, June 29, 2026) [Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 108 (Monday, June 29, 2026)] [Extensions of Remarks] [Page E634] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [ www.gpo.gov ] HONORING CHARLES B. ROBERTSON AS A DISTINGUISHED LEADER IN CENTRAL FLORIDA FOR MILITARY APPRECIATION MONTH ______ HON. DARREN SOTO of florida in the house of representatives Monday, June 29, 2026 Mr. SOTO. Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor Dr. Charles B. Robertson as a Distinguished Leader in Central Florida for Military Appreciation Month. Dr. Charles B. Robertson served in the U.S. Navy as a hospital corpsman for four years during the Vietnam War. He was on the USS Forrestal in 1967 when it had a fire in the Gulf of Tonkin that took the lives of 134 men. In his second tour in Vietnam, from 1968 to 1969, he was a member of a Military Provincial Health Assistance Program (MILPHAP Team) in Quang Tri, comprising one medical doctor and 15 corpsmen, assigned to medically treat civilians. He subsequently worked for several government contracting companies. At PRC System Services Company, he was the contract manager for the design of the landing strip and conversion of pads 39A and 39B from the Apollo/Saturn program to the Space Shuttle program at Kennedy Space Center. He was later presented with a certificate, signed by John Young and Bob Crippen, with a silk American flag which was on board the first space shuttle, launched on April 12, 1981. At Martin Marietta in Orlando, he became the director of Air-Launched Missile Systems subcontracts after negotiating with the U.S. Air Force to produce the LANTIRN Program. He was responsible for $1.5 billion of a $3 billion contract. He was named ``Subcontracts Employee of the Year.'' He then worked at ICSD Corporation in Poinciana Industrial Park, where he served as director of programs. He later negotiated the sale of ICSD to DBA Systems, Inc., headquartered in Melbourne, Florida, a 5,000- employee company specializing in Electro-Optical and Imaging Systems. He then became the vice president and corporate secretary of DBA Systems. He later negotiated the sale of DBA Systems to Titan Corporation in San Diego, California, and left the company in 1999. During this period, he completed his studies and obtained a bachelor's degree in business administration and economics, as well as M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in business management. Dr. Robertson started a custom home-building company in St. Cloud, Florida, in 2000. He subsequently became the president of the Home Builders Association of Metro Orlando, the area vice president of the Florida Home Builders Association, and sat on the Boards of Directors of the local, state, and national Association of Home Builders (NAHB). He was awarded ``Contractor of the Year'' in 2005 by the local association and was selected by the NAHB to build the showcase home, ``The New American Home,'' on Lake Nona for the 2008 NAHB convention held in Orlando, Florida. On February 20, 2006, the Board of County Commissioners of Osceola County proclaimed February 21, 2006, Charles ``Charlie'' Robertson Day, honoring him for his commitment to Osceola County. Dr. Robertson also served on other Boards of Directors, including the Education Foundation of Osceola County, the St. Cloud Chamber of Commerce, the Melbourne Chamber of Commerce, the St. Cloud Little League, and the Board of Advisors for the College of Engineering at Florida Institute of Technology in Melbourne, Florida. He supports the Museum of Military History in Kissimmee, Florida. He served as an elder at E3 Community Church in Orlando, Florida, and participated in ``Kids Beach Club,'' a Bible-based after-school program that taught elementary children Christian life principles. He also coached many years in the baseball and football leagues in St. Cloud, Florida. ____________________

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HONORING CHARLES B. ROBERTSON AS A DISTINGUISHED LEADER IN CENTRAL FLORIDA FOR MILITARY APPRECIATION MONTH Congressional Record, Volume 172 Issue 108 (Monday, June 29, 2026) [Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 108 (Monday, June 29, 2026)] [Extensions of Remarks] [Page E634] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [ www.gpo.gov ] HONORING CHARLES B. ROBERTSON AS A DISTINGUISHED LEADER IN CENTRAL FLORIDA FOR MILITARY APPRECIATION MONTH ______ HON. DARREN SOTO of florida in the house of representatives Monday, June 29, 2026 Mr. SOTO. Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor Dr. Charles B. Robertson as a Distinguished Leader in Central Florida for Military Appreciation Month. Dr. Charles B. Robertson served in the U.S. Navy as a hospital corpsman for four years during the Vietnam War. He was on the USS Forrestal in 1967 when it had a fire in the Gulf of Tonkin that took the lives of 134 men. In his second tour in Vietnam, from 1968 to 1969, he was a member of a Military Provincial Health Assistance Program (MILPHAP Team) in Quang Tri, comprising one medical doctor and 15 corpsmen, assigned to medically treat civilians. He subsequently worked for several government contracting companies. At PRC System Services Company, he was the contract manager for the design of the landing strip and conversion of pads 39A and 39B from the Apollo/Saturn program to the Space Shuttle program at Kennedy Space Center. He was later presented with a certificate, signed by John Young and Bob Crippen, with a silk American flag which was on board the first space shuttle, launched on April 12, 1981. At Martin Marietta in Orlando, he became the director of Air-Launched Missile Systems subcontracts after negotiating with the U.S. Air Force to produce the LANTIRN Program. He was responsible for $1.5 billion of a $3 billion contract. He was named ``Subcontracts Employee of the Year.'' He then worked at ICSD Corporation in Poinciana Industrial Park, where he served as director of programs. He later negotiated the sale of ICSD to DBA Systems, Inc., headquartered in Melbourne, Florida, a 5,000- employee company specializing in Electro-Optical and Imaging Systems. He then became the vice president and corporate secretary of DBA Systems. He later negotiated the sale of DBA Systems to Titan Corporation in San Diego, California, and left the company in 1999. During this period, he completed his studies and obtained a bachelor's degree in business administration and economics, as well as M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in business management. Dr. Robertson started a custom home-building company in St. Cloud, Florida, in 2000. He subsequently became the president of the Home Builders Association of Metro Orlando, the area vice president of the Florida Home Builders Association, and sat on the Boards of Directors of the local, state, and national Association of Home Builders (NAHB). He was awarded ``Contractor of the Year'' in 2005 by the local association and was selected by the NAHB to build the showcase home, ``The New American Home,'' on Lake Nona for the 2008 NAHB convention held in Orlando, Florida. On February 20, 2006, the Board of County Commissioners of Osceola County proclaimed February 21, 2006, Charles ``Charlie'' Robertson Day, honoring him for his commitment to Osceola County. Dr. Robertson also served on other Boards of Directors, including the Education Foundation of Osceola County, the St. Cloud Chamber of Commerce, the Melbourne Chamber of Commerce, the St. Cloud Little League, and the Board of Advisors for the College of Engineering at Florida Institute of Technology in Melbourne, Florida. He supports the Museum of Military History in Kissimmee, Florida. He served as an elder at E3 Community Church in Orlando, Florida, and participated in ``Kids Beach Club,'' a Bible-based after-school program that taught elementary children Christian life principles. He also coached many years in the baseball and football leagues in St. Cloud, Florida. ____________________