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MEMORIAL DAY TRIBUTE REMEMBERING THOSE WHO GAVE THE LAST FULL MEASURE
OF DEVOTION
______
HON. SHEILA JACKSON LEE
of texas
in the house of representatives
Friday, May 28, 2021
Ms. JACKSON LEE. Madam Speaker, I rise in remembrance of every man and woman of the Armed Forces who gave the last full measure of devotion in defense of our country.
Memorial Day is a reminder to all of us who live in freedom that as President Kennedy said, ``The price of freedom is high, but Americans have always paid it.''
Each May, veteran and service organizations come together to hold events around the country to demonstrate their gratitude to current and former men and women in uniform and their families for their service to our country.
This year marks the 46th anniversary of the end of the Vietnam War, the conflict that deeply involved and affected every member of my generation, but none more so than the families and loved ones of the 58,148 men and women who never returned home but whose valor and sacrifice is forever enshrined on the sacred Wall of the Vietnam Memorial in Washington, D.C.
357 of those names remind us of the sacrifice on the altar of freedom made by the families of Houston.
Among those who served are:
1. Sgt. Major James Williams of the U.S. Army, who was able to join the Army at the age of 15 because his mother agreed to say that he was 17 (the required age) and was stationed in Vietnam from 1960 to 1962 as Advisor to the Vietnam Regular Army and then served 3-combat tours of duty from 1965 to 1967 before retiring in 1971 with the rank of Sgt. Major after 21 years of service. Sgt. Major Williams says today that ``If I could go back in combat and do what I did, in my physical condition, I would do it all over again.''
2. Major General John H. Bailey II (Ret) TXSG, who was commissioned a Second Lieutenant in the U.S. Army in May 1967 and served two tours of duty in Vietnam, 1967 to 68 and 1971 to 72, first as platoon leader and company commander with the 101st Airborne Division, and second as an Army Fixed Wing Aviator where he flew Reconnaissance, Surveillance, and Search and Destroy Missions over South Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia.
3. Felix Lugo of the United States Army, a native Houstonian and has been a resident of the Heights for the past 45 years, who was 18 years old when he joined the Army in January 1975 and served 6 years with the 4th Battalion, 31st Infantry Division (Mechanized), Ft. Sill, Oklahoma and as a paratrooper with the 82nd Airborne, and is still so proud to be a Vietnam Era Veteran.
Of the 2.7 million Americans who served in uniform in Vietnam, more than 10 percent (362,000) were killed or wounded, including 5 Americans soldiers who were just 16 years old.
The average age of the soldiers who fought in Vietnam was just 22 years old and 61 percent of those killed were younger than 21.
Three in every five (61 percent) of those killed were younger than 21 and 17,539 among those killed would never again see their wives and children.
So it is fitting and proper that during this month of May a grateful nation acknowledges and affirms the debt owed to those brave men and women who risked their lives to preserve the freedoms we too often take for granted.
Texas is home to more than 130,000 active military personnel and more than 1,600,000 veterans, 30,000 of which are from the 18th Congressional District of Texas.
It has been an honor to represent these constituents and I am extremely proud of their service.
As we acknowledge our veterans, current and future military men and women, it is essential that we provide them with the resources necessary to help, in President Lincoln's words, ``him who has borne the battle, and his widow and orphan.''
That is why I was proud to cosponsor and help shepherd to passage H.R. 1344, the Helping Heroes Fly Act, that was signed into law in 2013 and which facilitates expedited passenger screening at airports for service members who are severely injured or disabled, along with their families.
It is why I also authored the ``Helping to Encourage Real Opportunity for Veterans Transitioning from Battlespace to Workplace Act of 2015,'' or HEROS Act, legislation which provides strong incentives for employers to hire, retain, and employ veterans in positions that take maximum advantage of their skills and experience.
Madam Speaker, let us remember and keep in our hearts the brave men and women who gave the last full measure of devotion to their country while serving in Iraq and Afghanistan or some other foreign theater of conflict.
God bless them and all who served.
And may God bless the United States.
____________________
SOURCE: Congressional Record Vol. 167, No. 94
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