[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 23 (Wednesday, March 6, 2002)]
[Senate]
[Pages S1597-S1598]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




         TRIBUTE TO ROBERT HODGES, THE OLDEST AMERICAN VETERAN

 Mr. EDWARDS. Madam President, today I pay tribute to an 
incredible North Carolinian, Mr. Robert Hodges.
  On Friday, the Department of Veterans Affairs will host a ceremony in 
Pamlico County and officially recognize Mr. Hodges as the oldest 
American veteran. According to VA records, Mr. Hodges celebrated his 
111th birthday last June. But if you ask Mr. Hodges, he'll tell you he 
is actually 114 years old.
  As remarkable as his age is, it's not how long he's lived, but how he 
has lived those 111 or 114 years that is so inspiring.
  Mr. Hodges is truly an example of living history. His life has been 
touched by almost every struggle this nation has endured. He was born 
in 1888, the same year Benjamin Harrison was elected President. His 
father, a runaway slave who lived to be 112 years old, often told him 
stories of the Civil War. He grew up on a former plantation in Beaufort 
County. He was never offered the chance for a formal education, so he 
helped his mother and father raise corn, cotton and peanuts on land 
that just decades before had been tended by slaves.
  Shortly after America entered World War I, Mr. Hodges volunteered to 
serve his country. Mr. Hodges was one of nearly 20,000 African-American 
soldiers from North Carolina, men dedicated to

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protecting a nation that treated them as second-class citizens at best. 
Military life offered no escape from the racism and segregation of 
civilian life, but Mr. Hodges didn't let that deter him. He served his 
country with distinction as a medical corpsman, ordnance technician and 
supplymaster. Mr. Hodges even became friends with General John ``Black 
Jack'' Pershing, commander of the U.S. Allied Expeditionary Force.
  Following his service, he returned home to his mother and father's 
farm. He married Malinda, and despite the economic hard times, the two 
eventually saved enough money to buy their own land and build a home in 
Stonewall. He and Malinda had eight children. Sadly, after more than 50 
years of marriage, Malinda died in 1997.
  Time has not touched his incredible spirit. In fact, if you ask him 
to, he can still describe his feelings at the moment he heard an 
orderly shout to the front lines ``The war is over!"
  Several years ago, a reporter covering a Veteran's Day celebration in 
Stonewall asked Mr. Hodges why it was so important for him to tell his 
story. Mr. Hodges replied because ``so many people . . . didn't get to 
come home.''
  Mr. Hodges' story is remarkable. He overcame discrimination and 
prejudice and served his country with honor. He raised a loving family 
and has become a pillar of his church and community. I am proud to help 
tell his story of service and patriotism today, and I'm certain it will 
serve as an inspiration to all of us.

                          ____________________