[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 27 (Thursday, February 13, 2003)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E244-E245]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  RECOGNIZING THE COURAGE AND SACRIFICE OF UNITED STATES ARMED FORCES 
HELD AS PRISONERS OF WAR DURING THE VIETNAM CONFLICT AND CALLING FOR A 
          FULL ACCOUNTING OF THOSE WHO REMAIN UNACCOUNTED FOR

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                               speech of

                          HON. JOSEPH R. PITTS

                            of pennsylvania

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, February 12, 2003

  Mr. PITTS. Madam Speaker, those of us who have served our country in 
war understand in our hearts what every American understands in his 
head. We understand what it says--carved in stone--on the Korean War

[[Page E245]]

Memorial down at the other end of the National Mall. We understand that 
FREEDOM IS NOT FREE.
  For more than two centuries, Americans have sacrificed in war for 
their families, for their communities, and for their nation. Many 
thousands have died. But of those who did not die, few have gone 
through what our friend and colleague Sam Johnson went through in 
Vietnam. For many long years he suffered torture, imprisonment, and 
solitary confinement. They worked on him relentlessly to break his 
spirit. But the spirit of Sam Johnson could not be broken. He stood up 
to his captors with dignity and with grace. He refused to betray his 
country. And he refused to give up on his God.
  I believe Sam would tell you, if you asked, that it was the Lord in 
heaven who saw him through those dark days in the Hanoi Hilton. But his 
reliance on our Creator does not make him less of a hero or less of a 
man. It makes him one of the greatest living heroes in the United 
States of America. And it makes him an example to us all.
  The Sam Johnsons of this world are few and far between. But somehow, 
this country seems to find one when one is needed.
  Another hero worthy of being recognized is Captain Edward Davis from 
the U.S. Navy, retired. Captain Davis, a constituent of mine, also 
served our country during the Vietnam War and was a Prisoner of War 
from 1965 to 1972.
  Captain Davis served in VA-152. His decorations include three Silver 
Star medals, the Legion of Merit with Combat Citation, four Bronze 
Stars with valor device, five Air Medals, two Purple Hearts and three 
Navy Commendation medals. He retired from the Navy in 1987.
  His service to America should be remembered. I am honored to have him 
reside in my congressional district.
  I pray that next time around, whether it's in Iraq or somewhere else, 
the enemies of freedom will once again find themselves looking in the 
face of someone like Sam Johnson or Ed Davis, someone who is living 
proof that what this country stands for is right, and just, and good.

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