[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 137 (Wednesday, October 1, 2003)]
[Senate]
[Page S12273]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        REMEMBERING RED PURSLEY

 Mr. MILLER. Mr. President, I rise today to note with deep 
regret the passing of a true American hero, entrepreneur, and fellow 
serviceman, Lewis ``Red'' Pursley.
  Red Pursley's journey through life came to a quiet and peaceful end 
on September 30, 2003, at a hospice facility near his home in 
Douglasville, GA. A veteran of World War II and of the battlefields of 
corporate commerce, as well as a loving father and pillar of his local 
community, Mr. Pursley embodied the virtues that define the term 
American citizen.
  As a young man in Clover, SC, Red Pursley heeded his country's call 
when he was needed most, like so many others of what history would 
later call the ``greatest generation.'' Entering into active service in 
late 1942, Mr. Pursley and his comrades knew the dangerous nature of 
their duty, but attacked it with the confidence that their services 
were necessary to the allied effort and conducted in the name of a 
righteous cause.
  A flight engineer and top turret gunner on a B-17 bomber crew based 
in England with the 8th Army Air Corps, Sergeant Pursley and the other 
9 members of his crew flew 14 successful missions over Northern Europe 
before being shot down while on a mission over Frankfurt on January 29, 
1944. Of the 10 crewmembers onboard, four died in the air and two 
escaped capture, but Sergeant Pursley and three others were taken 
prisoner by the Germans.
  For the next 16 months, Sergeant Pursley, along with thousands of his 
fellow servicemembers, endured long marches, malnutrition, and despair 
in a number of Nazi prison camps, before he was liberated on May 6, 
1945, just four days shy of the end of the European Campaign. Though 
his health suffered throughout the heroing ordeal, Sergeant Pursley's 
sense of pride in his service and faith in his cause never wavered.
  For his service, Mr. Pursley earned numerous decorations including 
the Silver Star and the Purple Heart. Upon his return from Europe and 
separation from the Army Air Corps, Mr. Pursley moved to Georgia and, 
in 1957, started Redrock Carpet, a commercial carpet company that he 
has run ever since with his son. Mr. Pursley excelled as a businessman 
and the products that he manufactured have been used to carpet such 
notable locales as Air Force One and the private residence quarters in 
the White House.
  Red Pursley was a man we all should admire, as it was efforts of men 
like him that helped forge our present greatness. He took an active 
part in the last half century as a solider and a citizen, as a 
community leader and a businessman, and as a living link to our past. 
His distinguished career, both in the service of his country and in the 
private sector, is a demonstration of the highest standards of 
integrity, professionalism, and patriotism.
  Red died on the morning of September 30, 2003, at the age of 82 after 
succumbing to a long bout with cancer. He leaves behind his loving wife 
and partner of nearly 61 years, Catherine Robinson Pursley, two 
children, three grandchildren, and four great-grandchildren. Red also 
leaves behind an indelible mark on his Douglasville, GA community and 
on the lives of all of those that he touched. He will be missed, but as 
long as the legacy of the greatest generation lives on, so too will 
he.

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