[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 168 (Wednesday, November 19, 2003)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2331]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   TRIBUTE TO COLONEL MITCHELL PAIGE

                                 ______
                                 

                             HON. MARY BONO

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, November 18, 2003

  Mrs. BONO. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize and pay tribute to 
the life of one of our nation's greatest, and most decorated, war 
heroes Marine Colonel Mitchell Paige. Colonel Paige passed away this 
past weekend on November 15, 2003 in his home in La Quinta, California. 
He is survived by his wife Marilyn, his six children, fifteen 
grandchildren and six greatgrandchildren. I want to extend my deepest 
condolences to Marilyn, who is a wonderful woman and whom I know 
Colonel Paige loved very deeply, as well as her entire family.
  Colonel Paige served with distinction in the Marine Corps for nearly 
twenty-eight years with a career that spanned from the date of his 
enlistment on September 1, 1936 to his retirement on July 1, 1964. The 
numerous awards and medals bestowed upon Colonel Paige included the 
Medal of Honor, the Purple Heart, and the Presidential Unit Citation.
  President Franklin D. Roosevelt bestowed the Medal of Honor, the 
highest award for valor given a member of the U.S. Armed Forces, on 
then Platoon Sergeant Paige for his heroic actions on October 26, 1942 
during World War II's Battle of Guadalcanal. His career and service to 
our nation are so exemplary that the Commandant of the Marine Corps, 
Gen. Michael W. Hagee, added Colonel Paige's autobiography, ``A Marine 
Named Mitch,'' to the U.S. Marine Reading Program. His actions are so 
legendary that the Hasbro Toy Company used his likeness for their 1998 
Medal of Honor GI Joe model.
  Words cannot justly describe the valor and steadfastness to duty that 
were displayed by Colonel Paige during the Battle of Guadalcanal. To 
understand his heroism, one must first understand the importance of the 
airstrip that his Marine Platoon fought to control during the fall of 
1942. During that fall, the Japanese Army was building an airstrip in 
the Solomon Islands from which they would be able to disrupt 
communication and supply lines between the United States, Australia and 
Great Britain. On August 7, 1942, in a surprise attack, the Marines 
landed and quickly seized control of the field. The Marines completed 
construction and put the field into operation. In the battles that 
followed, the two sides continued to struggle for control of the 
island.
  On October 26, 1942, Platoon Sergeant Paige led his platoon of 
thirty-three men in defending the critical ridge from which the 
opposing forces planned to launch their final assault against the 
airfield. During the fighting, each and every member of Paige's platoon 
was wounded or killed. The only Marine able to fight, Paige moved up 
and down the line pulling the dead and wounded back into their 
foxholes. Sergeant Paige held the Japanese Army back by firing short 
bursts from each of the four water-cooled Browning machine guns that 
his platoon had been given to defend the critical ridge. His actions 
convinced the Japanese that the crest of the hill was well defended. In 
truth, it was, defended by a single Marine named Platoon Sergeant 
Mitchell Paige.
  Sergeant Paige's heroism did not end there. In the morning mist, near 
the end of the fighting, Sergeant Paige grabbed one of the water-cooled 
Brownings, a job for which the weapon was never designed, and walked 
down the hill towards the location of the enemy who were preparing to 
outflank his position. Firing as he went, Sergeant Paige took out the 
remaining enemy forces on the ridge. Later, joined by a makeshift line 
consisting of communication personnel, riflemen, runners, cooks and 
messman, Sergeant Paige led a bayonet counterattack against the enemy. 
The counterattack was successful and the Japanese forces, having 
suffered staggering losses, receded all because a single Marine fought 
with valor and distinction on a small island a little over sixty-one 
years ago.
  After the Battle of Guadalcanal, Colonel Paige continued to serve in 
the Marines for another twenty-two years. His service and love of 
country can best be summed up in his own words: ``I am proud to be a 
citizen of a nation whose objective is peace and goodwill for all 
mankind. A nation which has contributed so much for the benefit of 
peoples all over the world. A nation, under God, with liberty and 
justice for all. I am proud to be an American. I can never believe it 
is old fashioned to love our Flag and Country nor can I ever believe it 
is being square to stand in readiness behind our Flag to defend those 
ideals for which it stands against all enemies, foreign and domestic.''
  America owes Colonel Paige a debt of gratitude. His actions, the 
actions of a single Marine, most certainly turned the tide in the 
Pacific Conflict during World War II. His actions saved countless lives 
of American servicemen and his actions quite literally won the War. Mr. 
Speaker, I rise today to recognize and pay tribute to the life of a man 
who lived with valor and honor, a man who loved his country and fought 
bravely defending her, a man who was a patriot and an American Hero, 
Marine Colonel Mitchell Paige.

                          ____________________