[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 57 (Wednesday, May 4, 2005)]
[House]
[Page H2941]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




         VIRGIL POE, CHARTER MEMBER OF THE GREATEST GENERATION

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from Texas (Mr. Poe) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. POE. Mr. Speaker, born in the 1920s, he grew up in the Depression 
of the 1930s poor, like most rural American children. Fresh vegetables 
were grown in the family garden behind the small frame house. His 
mother made sandwiches for school out of homemade bread. Store-bought 
bread was for the rich. He grew up belonging to the Boy Scouts, playing 
the trumpet in the high school band, and he went to church on most 
Sundays.
  In 1944, this 18-year-old country boy that had never been more than 
50 miles from home finally found himself going through basic training 
in the United States Army at Camp Walters in Camp Walters, Texas. After 
that he rode the train with hundreds of other young teenagers, American 
males to New York City for the ocean trip on a cramped Liberty ship to 
fight in the great World War II.
  As a soldier in the 7th Army, he went from France on to survive the 
Battle of the Bulge and through the cities of Aachen, Stuttgart, 
Cologne, and Bonn. As a teenager, he saw the concentration camps and 
the victims of the Nazis. He saw incredible numbers of other teenage 
Americans buried in graves throughout France. A monument to those 
soldiers is at Normandy.
  After Germany surrendered, he went back to Fort Hood, Texas, 
expecting to be re-equipped for the land invasion of Japan. It was 
there he met Mom at a Wednesday night ``prayer meeting'' church 
service.
  Until a few years ago, this GI, my dad, would never talk about World 
War II. He still will not say much except he does say the heroes, they 
are the ones buried in Europe today.
  After the war he opened a DX service station where he pumped gas, 
sold tires, fixed cars, and began a family. Deciding he needed to go to 
college, he moved to West Texas and enrolled in a small Christian 
college called Abilene Christian College. He and his wife and his two 
small children lived in an old converted army barracks with other such 
families. He supported us by working nights at KRBC radio and climbing 
telephone poles for ``Ma Bell,'' later called Southwestern Bell.
  He finished college, became an engineer and worked 40-plus years for 
Southwestern Bell Telephone Company in Houston, Texas. He turned down a 
promotion and a transfer to New York City because it was not Texas and 
he said ``no place to raise a family.''
  Dad instilled in my sister and me the values of being a neighbor to 
all, loving our country, loving our heritage, and always just doing the 
right thing to all people.
  He still gets mad at the Eastern Media. He flies the flag on 
holidays. He goes to church on Sunday, and he takes Mom out to eat 
almost every Friday night. He stands in the front yard and talks to his 
neighbors. He can fix anything. He still mows his own grass even though 
he is 80 years of age. And he has a strong opinion on politics and 
world events. He gives plenty of advice to all people, including me. He 
has two computers in his home office. He sends e-mails to hundreds of 
his buddies all over the world. Dad and Mom still live in Houston, 
Texas, close to where I grew up.
  So today, Mr. Speaker, as we on this 60th anniversary honor those who 
fought in the great World War II and the victory in Europe, we honor 
not only my dad, but all of those American heroes. My dad was one of 
those individuals. He is the best man I ever met. One of the charter 
members of the Greatest Generation. And I hope I turn out like him, the 
man I admire the most.
  Virgil Poe, good man, good father. That is plenty for one life.

                          ____________________