[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 87 (Thursday, June 29, 2006)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1335]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




COMMENDING LIEUTENANT COLONEL SAMUEL I. PARKER, RECIPIENT OF THE MEDAL 
   OF HONOR, ON HIS DISTINGUISHED SERVICE TO OUR NATION THROUGH HIS 
               VALIANT HEROISM DURING THE FIRST WORLD WAR

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                            HON. ROBIN HAYES

                           of north carolina

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, June 29, 2006

  Mr. HAYES. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the outstanding service 
of Lieutenant Colonel Samuel I. Parker of North Carolina's 8th 
district. Lieutenant Colonel Parker was one of only two soldiers from 
North Carolina to receive the Medal of Honor for his ``valiant 
heroism'' during the First World War.
  Born on October 17, 1891 in Monroe, North Carolina, Samuel Parker 
entered the United States Army at a young age. When the United States 
entered World War I, Samuel Parker, like so many of his generation, 
chose to put his own interests aside and lay his life on the line to 
serve his country.
  As his citation dutifully notes, on July 18, 1918, then-Second 
Lieutenant Parker found himself near Soissons, France. During the 
attack on Soissons, two infantry battalions were merged and established 
a frontline position. In so doing, a gap was left between the right 
flank of the French 153D Division and the left flank of the 28th 
Infantry, exposing the left flank to enemy machine-gunfire in a rock 
quarry on high ground. Second Lieutenant Parker ordered his depleted 
platoon to follow him in an attack upon the strong point. Meeting a 
disorganized group of French Colonials, he persuaded them to join his 
platoon. They followed him through enemy fire to the crest of the hill, 
and rushing forward, took the quarry, capturing six machineguns and 40 
prisoners. The next day when the assault continued, Second Lieutenant 
Parker was in command of the merged battalions. Although wounded in the 
foot, he refused to evacuate and continued to lead his command until 
the objective was reached. Seeing that the assault battalion was 
subjected to heavy enfilade fire due to a gap between it and the French 
on its left, he led his battalion through heavy fire and closed the 
gap, remaining in command until the newly established lines were 
thoroughly consolidated. In supervising this, Lieutenant Parker had to 
crawl on his hands and knees on account of his painful wound.

  As the British statesman and philosopher Edmund Burke once said, 
``The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to 
do nothing.'' That day good men like Lieutenant Parker did something, 
and evil did not triumph, but rather our freedom was ensured.
  Unlike many of his comrades, Second Lieutenant Parker survived to 
receive his Medal of Honor and the Distinguished Service Cross and went 
on to achieve the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. He passed away on 
December 1, 1975 at the age of 84. It is our duty to remember the 
service and sacrifice of Lieutenant Colonel Samuel L. Parker and that 
of all our veterans.
  Our veterans are the heroes who helped define our American heritage, 
and are living proof that freedom is never free. The memory of those we 
lost and the sacrifice of those who lived to tell the tale must be held 
in high esteem by Congress and a nation that extends our veterans its 
utmost respect and gratitude. As we approach the fourth of July, the 
anniversary of our independence, we must never forget the service of 
our veterans and pay tribute to those who have gone before us. Now more 
than ever, we must come together as a nation to unite and rally around 
those who continue to fight for our freedom.

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