[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 172 (Wednesday, November 7, 2007)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E2349-E2350]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




   CONGRATULATING JAMES HILL ON RECEIVING THE FRENCH LEGION OF HONOR

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. LINCOLN DAVIS

                              of tennessee

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, November 7, 2007

  Mr. LINCOLN DAVIS of Tennessee. Madam Speaker, I rise today to 
congratulate James Hill, an 83-year-old service veteran from Elora, 
Tennessee. When Napoleon Bonaparte created the French Legion of Honor 
in 1802 to recognize service to the Nation of France, he could not have 
imagined that the newly formed United States of America would come to 
the rescue of his then empire nearly one and a half centuries after its 
creation.
  Yesterday, President Nicolas Sarkozy of France came to Washington to 
present the distinguished French Legion of Honor to six American 
veterans from the Second World War to honor and thank them for their 
sacrifice in the liberation of France from Nazi Germany. I am pleased 
to know that James Hill was among them.
  It was June 6th, 1944 that the battle of Normandy began, bringing 
James and other members of the Army's 116th Infantry unit to Omaha 
Beach for one of the defining moments of the War, and our Nation's 
history. James was wounded in the battle and spent three months in a 
British hospital, only to return from his injuries to fight in the 
Battle of the Bulge.
  While the loss of life on all sides was immense, our Country will 
forever remember the Second World War as a defining point in our 
history. Before the War, the American military machine was not what it 
is today, but we stood together as a Nation nonetheless, with the 
Allied powers around the world, to fight for the freedom of our 
neighbors and ourselves. I could not be prouder of what men and women 
of courage like James Hill have done for our Country, or more pleased 
to see that James was awarded this prestigious honor.
  I would like to ask my colleagues today to join me in recognizing 
James Hill for what he did to defend the people of France, the United 
States and freedom across the globe.

[[Page E2350]]



                          ____________________