[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 176 (Wednesday, November 14, 2007)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2421]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




   LETTER TO THE EDITOR AS OFFERED BY LINDA DICKENS OF GRAND BAY, AL

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                             HON. JO BONNER

                               of alabama

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, November 14, 2007

  Mr. BONNER. Madam Speaker, last week one of my constituents, Linda 
Dickens, submitted a letter to Mobile's Press-Register offering a 
heartfelt tribute to her father, P.H. Murray.
  As we pause this week to salute the men and women who have served in 
America's Armed Forces and honor the courage and sacrifice of those who 
continue to serve today, I found her letter especially poignant.
  Today, Madam Speaker, I rise to ask that this op-ed piece be entered 
into the Congressional Record in its entirety, for I found Ms. Dickens' 
letter an appropriate way to say thank you to the men and women who 
have done so much to protect this nation:

                      Salute to a Special Veteran

       Veterans Day will not be the same this year because my 
     special World War II veteran will not be here with me to 
     celebrate. He was my father, P.H. Murray, who passed away 
     Sept. 30, one day after his 84th birthday.
       He was a great American hero to our family. His American 
     flag is still flying outside his home, as it did every day he 
     lived. He went off to war as a boy at the age of 18 and came 
     back a man. He brought back memories, good and bad, that 
     would last a lifetime.
       He was proud to have served under Gen. George Patton in the 
     Battle of the Bulge.
       He was quite a joker when he was young, and when he was 
     awakened in the middle of the night to see his commanding 
     officer, the first time he thought, ``What have I done?'' It 
     was a good thing, because the officer had learned Daddy had 
     been a burner at the shipyard before the war, and they needed 
     men to help burn plows to put on the front of the tanks so 
     they could go over the hedge rows, which made the tanks turn 
     over and easy targets for Germans to shoot. This made him 
     very proud that he had done something special for his 
     country.
       For years as a child I never understood how Daddy could 
     squat on the floor for hours at a time without moving. It was 
     because for 19 months he didn't see a chair or a bed.
       He never talked to us much when we were little. If only I 
     had known the nightmares my mom hid from us that he was 
     having about the war. He had so many memories bottled up in 
     him.
       He was a great father and provider and was always there for 
     us five kids. He taught us to work hard, prepare for the 
     future and always value what the men of WWII had done for our 
     great country. He was proud that he had helped with our 
     freedom and that we were all able to go to college.
       He was a very smart man, even though he didn't go to 
     college because of his children. He was a quiet man until the 
     last few years, when he opened up about the war. He began to 
     tell us stories about the war.
       Some were funny, and others you could tell took a toll on 
     his heart. This is when I really came to realize what the war 
     had done for us.
       I had taken history courses about the war, but they were 
     nothing like the personal stories Daddy told. He said we 
     never learned the real history of the war in a history book. 
     Many young people don't realize what veterans did to keep our 
     country free.
       Daddy lost his two childhood friends in the war. One was 
     killed and the other so shell-shocked that he could never 
     come home to live. I remember the trips to see ``Mr. Jim'' at 
     the Veterans Home in Biloxi. Daddy never forgot about him, 
     even though he felt sad that he was not able to come home to 
     his family.
       Daddy taught us love, how important family is and that it 
     doesn't matter what you have, it is what you do with it. 
     Never forget we are free, and never forget the men who fought 
     and the ones who gave their lives so we could be free.
       He was proud of his WWII hat, which he wore proudly each 
     day. He was buried with it. It made him feel proud and 
     honored when someone asked him where he served.
       I give all the veterans of this great country a ``five-star 
     salute,'' as my father would say when you did something good. 
     Daddy, I give you a ``five-star salute'' for all you did for 
     me and our country. I will miss you this Veterans Day and all 
     the other days of my life. Thanks for a job well done.
       Linda Dickens, Grand Bay.

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