[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 51 (Wednesday, April 2, 2008)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E481-E482]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




     TRIBUTE TO THIRD DISTRICT CONGRESSIONAL YOUTH ADVISORY COUNSEL

                                 ______
                                 

                              SAM JOHNSON

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, April 2, 2008

  Mr. SAM JOHNSON of Texas. Madam Speaker, last fall I invited high 
school students living in the Third Congressional District to join the 
Congressional Youth Advisory Counsel. The goal of the CYAC is to foster 
civic involvement and to encourage students to unleash their passions 
for America. Each meeting, they exceed my expectations and make me 
hopeful for the future.
  The students who serve on the CYAC represent the best and the 
brightest in North Texas. Students are leaders, athletes, musicians, 
volunteers, and activists. They are the voice of their generation to 
Congress. They make a difference at each meeting and I'm proud of them.
  For this year's community project, students interviewed a veteran and 
wrote an essay. The summary of each submitted essay follows.
  It is my hope that some day the Congressional Youth Advisory Council 
will be associated with excellence and one of our highest standards of 
civic pride for young people in North Texas. I commend the students for 
volunteering their time on the Congressional Youth Advisory Council. 
Without a doubt, every student will continue to play an important role 
in our community for decades to come, and that America and North Texas, 
will continue to benefit from their dedication, smarts, and service.
  To the members of the 2007-2008 Congressional Youth Advisory Council 
. . . Thank you. I salute you; God Bless You and God Bless America.

       A twenty-six year old when the Korean War began, Seung Sik 
     Kim was already a member of the armed forces. He had received 
     education at the PoByungGamBoo Artillery School, from which 
     he graduated as Class President. When the Korean War began, 
     Kim was a Second Lieutenant who served in the field artillery 
     service branch, and he was eventually promoted to the rank of 
     Captain. His instructors consisted of General Kim Suk Won, 
     Commander Shin In Gyoon, and Commander Kim Kae Won, who would 
     later become a Secretary on the South Korean President's 
     Cabinet. Kim and his unit played major roles in the incident 
     at Ohdae Mountain in North Korea, where he starved for three 
     days, and in the fight against the Chinese in the city 
     Dukchun of the North Korean state Pyongamnamdo. Although his 
     unit was pushed back at first, he and his fellow soldiers 
     participated actively in strategically combating the North 
     Koreans. This experience of interviewing a veteran and 
     collecting and preserving his story has opened my eyes to and 
     greatly increased my respect for the honorary members of 
     our community who served for a cause and acted for remoter 
     ends, for higher good, and for interests other than their 
     own.--Susie Choi
       The purpose of the Veterans History Project is to collect 
     and archive the personal recollections of U.S. military 
     veterans, which is a way of honoring their service and 
     sharing their stories with current and future generations. 
     Veterans of the United States military have demonstrated 
     tremendous courage and heroism and made untold sacrifices in 
     the service of our country to preserve freedom. Each veteran 
     has a story that is unique, and of historical significance. 
     The legacy of these men and women must be preserved. As I 
     interviewed U.S. Army veteran: Specialist Joe White, I 
     realized that veteran's stories must be told and preserved. I 
     have gained the knowledge that the history of our veterans is 
     vanishing rapidly. I have learnt the more eyes and ears we 
     have around our country meeting with veterans, the more of 
     this priceless information we are going to save. Sharing 
     stories and gathering reminiscences had an immediate impact 
     on me and the interviewee. Specialist White took away a sense 
     of pride in his contribution to preserving freedom around the 
     world. His accomplishments while in the U.S. Army will 
     forever be archived in the annuals of U.S. history. Like most 
     military veterans, Specialist White may have not been in 
     combat, won a battle or firefight; but his contribution to 
     freedom throughout the world has been immeasurable and 
     lasting.--Derek Guckes
       I met Mr. James Marberry through a friend of my father. 
     Previously, I had been taking flight lessons for nearly seven 
     years, and just recently needed a more schedule friendly 
     instructor, and we found Mr. Marberry as the best answer. So, 
     for the past 2\1/2\ months, Mr. Marberry has been my flight 
     instructor. I began in Mid-December taking lessons from a 
     laid-back, thorough man that I knew hardly anything about. As 
     time progressed, and he told me stories of experiences he's 
     had in his over forty years of flying, I continually became 
     more intrigued. When I received this project from the 
     Congressional Youth Advisory Council, I could think of only a 
     few individuals that I was truly interested in interviewing 
     and Mr. Marberry was one of them.
       This interview is the first time that he and I had a 
     conversation in whose subject was not about flying. He 
     mentioned to me how he thoroughly enjoyed bringing back those 
     old memories, and I likewise was elated to hear of his 
     experiences. Many of the interview questions that one might 
     ask if interviewing a combat seen veteran didn't apply here, 
     but I can personally assure that even the men such as Mr. 
     (Private) Marberry who never saw combat will forever remember 
     their times serving our great nation. Military service is an 
     unforgettable part of one's life and we should continue to 
     hold the men and women of our military in the highest honor, 
     respect, and esteem.--Brandon Maso
       Mr. Ridgell M. McKinney was living prosperous. He had an 
     amazing wife, owned and lived on his own chicken farm and had 
     a great job managing McKinney's downtown general store. He 
     had all he wanted or needed. Then World War II came about, 
     and in 1942 Mr. McKinney gave up his more than satisfactory 
     life to go fight for our country. Mr. McKinney voluntarily 
     joined the United States Air Force as a private and fought 
     for three honorable years on a B-24 Liberator. Mr. McKinney 
     trained all over the United States to be part of the ten 
     man crew that

[[Page E482]]

     flew the largest war aircraft of that time. During those 
     three years Mr. McKinney and his squadron successfully 
     completed over 50 bombing missions. This was a major help 
     in the winning of World War II, but if you ask me his real 
     accomplishment was joining the armed forces in time of war 
     and coming home alive against all the odds.
       Interviewing Mr. McKinney has flipped my view on things 
     inside and out. He is a remarkable man with many life lessons 
     to teach. I have learned several. For example, he had no 
     selfishness. Even though life was going great for him, he 
     looked at it as his patriotic duty to leave all of it behind 
     and go fight for his country. Because of this, I now have 
     even more respect and admiration for all of those men and 
     women who have served in the past or are currently in the 
     service.
       ``And so, my fellow Americans, ask not what your country 
     can do for you--ask what you can do for your country.'' John 
     F. Kennedy--Corbin Dowell Ringley
       My name is James Garrett Tollette and I interviewed Captain 
     Ralph Peter ``Pete'' Langenfeld on January 26, 2008. Pete 
     enlisted with the Air Force in the summer of 1942 and saw 
     active duty in January 1943 as a 2d lieutenant. Pete was 
     assigned to the 785th Bombardment Squadron of the 466th 
     Bombardment Group of the 8th Air Division stationed in 
     England as a bombardier for a B-24 Liberator. His last day of 
     service was on December 19, 1945. For two years, Pete also 
     flew B-29 Bombers during the Korean War. He held the rank of 
     Captain when he was discharged on April 14, 1951.
       On August 24, 2006 he received the Distinguished Flying 
     Cross with valor for his heroism on January 2, 1945. On his 
     31st combat mission over Remagen, Germany, one of the live 
     2,000-pound bombs on his B-24 Liberator did not release. Pete 
     removed his parachute and oxygen mask so he could move to the 
     open bomb bay and manually release the weapon. Interviewing 
     Captain Langenfeld has been an incredible experience. To 
     listen to the thrill and patriotism in his voice is 
     contagious. It makes one realize how important history is and 
     we do not want to lose these experiences.--Garrett Tollette

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