[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 84 (Wednesday, May 21, 2008)]
[Senate]
[Page S4616]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                TRIBUTE TO BRIGADIER GENERAL NEIL SMART

 Mr. SESSIONS. Mr. President, I wish today to pay tribute to BG 
Neil Smart, former battalion commander in the Battle of the Bulge in 
World War II and Director of the Veterans Administration Regional 
Office in Montgomery, AL. General Smart's service to this nation was 
long and distinguished.
  Smart was commissioned a second lieutenant in the ROTC department of 
the University of Alabama in 1938. He left Active Duty as a lieutenant 
colonel and continued to serve in the National Guard. After General 
Smart completed his military service, he continued to serve the 
Nation's veterans in his work with the Veterans' Administration. He led 
the VA in Alabama in an exemplary manner from 1958 to 1974.
  General Smart also loved to share stories of World War II. He felt 
this was a legacy his generation should leave younger generations. He 
really liked to tell the story about an unscheduled inspection he and 
his battalion had to undergo during World War II. The inspectors were 
GEN Dwight Eisenhower, GEN Omar Bradley, and British Prime Minister 
Winston Churchill.
  This 94-year-old was also a key fundraiser in the efforts to build a 
memorial honoring the American effort in World War II. He was scheduled 
to visit the World War II Memorial with an Honor Flight group from the 
Prattville and Montgomery area of Alabama this past Saturday. My wife 
and I were there at the memorial to meet this group of heroes. When the 
group arrived, we were told the sad news that General Smart had died 
just hours before their departure.
  So, Mr. President it is my honor to pay tribute to this great 
Alabamian and American. He served his State and Nation well.

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