[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 24 (Wednesday, February 24, 2010)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E224]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                  HONORING CONGRESSMAN CHARLIE WILSON

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. MIKE QUIGLEY

                              of illinois

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, February 24, 2010

  Mr. QUIGLEY. Madam Speaker, I rise today in honor of Congressman 
Charles Wilson, who passed away on February 10th, 2010. Representative 
Wilson was a great statesman who served the 2nd Congressional District 
in Texas from 1972-1996.
  Charles was born in a small town in Texas, where he developed a deep 
sense of pride as a Texan and a strong dedication to the American way. 
As a young man he served in the United States Navy where he rose 
through the ranks and was given the privilege to serve as part of a 
Soviet Union nuclear intelligence unit based out of the Pentagon. While 
serving in the military, 27-year-old Charles was able to effectively 
run for and win the office of State Representative in his native Texas. 
This began a 12-year political career in Texas that earned him the 
nickname ``liberal from Lufkin''.
  In 1972, Wilson was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives, 
where he became most recognized for his role in the dismantling of the 
communist Soviet Union's occupation of Afghanistan. He deeply believed 
in the sovereignty of the Afghani people and was able to use his 
influence on the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense to help 
provide the funding for their liberation. Although the media has 
primarily focused on his accomplishments abroad, Charles always 
maintained Lufkin, Texas as one of his number one priorities. Some of 
his greatest domestic accomplishments include the creation of the 
100,000-acre Big Thicket National Preserve and the Lufkin VA Hospital.
  Madam Speaker, Charles Wilson was a political giant who brought his 
Texas-sized gusto for democracy and his passion for serving the 
American people to our Nation's capitol. He will be greatly missed not 
only by his wife and sister, but by the American people.

                          ____________________