[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 34 (Wednesday, March 10, 2010)]
[House]
[Page H1299]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




               REMEMBERING REPRESENTATIVE CHARLIE WILSON

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from Texas (Mr. Gohmert) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. GOHMERT. Mr. Speaker, I do rise in tribute to Charlie Wilson. He 
was a constituent of mine. He was an inspiration to me. For those that 
don't know, he was born in Trinity, Texas, and had education at Sam 
Houston State University, but he also attended the U.S. Naval Academy. 
He loved this country. He was willing to lay down his life for this 
country.
  Between 1956 and 1960, Charlie Wilson served in the United States 
Navy, obtained the rank of lieutenant, and the man knew about defending 
America. It was a part of his heart and soul and was something he 
carried with him throughout his life. His political career began in 
1960 when he was elected to the Texas House of Representatives. And as 
my friend Mr. Edwards mentioned, the official version is that it began 
in 1960 when he was elected to the House of Representatives in Texas, 
but actually, it did begin when his neighbor poisoned his dog, and 
Charlie got so active as a young high school kid that he started taking 
people to the polls to make sure there were enough people to defeat the 
man that poisoned his dog. That was really his start in politics. But 
he saw what one person could do if they were determined enough and 
sincere enough and gave it their all.
  But to give a little more of his history, he served in the Texas 
House of Representatives for 6 years and was then elected to the Texas 
Senate in 1960. Then in 1972, the Second Congressional District of 
Texas elected Charlie to the U.S. House of Representatives. And it 
wasn't until 1996 that he decided not to run again. The slogan that he 
used throughout his campaign--it really pretty well summarized the man, 
``Wilson gets it done,'' and Charlie did.
  He is from what some people call the Bible Belt, and what I've heard 
from constituents many times is, Yes, we knew about Charlie's issues, 
but the thing about Charlie, he was always honest about them. And I 
will never forget when we were naming the VA clinic for the man who is 
the reason it's in Lufkin, Texas. The VA Secretary came and he spoke, 
and then I had the honor of introducing Charlie, and Charlie got up and 
he was really emotional. He told the crowd there--there was a huge 
crowd there that assembled in his honor there at the civic center--and 
he said very emotionally, I love you people. Sixteen times you 
overlooked my personal indiscretions and allowed me to represent you.
  Now, there are not many politicians that would stand up and say, You 
overlooked my personal indiscretions 16 times and let me represent you, 
but Charlie did. That was Charlie, and he made no bones about who he 
was or what he was.
  And in fact, when Tip O'Neill had put him on the Ethics Committee and 
a reporter said, Well, what are you doing on the Ethics Committee? He 
responded a famous quote: ``Well, I love women, and I love whiskey, and 
we deserve to be represented on that committee too.'' He made no bones 
about it. His constituents loved him. He was always honest about 
things, and that goes so far, and everyone should take notice of that 
fact, that America loves people who are honest with them. He took care 
of his seniors. I heard that over and over. You know, Charlie Wilson 
took care of those who couldn't take care of themselves. And it was one 
of the reasons that people loved him in east Texas, and it's one of the 
things that inspires me, having seen what he did.
  You know, here I was a Republican, he was a Democrat. He always made 
time if I had questions: What do you think about Afghanistan? Because 
nobody knew more about Afghanistan than Charlie. He always had sage 
advice, and I really appreciated that. And I would like to also quote 
Jim Turner that followed Charlie in Congress. Jim described him as a 
dedicated public servant who fought hard for the people of his 
district.
  And I would just like to also pay tribute--and I know that Barbara, 
his widow, is still mourning his loss and will for a long time to come. 
Barbara Wilson made a difference in Charlie's life. Barbara sustained 
and prolonged Charlie's life. He loved her. He loved her family. They 
loved him. And she made a difference in his life, just as he made a 
difference in this country. Just as Charlie showed what one man can do 
when he puts his mind to it, this body ought to always be inspired by 
the memory of the great, late Charlie Wilson.

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