[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 36 (Friday, March 12, 2010)]
[House]
[Pages H1382-H1383]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   TRIBUTE TO CONGRESSMAN JACK MURTHA

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Jackson Lee) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Ms. JACKSON LEE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to 
a fallen hero, my friend, the late Congressman John Murtha. During the 
time of his memorial services and the special order hour that was 
rendered on this floor, my statements were not able to be submitted 
because I wanted to speak directly on the floor in his honor.
  John Murtha was of course a husband, a father, a loved one, a Marine, 
and a patriot. What we loved most about John Murtha was his love for 
the United States military, unwavering and always steadfast. He was a 
family man that loved his family, and a Congressperson that loved his 
people. Those he represented were so very important in his mind and in 
his heart.
  He came to this floor and to this House tall and recently from 
battle, having served in the Vietnam war on several occasions, knowing 
what it is to have been shot at and to be in battle on behalf of your 
Nation. That true lesson gave him a cause for life, and the cause for 
life was to be able to fight for the men and women of the United States 
military.
  But he did not stop there. As the chairman of the Subcommittee on 
Defense on the Appropriations Committee, he fought for the families of 
the United States military, the wives and husbands and the children. He 
fought for a better quality of life in health care and housing. He 
fought for better standards, if you will. And yes, he recognized the 
importance of leave time, R & R coming out of battle. And there was no 
greater champion during the midst of the Iraq war, the most recent war, 
who fought to give relief to the soldiers on the battlefield who were 
doing tours of duty one after another.
  He was a man of courage. He didn't step away from a fight. But he 
also was a friend. And if he gave you his word, he would fight on 
behalf of your constituents as he would fight on behalf of his. In 
fact, Mr. Speaker, he was an American's American, all-American. And if 
it had something to do with bettering the lives of Americans, you can 
be assured John Murtha was there.
  He took a very tough stand just a few years ago. The eyes of those 
who knew him as a champion of the military fighting for their cause, 
standing alongside of them, wondered what happened when he stood up 
with his eloquent voice, steady voice, and spoke about the Iraq war, 
calling for the soldiers to come home. That is courage,

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because he had been a supporter of that war. But he saw it crumbling 
before his eyes.
  Oh, yes, there has been an election over the last couple of days, but 
we always wonder what direction and how we could have handled it 
differently so that the lives that were laid down did not have to be 
laid down in a war in Iraq. The champion for the military saw that 
there was a crack in the system, and he chose to speak eloquently about 
it.
  I miss John Murtha. This body misses John Murtha, Democrats and 
Republicans. America misses John Murtha. But the one good news about 
John Murtha's life is that his legacy will live on forever and ever and 
ever. I thank him for serving, for living. And to his family, God bless 
you, and may he rest in peace.
  Mr. Speaker, I will submit a statement into the Record next week that 
will also speak to the qualities and the honor of John Murtha, the late 
Congressman from Pennsylvania.

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