[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 58 (Wednesday, April 9, 2014)]
[Senate]
[Pages S2323-S2324]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     REMEMBERING BUDDY BROWN SPIVEY

 Mr. BOOZMAN. Mr. President, I wish to honor a larger than life 
personality and a true American hero, Buddy Brown Spivey, who was 
recently interred at Arlington National Cemetery.
  Buddy's story is truly inspirational. While serving in the U.S. 
Marine Corps, he was deployed to Vietnam. On December 7, 1966, he was 
severely injured by an explosion that led most of his

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unit to believe he died that day. The explosion took Buddy's eyesight, 
his right leg, and caused brain damage. He refused to allow it to take 
his spirit.
  After years of rehabilitation, Buddy returned to Arkansas with the 
intention of helping his fellow veterans live happy, productive lives 
after service. That was the thing about Buddy, he never stopped 
thinking of others despite the difficult circumstances he found himself 
in after his own military service.
  After earning his master's degree at the University of Arkansas, 
Buddy went to work for the Blinded Veterans Association, where he 
served as field representative for 10 years. He later worked as a 
counseling psychologist and social worker at the VA hospital in Little 
Rock.
  It has been said that he rarely missed a day of work. Helping his 
fellow veterans was a job he was paid to do until he retired in 2007, 
but continued to do long after that. That is how dedicated he was to 
his fellow veterans.
  Spivey family members will regale you with stories about Buddy's 
captivating personality. He was known as a sharp, at times flashy, 
dresser who wore a suit and tie to work long after business casual 
became the norm. He was a masterful storyteller, but he also listened 
to others' stories with the same intensity. After repeat meetings, 
people were often amazed that Buddy remembered every detail of a 
person's story from the last time they met.
  Most importantly, Buddy inspired people. His sacrifices on the 
battlefield earned him two Purple Hearts and two Bronze Stars. His 
sacrifices after service earned him accolades of another sort. The 
lives he touched, the people he helped, will always remember that 
sharply dressed man who put others first.

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