[Congressional Record Volume 161, Number 10 (Wednesday, January 21, 2015)]
[House]
[Pages H438-H439]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       HONORING WILLIAM M. ALLEN

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
Florida (Mr. Jolly) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. JOLLY. Mr. Speaker, this past December, the community of Pinellas 
County, Florida--indeed, the Nation--lost an American hero, William M. 
Allen.
  Bill Allen was 83 years old and had served in the United States Army 
from 1949 to 1953 as a sergeant, Charlie Company, 19th Infantry 
Regiment, 24th Infantry Division.
  Mr. Allen was a prisoner of war from January 1, 1951, until August 
1953, held captive during the Korean war after being overcome by 
Chinese troops. Mr. Allen was just 19 years old at the time.
  To those who knew Mr. Allen, he was one of those remarkable people 
that left a lasting impression on you after just a single encounter. He 
was a patriot. He would share his stories not for his own attention, 
but to impart on each of us the story of sacrifice that our men and 
women in uniform make so that the United States--all Americans--might 
live in peace, protected by those who serve.
  Mr. Allen's story was most human. In his own words, he wrote this 
about his enlistment in the Army and subsequent deployment:

       Then there are people like myself, the little guy who went 
     to Korea as a young kid, still wet behind the ears, fresh out 
     of high

[[Page H439]]

     school, who joined a peacetime army, but soon found himself 
     in one of this country's most controversial military and 
     political situations known at that time.
       When it was over, we came home as veterans; no longer were 
     we the kids down the street. We were now that guy home from 
     war, the war that only a very few knew very much about, a war 
     that was unpopular, and a war that was soon to be forgotten, 
     forgotten only by those who didn't have to fight it.

  Mr. Allen did fight that war for us, and his sacrifice truly became 
real the day he knew he had been overcome by Chinese forces. He recalls 
wondering at that very moment would they shoot him, and in those brief 
moments, Mr. Allen recalled that he knew then that the course for his 
life would forever change. Two things he said he knew for sure: one, he 
was still alive; and, two, he was now a prisoner of war.
  Indeed, the course of Mr. Allen's life had changed forever. He 
endured many terrible moments as a POW. His family endured much grief, 
much worry, much pain; but his life had also changed forever because 
Mr. Allen would later find another calling in life, that of teaching 
others the importance of service, teaching about the sacrifice of our 
men and women in uniform, sharing with others the true cost of freedom.
  He would share these lessons with anyone he would encounter, but he 
also did something very special. He contributed many of his personal 
items from the war--letters, telegrams, newspaper articles--to the 
Armed Forces History Museum in Largo, Florida, for a permanent display 
dedicated to his POW story. Moreover, he then volunteered his time to 
teach young people at the museum the very lessons of service, to share 
with visitors his deeply personal story.
  Mr. Speaker, Bill Allen served our Nation in war, but he then served 
his community here at home, passing down a rich legacy to generations 
that follow. I was one of those individuals who had an opportunity to 
share in that story, and I am blessed by my experiences with Mr. Allen.
  For his military service, Mr. Allen was awarded many medals, 
including the Combat Infantry Badge, the Purple Heart, the Bronze Star, 
and others.
  Mr. Allen is survived by his wife, Helen, of whom he once wrote:

       If she was not with me, I don't know what I would have 
     done. She was not only my wife, but she is my best friend.

  Mr. Allen is also survived by his children, Susan and Bill, and many 
grandchildren.
  Mr. Speaker, a few months ago, before Mr. Allen's passing, he 
presented me with a copy of his book, ``My Old Box of Memories,'' and 
inscribed on the inside jacket is his message, ``Freedom is not free.'' 
Indeed, we know freedom is not free.
  Today, I rise to remember and honor Mr. Allen, to remember and honor 
his legacy, a legacy that will live on through the many people he has 
touched and, most importantly, through individuals, children, and youth 
that he devoted his time to educating about the cost of war, the 
importance of sacrifice, and the dignity of service.
  I thank Mr. Allen today for his service to our Nation and to pay a 
most fitting tribute, that for a man who sacrificed so much on behalf 
of our Nation, today is remembered in the well of this House--the 
people's House--by Members of Congress and by a grateful Nation.
  May God bless Bill Allen; may God bless his wife, Helen; may God 
bless his family; and may God richly bless each and every American who 
today serves and protects and defends the United States of America.

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