[Congressional Record Volume 161, Number 45 (Tuesday, March 17, 2015)]
[House]
[Page H1694]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                          BILL BADGER, A HERO

  (Ms. McSALLY asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute.)
  Ms. McSALLY. Mr. Speaker, last week, Arizona and our country lost a 
hero with the passing of Bill Badger, one of the people responsible for 
subduing the gunman of the January 8, 2011, shootings in Tucson, 
Arizona.
  Bill served for 37 years in the Army, where he flew helicopters and 
fixed-wing aircraft. After moving to Arizona in 1985 with his wife, 
Sallie, Bill established and later served as the first commander of the 
Western Army National Guard Aviation Training Site in Marana. He 
retired from the military as a colonel.
  After the shooting, Bill was credited with saying, ``Once you're in 
the military, you never retire. You're always there to help the 
community and the people who are in danger,'' and that is exactly what 
he did that day.
  Despite being wounded, Bill put himself in the line of fire to take 
down the gunman, saving many lives through his bravery and his quick 
actions. Like many others that day, Bill showed us that, even in the 
darkest of times, courage and compassion can shine forth.
  He was a hero in the truest sense of the word--one of southern 
Arizona's own--and he will be deeply missed by our community.

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