[Congressional Record Volume 161, Number 145 (Monday, October 5, 2015)]
[Senate]
[Page S7122]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     REMEMBERING WILLIAM H. SAMPSEL

 Mr. TESTER. Mr. President, I wish to honor William H. Sampsel, 
a veteran of World War II.
  On behalf of all Montanans and all Americans, I stand to say thank 
you to William for his service to our Nation. It is my honor to share 
the story of William's life and service--a story that most certainly 
won't be forgotten and a story he perhaps wouldn't have told himself.
  William, an extremely humble man, never asked to be placed on a 
pedestal; in fact it was his quiet service that is the landmark of his 
story.
  William was born in the midst of the Great Depression in January of 
1925. His parents William H. and Marguerite Brennan Sampsel lived in 
Shenandoah, PA, at the time. His father, William H., was a meter reader 
with the Pennsylvania Power and Light Company and would later become a 
district manager. His mother, Marguerite, cared for five children.
  From a young age, William developed a strong work ethic that would 
serve him well throughout his life. He started his first job at the age 
of 14, clearing forest land by hand, earning a modest wage of $1 a day. 
By the time he was off to college, he quadrupled his wage to $4 a day.
  William's high school football coach, Al ``Ali Baba'' Barbartsky, a 
teammate of Vince Lombardi, helped make it possible for William to 
attend the University of Illinois on a football scholarship. Although 
William was a 180-pound guard for U of I's football team, his true love 
was baseball.
  In 1943, William enlisted in the Army and was assigned to Fort 
Benning, GA, for basic training. The following year, he was sent to an 
infantry division at Camp McCain, MS. Shortly following, he was 
transferred to the 319th Combat Engineer Battalion, where he deployed 
to France in August of 1944 as an Army engineer.
  While in France on orders to contain a pocket of German soldiers in 
Lorient and St. Nazaire, he was wounded in battle. Toward the end of 
the war, he was promoted to second lieutenant and received a Purple 
Heart medal.
  Now, William never told his family about receiving a Purple Heart for 
his service. They found out after noticing his name on the Montana 
Purple Heart Memorial wall in Billings. But when asked about his 
prestigious award, he humbly described the incident as ``just a little 
shrapnel''.
  But this only speaks true to the man he was.
  After his service in the Army was up, William attended Penn State 
University and graduated in 1949 with a degree in geology. He then was 
hired at Amerada Petroleum Co.--now known as Hess--in Tyler, TX.
  There he met his wife Christine Wallis, and they were married in May 
of 1952. William and Christine moved to Regina, SK, Calgary, AB; and 
ultimately settled in Billings, MT, in 1961. William and Christine had 
two children--daughter, Priscilla, who now lives in Laurel, and son, 
Michael William Sampsel, who lives in Tucson, Arizona.
  Outside of his accomplishments as a geologist, William loved to fish 
and is remembered for his love of the outdoors.
  William died on July 19, 2012.
  William always gave all he had to give, whether it was his knowledge, 
military service, or help to others in need. His life story is 
reflective of the dedicated, hard-working, and generous man folks knew.
  It is my honor to recognize William H. Sampsel's bravery and service 
to the United States by presenting his family with his Purple Heart, in 
addition to a Good Conduct Medal, European-African-Middle Eastern 
Campaign Medal with four bronze service stars, World War II Victory 
Medal, Army of Occupation Medal with Germany Clasp, Honorable Service 
Lapel Button WW II, and a sharpshooter badge and rifle bar.
  Our Nation is grateful for William's service.

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