[Congressional Record Volume 161, Number 147 (Wednesday, October 7, 2015)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1442]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




          CONGRATULATING THOMAS QUIGLEY ON HOMETOWN HERO AWARD

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. KENNY MARCHANT

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                       Wednesday, October 7, 2015

  Mr. MARCHANT. Mr. Speaker, I am honored to congratulate Thomas 
Clayton Quigley of Bedford, Texas, on his receipt of the City of 
Bedford's Hometown Hero Award for his service to our nation and 
outstanding citizenship in his community.
  Thomas chose to enlist in the United States Army in 1942, in the 
midst of World War II. He graduated Officer Candidate School and became 
a First Lieutenant who served in Company E, 2nd Battalion, 23rd 
Infantry Regiment in the 2nd Infantry Division. After training in 
Scotland and England, Thomas and his unit landed on Omaha Beach on June 
7, 1944, shortly after the first D-Day landings to liberate Europe from 
Nazi Germany. He was wounded twice in France but ultimately continued 
to fight, participating in the Battle of the Bulge. He recounts that, 
in the middle of war, he and his men were often too busy to be afraid, 
reflecting that, ``it was our job, the one we signed up for.''
  After Germany surrendered, Thomas was stationed at Fort Swift in 
Texas, awaiting deployment to the Pacific, which was preempted by the 
Japanese surrender in August, 1945. While at Fort Swift, he met his 
wife, Barbara, when he and some friends decided to talk to some young 
women on a porch in Austin. He offered to help her when she brought out 
some water and she says ``He has been helping me ever since.'' Together 
they have been married almost seventy years and have three children--
Barbette, Kay, and Keith--and three grandchildren and two great-
grandchildren. He says that surviving the war is ``one of [his] 
greatest accomplishments'' but that it is his ``wonderful family that 
has made [him] truly blessed.''
  Thomas took advantage of the G.I. bill and went to study at Michigan 
State University, bringing his new wife with him. They returned to 
Texas for the weather (Thomas says, ``I survived the Bulge weather but 
couldn't stand the cold Michigan weather''), and he graduated from 
Texas Tech with a degree in agronomy. At first, like many returning 
veterans, finding a job in civilian life was difficult and he was a 
guard at the gate of a food plant. He eventually became a dispatcher 
for Central Freight Lines for 28 years, retiring in 1984. Even after 
retirement, Thomas was engaged and industrious, becoming the owner of a 
local 9-hole golf course and driving range.
  In his later years, Thomas has also become involved in keeping the 
recorded memories of World War II available for the public and future 
generations. With two Purple Hearts and two Bronze Stars, he went with 
Barbara to the 40th anniversary ceremonies at Normandy in 1984. Since 
that experience, he has written a memoir book, World War II, My War, 
logged his oral accounts in the National World War II museum in New 
Orleans, Louisiana, received the French Legion of Honor medal, and been 
featured recounting the Battle of the Bulge on the History Channel in 
2008.
  Mr. Speaker, on behalf of the 24th Congressional District of Texas, I 
ask all my distinguished colleagues to join me in congratulating Thomas 
Quigley on the Hometown Hero Award, honoring his valor and strong 
citizenship, and thanking him for his selfless sacrifice for our nation 
and freedom in the Second World War.

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