[Congressional Record Volume 161, Number 165 (Thursday, November 5, 2015)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1603]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




        IN RECOGNITION OF SERGEANT (RETIRED) RONALD J. TEIXEIRA

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. WILLIAM R. KEATING

                            of massachusetts

                    in the house of representatives

                       Thursday, November 5, 2015

  Mr. KEATING. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize Ronald J. 
Teixeira for receiving the Silver Star for his gallantry in action 
against an enemy of the United States on March 22nd 1969.
   Mr. Teixeira was destined for a life of bravery. Born soon after the 
end of World War II on Veterans Day, he first joined the U.S. Army at 
Fort Dix, New Jersey to complete his basic training before being 
transferred to Ft. Gordon and Ft. Benning in Georgia to finish his 
training as a Non-Commissioned Officer (NCO) in the airborne infantry. 
In December of 1968, he received orders and shipped out with the 101st 
Airborne for Vietnam. Due to a shortage of NCOs in the 4th Infantry 
Division, Sergeant Teixeira was placed with Company B, 2nd Battalion 
(Mechanized), 8th Infantry of the 4th Infantry Division as part of 
security details for bridges, artillery units, medic visits to friendly 
villages and resupply convoys.
   It was while protecting a resupply convoy on March 22, 1969, that 
enemy forces attacked. Sergeant Teixeira's armored personnel carrier 
was destroyed and he was wounded along with several of his crewmen. 
Rather than seeking safety and medical attention immediately, Sergeant 
Teixeira returned enemy fire and engaged their positions until his 
ammunition had been expended. After receiving basic medical attention, 
he assisted in the treatment of other wounded soldiers and set up 
defensive positions until a medical evacuation (medivac) helicopter 
came to the aid of the ambushed unit.
   Sergeant Teixeira's fight to survive and protect his fellow soldiers 
that day was not over, however. While lifting off from the landing 
zone, his medivac helicopter was shot down by an enemy rocket. Pulling 
out the other wounded and injured from the wreckage, Sergeant Teixeira 
valiantly continued to risk his safety and life in order to keep his 
fellow soldiers alive until they were evacuated out of Vietnam and to 
Japan to receive medical attention.
   With a slip of fate, Sergeant Teixeira never received the Silver 
Star during his service in the United States Army. Instead of returning 
home to file the necessary paperwork to receive this award, Sergeant 
Teixeira shipped out to Korea after recuperating in Japan to continue 
protecting American lives. His bravery, service, and dedication is 
unmatched.
   And so, on this Veterans Day and, coincidentally, his 70th birthday, 
it is my sincere honor to be able to present one of our nation's 
highest military commemorations to Sergeant Teixeira for his 
outstanding military service and for the great credit he has brought 
upon himself, the Army and the United States of America.
   Mr. Speaker, please join me in honoring this distinguished soldier 
for his determination and exemplary devotion to his duty. I ask that my 
colleagues rise and join me in wishing Mr. Teixeira a happy 70th 
birthday and thanking him for the sacrifices he made in service to his 
country.

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