[Congressional Record Volume 161, Number 179 (Thursday, December 10, 2015)]
[House]
[Page H9265]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




       HONORING THE LIFE AND WORK OF ``FEARLESS'' PHYLLIS GALANTI

  (Mr. BRAT asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. BRAT. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the life and work of 
``Fearless'' Phyllis Galanti, an amazing woman and a true American 
hero.
  On Tuesday, the House passed H.R. 2693 which honors Phyllis Galanti 
by naming the arboretum at the Hunter Holmes McGuire VA Medical Center 
in Richmond, Virginia, as the Phyllis E. Galanti Arboretum.
  When her husband, Paul Galanti, was shot down and taken as a prisoner 
of war in North Vietnam in June 1966, Phyllis did not respond with fear 
but, instead, became a tireless advocate for American POWs around the 
world.
  ``Fearless Phyllis,'' as she became known, sought an audience with 
the North Vietnamese leaders, collected almost half a million letters 
from the Richmond area, and personally delivered them to the North 
Vietnamese embassy in Stockholm. She also gave hundreds of policy 
presentations to leaders like President Nixon and Secretary of State 
Henry Kissinger, becoming nationally known for her dedication to 
bringing home POWs.
  Mr. Speaker, after over 7 years of separation, Paul and Phyllis were 
reunited in February of 1973 in Norfolk, Virginia. Even with her 
husband home, Phyllis continued her work, confronting not only Vietnam, 
but also the Soviet Union and Iran in her tireless quest to bring our 
boys home, eventually earning The American Legion Service Medal.
  Her dedication to our prisoners of war is truly inspirational. We all 
are grateful that this bill passed the House, and I owe a special 
thanks to former POW Representative Sam Johnson; Veterans Committee 
Chairman Jeff Miller; my good friend from Richmond, Representative 
Bobby Scott; and the entire Virginia delegation.

                          ____________________