[Congressional Record Volume 162, Number 40 (Monday, March 14, 2016)]
[House]
[Pages H1327-H1328]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
CONGRATULATING FIRST TWO RECIPIENTS OF CONGRESSIONAL PATRIOT AWARD
(Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN asked and was given permission to address the House
for 1 minute and to revise and extend her remarks.)
Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Speaker, I rise tonight to congratulate
Congressmen Sam Johnson and John Lewis for being named the first two
recipients of the Bipartisan Policy Center's Congressional Patriot
Award.
This prestigious award was established to biennially honor two
Members of Congress who have placed the interests and the goals of
nation above all other concerns.
As a former U.S. Air Force pilot, Sam Johnson truly understands what
it means to serve one's country. He flew combat missions in both the
Korean
[[Page H1328]]
and the Vietnam wars, and he spent nearly 7 years as a prisoner of war
in Hanoi after he was shot down over Vietnam. I commend Sam Johnson for
his tireless work to support America's men and women in uniform as well
as for his efforts on behalf of all veterans.
Mr. Speaker, I also have much praise for another wonderful colleague,
John Lewis. John's record of fighting for civil rights and civil
liberties dates back to the 1960s, when he was named chairman of the
Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee and served as the youngest
keynote speaker alongside Dr. Martin Luther King at the March on
Washington in 1963.
Congressmen Sam Johnson and John Lewis have both lived lives of
distinction, and I expect that tomorrow night's inaugural ceremony at
the Library of Congress will be a great testament to their life of
service.
____________________