[Congressional Record Volume 162, Number 138 (Tuesday, September 13, 2016)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1260]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    WILLIAM ``BILL'' SHERRILL--TEXAN

                                 ______
                                 

                              HON. TED POE

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                      Tuesday, September 13, 2016

  Mr. POE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, this month William ``Bill'' Sherrill 
turns 90 years young. This energetic veteran still has the same passion 
for our country and our military that he had the day he enlisted into 
the Marines at 15 years of age in 1941. As a young teenager, Bill 
served during World War Two and participated in the island hopping 
campaign until he was wounded in Iwo Jima.
  Born in the 1920s, Bill grew up in the Depression of the 1930s poor, 
in Houston, Texas. At the age of 15, two weeks after Pearl Harbor, Bill 
dropped out of Lanier Middle School and answered his country's call of 
duty to serve by joining the U.S. Marines. Bill said ``he didn't lie 
about his age; I'm from Texas, I exaggerated my age.''
  During this time, the United States' major strategy was launched 
against Japan in a strategy called island hopping. This tactic was 
employed by the United States to gain military bases and secure small 
islands in the Pacific. Our military took control of the islands and 
quickly constructed landing strips and military bases. Then they 
proceeded to attack other islands from the bases they had established. 
Bill belonged to the 3rd Marines, 9th Battalion, and they participated 
in several campaigns along Bougainville, Guam and Iwo Jima.
  In February 1945, his troop invaded Iwo Jima on the seventh day. It 
was a month long bloody battle against Imperial Japan that resulted in 
7,000 Marines who were killed and over 20,000 were injured; mostly 
young Marines. Bill lasted seven days, before being shot through the 
left arm; he went out on the fourteenth day of the battle. Bill recalls 
seeing the flag ``Old Glory'' that was famously waved over Mount 
Suribachi. From that experience, Bill knew that the Marines go where 
others fear to tread, and the timid are not found. For his injuries, 
Bill was treated at Oakland Naval Hospital. The bullet severed the 
nerve in his left arm, leaving his arm paralyzed and causing Bill to 
spiral into depression. But, Bill's story is not over. For his service 
and bravery, Bill received the Purple Heart, American Campaign Medal 
and the Good Conduct Medal. While recovering at the Naval Hospital, 
Bill also earned his GED (General Education Diploma). This would set 
him on a new course of training--from the battlefield to the classroom.
  After his discharge in 1946, he moved back to Texas and enrolled at 
the University of Houston. Four years later, he earned his Bachelor's 
Degree in Business Administration and then his Master's at the Harvard 
School of Business. Bill never gave up. He was wounded, uneducated and 
paralyzed but he continued to press forward.
  With his determination to never give in, Bill has had many successes. 
He has owned several businesses and even helped develop Tiki and 
Jamaica Island in Galveston. Banking and real estate were his main 
interests. He was employed by the City of Houston, served as president 
of a local bank, owned a financial consulting firm, and even served on 
the Federal Reserve's Board of Governors. With this diverse and 
fascinating career, it wasn't until 1990, that Bill discovered his true 
passion--teaching. He returned to his alma mater, the University of 
Houston, to teach at the Bauer College of Business Administration. 
Three years later, he founded the Center for Entrepreneurship and 
Innovation at University of Houston.
  Ronald Reagan best summed it up when he said, ``Some people spend an 
entire lifetime wondering if they made a difference. The Marines don't 
have that problem.'' That's certainly true for Bill, a remarkable man 
who has certainly made a difference in our community and in the lives 
of many. Happy 90th, Oooh Rah. Semper Fi.
  And that's just the way it is.

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