[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 177 (Tuesday, November 6, 2018)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1495]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]





                         HONORING SAMUEL BEAMON

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. ELIZABETH H. ESTY

                             of connecticut

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, November 6, 2018

  Ms. ESTY of Connecticut. Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor and celebrate 
the life of one of Waterbury's finest sons, Samuel K. Beamon, Sr., who 
died this past Sunday, October 28, 2018. With Sam's passing, we lost a 
great American, a proud Marine, and I lost a very dear friend.
  A graduate of W.F. Kaynor Technical High School in Waterbury, Sam 
enlisted in the United States Marine Corps in 1965 and was deployed to 
South Vietnam. He became a helicopter mechanic, crew chief, and aerial 
gunner, flying more than 320 combat missions. Sam earned numerous 
awards while in the Marine Corps including 16 Air Medals and Combat Air 
Crew Wings, the Combat Action Ribbon, Navy and Presidential Unit 
Citations, and the Good Conduct Medal. He wrote about his time in the 
Marine Corps in his book, Flying Death: The Vietnam Experience, which 
was published in 2007.
  After returning home, Sam worked at Pratt & Whitney before answering 
the call to service again--but this time, as a police officer. In 1970, 
he joined the Waterbury Police Department. He was the first African 
American Accident Investigator, radar operator and instructor, and 
member of the SWAT Team. As the first African American promoted to 
Lieutenant in the Waterbury Police Department, Sam paved the way for 
others. He mentored many in the department, including Vernon Riddick, 
who later became the first African American Police Chief of Waterbury 
and now West Hartford, and Patrick Riddenhour, now the first African 
American Police Chief of Danbury--both of whom credit Sam Beamon with 
teaching them how to be an effective leader. Sam's legacy includes his 
work to improve the lives of the youth of Waterbury. He served many 
years as the Commander of the Juvenile Division and was active in the 
Waterbury Department of Children and Families Extended Team and 
``Project Hometown Support.'' He served on both Governor Rowland's and 
Mayor O'Neill's juvenile task forces to identify the issues pertaining 
to the youth of Connecticut, implement policies to protect young 
people, engage in practices that promote character building 
opportunities for at-risk students, and work with law enforcement 
officials to encourage dialog in the community to identify issues that 
negatively impact at-risk students.
  Sam was inducted into the Connecticut Veterans Hall of Fame in 2011. 
He was extremely active in the veterans' community serving as the 
Commandant of both Department of Connecticut and the Brass City 
Detachment of the Marine Corps League. He was a life member of VFW Post 
201 and a member of American Legion Post 135. In 2014, he was named 
Chairman of the City of Waterbury's Veterans Memorial Committee. Sam 
also served for six years on my Veterans Advisory Board, helping me 
better serve veterans in Connecticut and across the nation.
  As a founding member of the ``Forever Wave Program'' that visits 
local schools to teach proper flag etiquette, he enjoyed passing on the 
love of his country, the military, veterans and Gold Star families. He 
was 19 years old when his Kaynor Tech classmate, Michael Kight, was 
killed in Vietnam. Upon Sam's return to Connecticut, he honored his 
friend Michael and his Gold Star Family by visiting the local schools 
during Memorial Day and Veterans Day to share his stories of service to 
inspire the students to serve others as well.
  Sam's commitment to improving the lives and welfare of others 
extended well-beyond his involvement in veterans' organizations. A man 
who lived through some of the most divisive times in our country's 
history, Sam sought to inspire and unite today's youth. As a boy 
himself, he was a member of the country's first Young Marines 
Detachment, founded at VFW Post 201 in Waterbury. He knew the 
importance of community service, inspiring self-confidence, healthy 
living, and being true to one's moral compass. He understood the 
adversity some of our youth face in overcoming social, political, and 
economic barriers, but knew it can be done with hard work, a positive 
attitude, and moral grounding to overcoming all challenges. He mentored 
countless students, teaching them about the value of education, and 
what it means to believe in one's country, and answer the call to 
service. For Sam, his call to service and leadership may have begun but 
did not end with his time in the military. It meant giving back to 
Waterbury, the city that gave him so much. A leader in every sense of 
the word, Sam was honored at our Black History Month Congressional 
ceremony in Waterbury in February 2016. His remarks were touching; a 
perfect blend of self-reflection, humility, and his ironic sense of 
humor.
  In July 2016, he became the first Waterburian and African-American to 
receive UNICO National's John Basilone Freedom Award. Even though UNICO 
was founded in Waterbury, CT in 1922, it had yet to bestow this 
prestigious award on one of its native sons. While Sam may be the first 
non-Italian to receive the John Basilone Freedom Award, I wonder if 
UNICO heard the story about how he found a way to visit his good 
Italian friend Colonel Chiarella in the hospital. When hospital staff 
told Sam that only immediate family was allowed to visit the Colonel, 
Sam didn't miss a beat. He told them that he was the Colonel's brother.
  This story perfectly encapsulates just who Sam was: he was the man 
who would stand by your side, offering his unwavering support when you 
needed him. To veterans across the State of Connecticut and his family 
and friends in the City of Waterbury, Sam was a man of conviction, 
honor, and leadership. Although cancer took his life far too soon, it 
did not take his spirit. His infectious positive energy brought joy to 
the people around him. When I brought him apple cider donuts just a 
week before he died, he was full of plans about everything we had to do 
to set the country straight. He was and will always be my favorite 
Marine.
  Sam Beamon helped teach me how to care for those who have worn the 
uniform, how to fight with everything you've got, and how to cherish 
every day we are blessed to be on this earth. He never gave up. He 
never gave in. Nor should we.
  God speed, Sam Beamon. Our prayers, our thanks, and our love go with 
him.

                          ____________________