[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 193 (Thursday, December 6, 2018)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1605-E1606]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




TRIBUTE TO GEORGE H.W. BUSH, HEROIC NAVAL AVIATOR, DIPLOMAT, MEMBER OF 
  CONGRESS, DIRECTOR OF CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE, VICE-PRESIDENT, LOVING 
 HUSBAND AND FATHER, BRIGHTEST OF A THOUSAND POINTS OF LIGHT, AND 41ST 
                     PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES

                                  _____
                                 

                        HON. SHEILA JACKSON LEE

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                       Thursday, December 6, 2018

  Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Speaker, I rise to pay tribute to an American 
hero, George Herbert Walker Bush, the 41st President of the United 
States, who last Friday, November 30, 2018, slipped the surly bonds of 
earth, reached out his hand, and touched the face of God.
  His was a life of love: for God, for Country, and for family. George 
H.W. Bush, whom we lost at the age of 94, was a giant among men. He 
served our nation for most of the last seven decades, in so many of the 
institutions and sectors that make our country great.
  We were all very lucky to have him as long as we did. As the second 
youngest naval aviator, he was shot down during one of countless 
flights in the Pacific theater of World War II, leaving him stranded in 
the ocean for many hours--his life in danger and with rescue uncertain. 
Fortunately for him and the hundreds of millions of people across the 
globe who were touched by his leadership and mourn him today, he would 
be found alive and brought home. That night in September 1944 would 
prove fateful to this man, and the country he would serve and that we 
all love. When he returned home, he married the woman who would be by 
his side for 73 years and serve as our nation's First Lady, Barbara 
Pierce Bush. Theirs was a bond so strong that it is perhaps no 
coincidence that they left us within mere months of one another. 
Together, they created a prolific and legendary American political 
dynasty dedicated to public service, including: a son who would serve 
as governor of Texas and later become the 43rd President, George W. 
Bush; and Jeb Bush, who would serve two terms as governor of Florida.
  President George H.W. Bush's life was one marked by service to 
country: in the military, as a member of the United States House of 
Representatives from Texas, as part of our nation's diplomatic corps, 
as director of the Central Intelligence Agency, and as Vice President 
of the United States, before he would be elected the 41st President of 
the United States. His tenure as our nation's Chief Executive is one 
for which we should all be grateful, as he presided over a remarkable 
period of geopolitical transition and progress, including the end of 
the Cold War, the fall of the Berlin Wall, the successful 
administration of Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm, and a 
commitment to denuclearization as a means to achieve diplomatic ends.
  And, he did not let electoral defeat diminish him or his commitment 
to public service. When they were both former presidents, George H.W. 
Bush and his successor--the man who would deny him reelection--Bill 
Clinton, joined together to help victims following the devastating 
tsunami in Indonesia in 2004, and to help hurricane victims in New 
Orleans following Katrina. Throughout his long time in public life, he 
demonstrated unwavering fidelity to country, and it manifested itself 
in several ways, but is best articulated by President Bush himself, 
during his 1989 inaugural address: `I've spoken of a thousand points of 
light, of all the community organizations, that are spread like stars 
throughout the nation doing good. I will go to the people and the 
programs that are the brighter points of light and I will ask every 
member of my government to become involved. The old ideas are new again 
because they are not old, they are timeless: duty, sacrifice, 
commitment, and a patriotism that finds its expression in taking part 
and pitching in.'
  I know that today, people across the land and indeed the world are 
remembering this giant of American life. Of course, those of us in 
Houston also mourn and celebrate a neighbor, whom we loved, whose life 
we remember, and whose presence in our community is something we will 
forever cherish. Though he has departed, we are grateful for the time 
we shared with him and for his service to our nation. I mourn the 
passing of this statesman, but also celebrate his life. In this time, I 
extend my deepest sympathies to the entire Bush Family and hold them 
close in my heart. May God bless President George H.W. Bush, the entire 
Bush Family, and may he rest in peace.
  Mr. Speaker, I ask the House to observe a moment of silence in memory 
of the 41st President of the United States, George Herbert Walker Bush.

[[Page E1606]]

  

                          ____________________