[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 82 (Thursday, May 16, 2019)]
[House]
[Page H3853]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                          HONORING BOB MAXWELL

  (Mr. WALDEN asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. WALDEN. Mr. Speaker, I would like to recognize the life of an 
American hero who I was honored to call my friend, Bob Maxwell of Bend, 
Oregon, who passed away last weekend at the age of 98.
  Bob Maxwell represented the best of what Oregon and America had to 
offer. Bob was the oldest living Medal of Honor recipient in our 
country, and his gallantry was well known.
  On the night of September 7, 1944, in France, Bob Maxwell threw his 
unprotected body on top of a German hand grenade to protect the lives 
of his comrades in World War II.
  This unhesitating selflessness earned Bob Maxwell America's highest 
military honor. It earned him his second Silver Star, a second Purple 
Heart, and a Bronze Star.
  For those who had the pleasure of knowing Bob, as I did, they know 
that his bravery and heroism were only matched by his kindness, his 
warmth, his sense of humor, and his humility.
  Bob once said of his Medal of Honor: ``I am not wearing the medal for 
any personal deeds. I am wearing it because it represents all the 
casualties we had in the war. It represents those who were killed 
defending their country and the ideals that they believed in.''
  Like his fellow soldiers, Bob's service will forever be cherished in 
the country that he sacrificed so much to protect.
  Bob's legacy will live on in the hearts and minds of everyone he 
interacted with, and especially in his community in central Oregon, 
where Bob Maxwell was a pillar.
  To the entire Maxwell family, Mylene and I send our heartfelt 
condolences and prayers during this difficult time of loss.

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