[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 22 (Friday, February 5, 2021)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E112]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                IN MEMORY OF MR. HENRY LEE JACKSON, SR.

                                 ______
                                 

                      HON. SANFORD D. BISHOP, JR.

                               of georgia

                    in the house of representatives

                        Friday, February 5, 2021

  Mr. BISHOP of Georgia. Madam Speaker, it is with a heavy heart and 
solemn remembrance that I rise today, to pay tribute to a man of God, 
respected public servant, and entrepreneur, Mr. Henry Lee Jackson, Sr. 
Sadly, Mr. Jackson transitioned from labor to reward on Sunday, January 
31, 2021 at the age of 91. His funeral service will be held at 11 a.m. 
on Saturday, February 6, 2021 at Floral Memorial Gardens in Albany, 
Georgia.
  A native son of Albany, Georgia, Henry Jackson, Sr. answered the call 
to serve his nation at the age of 17, when he joined the United States 
Marine Corps. He served our nation honorably among the ranks of the 
first black Marines, known as the Montford Point Marines because they 
received basic training at the segregated Montford Point Base adjacent 
to Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. This historic troop went on to fight 
in the gruesome Battle of Peleliu in Japan during World War II. More 
than 50 years later, he and all of the Montford Point Marines, the 
first African-Americans allowed to serve in the Marine Corps, were 
awarded the Congressional Gold Medal by President Barack Obama 
recognizing their personal sacrifice and service to their country 
during World War II.
  Yet, Madam Speaker, Mr. Jackson's profound service did not stop 
there. He went on to fight in the Korean war, and upon returning home 
and finishing his education, he enlisted in the United States Air Force 
(USAF), where he served for 24 years before retiring as a Master 
Sergeant. After his retirement from USAF, Mr. Jackson served as the 
Chief of Airport Security at the Southwest Georgia Regional Airport for 
several years before retiring and dedicating his time to his 
businesses. He was the owner of Jackson Income Tax Service and a lawn 
service.
  Maya Angelou once said, ``A great soul serves everyone all the time. 
A great soul never dies.'' Henry Lee Jackson, Sr. is one such great 
soul, who served humanity in a special way. He devoted decades of 
service to fighting for the freedoms of others. He was an honorable 
human being who loved deeply and, in return, was deeply loved. His 
impression on this earth extends beyond himself to the very wellbeing 
of his beloved city, state, and nation, and for it, he will be 
remembered for time to come.
  Madam Speaker, I ask my colleagues in the House of Representatives to 
join my wife, Vivian, and me, along with the more than 730,000 people 
of Georgia's Second Congressional District, in honoring the life and 
legacy of Mr. Henry Lee Jackson, Sr. for his remarkable service to 
humankind. Moreover, we extend our deepest sympathies to Mr. Jackson's 
family, friends, loved ones, and all who grieve during this difficult 
time of bereavement. We pray that they will be consoled and comforted 
by an abiding faith and the Holy Spirit in the weeks, months, and years 
ahead.

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