[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 191 (Monday, November 1, 2021)]
[Senate]
[Pages S7529-S7530]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                              Veterans Day

  Mr. TUBERVILLE. Mr. President, in 1919, President Woodrow Wilson 
declared November 11 as Armistice Day, marking an agreement the year 
prior between the Allied Nations and Germany to temporarily cease 
fighting during World War I.
  President Wilson said:

       The reflections of Armistice Day will be filled with solemn 
     pride in the heroism of those who died in the country's 
     service and with gratitude for the victory, both because of 
     the thing from which it has freed us and because of the 
     opportunity it has given America to show her sympathy with 
     peace and justice in the councils of the nations.

  In battles before World War I and in battles since, our 
servicemembers and veterans have served to protect the American way of 
life. Every year, our country pauses on November 11 to recognize our 
veterans with the solemn pride and gratitude that President Wilson 
referenced.
  We all wake up each morning and enjoy the freedoms this great country 
affords us because of our veterans--because it was our veterans, our 
men and women in uniform, who were there when their country needed them 
most. While their roles span multiple theaters and decades, our 
veterans were and continue to be united by a common mission: to protect 
and to defend the United States of America. This is a great 
responsibility they shouldered, and they deserve gratitude equal to 
their great sacrifice. Our veterans may say that they are just ordinary 
Americans doing their job. They may be ordinary, but they performed an 
extraordinary service to our country.
  Alabama is home to nearly 400,000 veterans, and today it is my honor 
to recognize a few of them for their service. I have had the pleasure 
of meeting many veterans from my great State, and I am always inspired 
by their service and their sacrifice.
  Their patriotism is unmatched, and their courage is unwavering, like 
that of CPL Edsel Bonds of Samson, AL, who experienced a shell blast to 
his right femur on January 28, 1966, while on a mission to intercept 
guerillas during the Vietnam war. The blast blew out 4 inches of his 
femur bone and several muscle groups. He spent most of a year 
recovering in the hospital from this horrific injury and never lost the 
love for his country.
  Now, nearly 56 years later from the time of his injury, he is just as 
patriotic as ever. He views his service as something that was necessary 
for our country to remain the greatest country in the world. Corporal 
Bonds risked life and limb because he believed that America is worth 
sacrificing for.
  We enjoy the blessings of living in a free nation but often discount 
the fact that our liberties come with a tremendous cost. Many brave men 
and women have paid a price that even our deepest gratitude could 
never, ever repay.
  I think Elmer Davis, the Director of the U.S. Office of War 
Information during World War II, said it best:

       This nation will remain the land of the free only so long 
     as it is home of the brave.

  One-hundred-year-old SGT George Mills of Decatur, AL, showed great 
bravery during his time serving in World War II. The Germans surrounded 
his company 500 yards from the German border and launched attacks into 
the building where they were staying, setting it on fire. With no 
ammunition left to defend the enemy, Sergeant Mills and his fellow 
comrades were forced to surrender.
  For the next 5 months, George Mills and his company were marched 
across Europe toward the former Czechoslovakia without food. They were 
starved and no doubt weary. Yet Sergeant Mills and his company 
persevered. They survived by eating scraps of sugar beets and rutabagas 
found in barns where they were held captive before they were finally 
liberated on April 13, 1945.
  During this initial attack, Sergeant Mills, despite being injured, 
sprang to action to help save the lives of those in his company. He was 
awarded a Purple Heart for his bravery.
  Another American hero is Fred Lacy of Auburn, AL. A lieutenant 
colonel in the U.S. Army, Mr. Lacy provided valuable leadership and 
negotiation skills during his time in Europe, Korea, and Vietnam. He 
and his brigade helped defend the western half of the Korean 
demilitarized zone at the end of the Korean war, ensuring that there 
were no weaknesses in our defense for North Korea to attack. During the 
Vietnam war, he coordinated all U.S. activity in the Mekong Delta and 
assisted the Vietnamese in combating the Vietcong.
  He volunteered in a leprosy orphanage in his free time while staying 
there. He was a natural at building relationships and resolving 
conflicts during his time. During a dispute between a Vietnamese and an 
American officer, Fred stepped in front of a gun to prevent the 
American officer from being shot.
  He received two Bronze Stars and the Combat Infantryman Badge for his 
leadership and courageous efforts. When reflecting on his service, he 
says that it was ``a privilege to serve.'' That spirit of service is 
something he carries with him even after his time in the military.

  Lieutenant Colonel Lacy has taught Bible classes for more than 60 
years and still teaches today at Auburn United Methodist Church.
  We, as citizens of this country, are privileged to have veterans like 
Lieutenant Colonel Lacy who have not only honorably fought for our 
freedom but have also proudly carried the torch of liberty across the 
world. They love their country, and you don't have to talk with them 
very long before you

[[Page S7530]]

understand how much of a driving force it is to them.
  CPL Clyde Haynes from Vestavia Hills, AL, served in the Army Air 
Corps' 439th Troop Carrier Group during World War II. Mr. Haynes shared 
the joy of walking with children in France as they rushed out of their 
houses and filled the streets to celebrate their new liberation from 
Nazi rule. He said that he ``wished he had a picture of that.'' Even 
though he does not have a physical photograph, you can tell that he 
holds that memory near and dear to his heart.
  Even though Mr. Haynes is now 100 years old, he is just as moved by 
that moment now as he was at that time because freedom is a powerful 
thing. But freedom does not come without cost. There are many 
servicemembers who pay the ultimate price for our freedom and never 
return home. There are families left behind who sit down to dinner 
every night with an empty seat at the table knowing that life for them 
will never be the same. They, too, have shouldered the cost of 
America's liberty and deserve our gratitude.
  For our servicemembers who do return home, their struggles do not end 
after they reach American soil. They continue to face challenges from 
what they have endured while in service and from the difficult reentry 
into civilian life.
  Most of us will never know the full weight of preserving our freedom, 
never have to endure sleepless nights from the harrowing memories of 
the battlefield, bear pain from war injuries, or miss important events 
with family and friends, like Ryan Charrier from Orange Beach, AL, who 
served as a U.S. Air Force technical sergeant in the war in 
Afghanistan, with the 442nd Fighter Wing. He received his first 
deployment when his children were just 8 and 4 years old. Sergeant 
Charrier said he was a bit older than his fellow fighters. He left 
behind young children but served with soldiers who missed births of 
their first children or deaths of family members.
  A veteran's life is so much more than just time in service. There is 
also the reintegration to civilian life, which requires just as much 
bravery, courage, and sacrifice. Sergeant Charrier's reminder to 
Americans is powerful:

       We as a country promised that we would never forget . . . 
     so I hope that every patriotic American will keep the promise 
     of never forgetting. Just because the war may have winded 
     down, doesn't mean our men and women who served the last 20 
     years still don't need the support of every American.

  These veterans--Edsel Bonds, George Mills, Fred Lacy, Clyde Haynes, 
and Ryan Charrier--are heroes, just like millions of brave men and 
women who have selfishly sacrificed throughout the decades. Their 
stories should inspire all of us to show a greater love for our country 
and our fellow Americans.
  Thirty-three years ago on Veterans Day in 1988, Ronald Reagan said:

       We remember those who were called upon to give all a person 
     can give, and we remember those who were prepared to make 
     that sacrifice if it were demanded of them in the line of 
     duty. Most of all, we remember the devotion and gallantry 
     with which all of them ennobled their nation as they became 
     champions of a noble cause.

  May we join together as a nation this Veterans Day to honor our 
veterans who have served this Nation and defended our freedom and 
values that we hold so dear. To our veterans, I say: Thank you for your 
sacrifice. Our Nation will be forever indebted to you.
  I yield the floor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Texas.