[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 158 (Thursday, September 29, 2022)]
[Senate]
[Pages S5517-S5518]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




               MISSISSIPPI NATIONAL GUARD RECOGNITION DAY

  Mr. WICKER. Mr. President, I rise this afternoon to call attention to 
the Mississippi National Guard on the eve of the 60th anniversary of 
their largest ever deployment.
  We have been fortunate since before Mississippi actually became a 
State to have a strong National Guard dating back actually to 1798. The 
Mississippi National Guardsmen have served honorably in armed 
conflicts, including the War of 1812, both World Wars, the Korean war, 
and the Global War on Terror. They have also been the backbone of 
disaster relief, responding to hurricane, floods, and tornadoes.
  But what I want to talk about today is what they did to keep the 
peace at a time of civil unrest 60 years ago tomorrow, September 30, 
1962. Many of us remember this. No doubt, the Presiding Officer 
remembers this. On September 30, 1962, a riot erupted at the University 
of Mississippi, my alma mater, as James Meredith arrived on campus. 
James Meredith would become the first African-American student to gain 
admission at Ole Miss.
  James Meredith is being recognized in Mississippi this week, as he 
rightly should be. My wife Gayle attended a very impressive event last 
night on the campus of the University of Mississippi at our beautiful 
Gertrude Ford Center with Mr. Meredith present. We are glad he is still 
with us, and he was rightly recognized.
  Today, for the first time, we have an opportunity to finally 
recognize those

[[Page S5518]]

young Mississippians and young Americans who were called up by 
President Kennedy and maintained the peace and did their duty. The 
soldiers arrived in Oxford on September 30. They came from small towns 
and rural communities across Mississippi, and like Mr. Meredith, some 
of them are still with us.
  As we mark the 60th anniversary of that Ole Miss riot, it is right 
that today we honor the citizen soldiers who stood in harm's way to 
answer the call of the President to protect life and property. It was 
clear even before the violence erupted that many agitators--a vast 
number of them from out of State--were going to cause trouble.
  There was a retired general in Texas named Edwin Walker. He issued a 
radio call from Texas suggesting that 10,000 people from across the 
region descend on the Ole Miss campus. In response, our Mississippi 
National Guard prepared for the worst. They responded to President 
Kennedy's call in the great tradition of our military dating back to 
the time of George Washington. The civilian leadership gave an order, 
and our military saluted and did their duty.
  As night fell, the crowds grew increasingly violent, and the need for 
reinforcements became dire. At the command of Mississippi Brigadier 
General Charles Billingslea, the National Guard dispatched two battle 
groups from the 155th Infantry Regiment and one group from the 108th 
Armored Cavalry Regiment, a total of 3,086 men out of Laurel, Amory, 
and Tupelo, MS.
  These young soldiers immediately met resistance as they arrived on 
campus. Rioters actually assaulted General Billingslea, along with his 
deputy, General John Corley, and his aide, Captain Harold Lyon, and set 
their vehicle on fire. These three soldiers managed to escape by 
crawling 200 yards to the Lyceum building, our administration building, 
while under gunfire. Hours later, additional troops were called in from 
Pontotoc, Water Valley, to quell rioters who surrounded the Lyceum. By 
morning, some 25,000 servicemembers had arrived to restore order.
  Tragically, there were two fatalities during this 15-hour riot, but 
there could have been a lot more. Dozens more were wounded, including 
40 of the soldiers. As a precaution, the National Guard troops were 
kept in place for several weeks. And by the end of their deployment, 
more than 30,000 soldiers had been mobilized. These citizen soldiers 
did their duty, and following the orders of their Commander in Chief, 
they prevented a crisis from becoming much worse.
  This riot was an ugly chapter in our history, but it was one of the 
Mississippi National Guard's finest hours.
  As the decades have proceeded, and we recognized the other people who 
were involved, this is the first time that the Senate will have had an 
opportunity to recognize the young Americans who came and restored 
order.
  My colleague Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith and I have joined to introduce 
a resolution honoring the Mississippi National Guard for their heroic 
actions and designating tomorrow, September 30, 2022, as Mississippi 
National Guard Recognition Day.
  The following day in Mississippi, the University of Mississippi has 
designated it as ``James Meredith Recognition Day.''
  Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the 
consideration of S. Res. 809, which is at the desk.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will report the resolution by title.
  The legislative clerk read as follows:

       A resolution (S. Res. 809) designating September 30, 2022, 
     as ``Mississippi National Guard Recognition Day''.

  There being no objection, the Senate proceeded to consider the 
resolution.
  Mr. WICKER. Mr. President, at this time, I ask unanimous consent that 
the resolution be agreed to, the preamble be agreed to, and the motions 
to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table with no 
intervening action or debate.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  The resolution (S. Res. 809) was agreed to.
  The preamble was agreed to.
  (The resolution, with its preamble, is printed in today's Record 
under ``Submitted Resolutions.'')

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