[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 201 (Wednesday, December 6, 2023)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1184-E1185]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




       HONORING THE LATE CLAUDE MORSE OF COFFEE COUNTY, TENNESSEE

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. SCOTT DesJARLAIS

                              of tennessee

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, December 6, 2023

  Mr. DesJARLAIS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor and remember 
Claude Morse, who sadly passed away November 12, 2023. Tennessee has 
long been known as The Volunteer State for a reason, and no one I have 
met personified the spirit of that motto more than Claude Morse.


 =========================== NOTE =========================== 

  
  On December 6, 2023, page E1184, in the third column, the 
following appeared: Mr. SCOTT DesJARLAIS. Mr. Speaker, I rise 
today to honor and remember Claude Morse, who sadly passed away 
November 12,
  
  The online version has been corrected to read: Mr. DesJARLAIS. 
Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor and remember Claude Morse, who 
sadly passed away November 12,


 ========================= END NOTE ========================= 


  Claude was a selfless example of volunteerism, and not the kind of 
symbolic of volunteerism that simply amounts to adding his name to a 
group. When a need and a project arose, Claude was never just a worker; 
he was a planner, an organizer, a manager, and a participant.
  Morse was actively involved with several nonprofit organizations 
throughout Coffee County. Honor Flight, Project Appleseed and the 
Arnold Community Council are just a few of the organizations to which 
Morse devoted his time and efforts.
  As President of Honor Flight Middle Tennessee, Claude worked 
tirelessly to take eligible World War II, Korean War and Vietnam 
veterans on a free trip to see war memorials in Washington, DC. It 
remains my great honor to personally welcome as many of these heroes as 
I can when they come, and it was always a special treat to get to spend 
time with Claude as well.
  Over the past several years, Claude has sponsored hundreds of hero 
veterans and hundreds of hours of work to see it accomplished. Yet to 
him, it was simply time well spent to recognize those who deserved it.
  In addition, Claude also was a long-time member and President of the 
Arnold Community Council, a group that promotes, protects,

[[Page E1185]]

and preserves the Arnold Engineering Development Complex (AEDC) in 
Tullahoma, Tennessee and to facilitate interaction and cooperation 
between the complex and surrounding communities. Claude and many of his 
colleagues would spend time every year visiting the Tennessee 
Congressional delegation, other key members of Congress, members of the 
Tennessee General Assembly, and officials with the Department of 
Defense to advocate for and advance the mission of the facility. His 
group would also sponsor awards for AEDC personnel, the annual AEDC 
veteran's picnic, the ACC job fair, the Honor Flights and the AEDC 
children's Christmas party.
  Claude was also a committee member for Wreaths Across America, an 
organization that places wreaths on fallen veterans' graves during 
Christmas.
  He was also a natural candidate for public service and was selected 
as a Commissioner for the Coffee County Government. He was a recipient 
of the Governor's Volunteer Star Award for all his efforts and selected 
as an AEDC lifetime achievement fellow.
  I am proud to represent a community that has the utmost respect for 
all the men and women who have served our country with valor and honor 
as members of our armed forces. Claude never took a day off in making 
sure that we always prioritized that commitment to all of those who 
have served, are serving, and will serve. I will miss Claude and his 
hard work, and most importantly, his friendship and support. I ask all 
Members of Congress to join me in paying respect to Claude Morris for a 
lifetime of service to country and community, and I ask this 
institution to join me in sending the deepest sympathies to all his 
family and friends.

                          ____________________