[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 150 (2004), Part 19]
[Senate]
[Page 25325]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                      TRIBUTE TO DR. SAM BILLISON

 Mr. BINGAMAN. Mr. President, today I wish to mark the passing 
of Dr. Sam Billison, a recipient of a Congressional Silver Medal, who 
died earlier this week. He was a great American.
  In 2001, the President of the United States awarded Congressional 
Gold and Silver Medals to Sam and his fellow Navajo Code Talkers. Of 
all the honors Congress can bestow, these Medals are often considered 
the most distinguished, expressing the gratitude of the Congress and 
the entire nation.
  With this award, the Code Talkers joined the ranks of an exclusive 
group of people--Robert Kennedy, Harry Truman, General H. Norman 
Schwarzkopf, Nelson Mandela, General Colin Powell, and President 
Reagan, to name a few.
  As with many other recipients, Sam and his fellow WWII Code Talkers 
were recognized for valor, for their contributions to the national 
good, for their defense of freedom and democracy. However, unlike the 
others, they set several precedents, not the least of which that they 
were the first Native American Indians to receive Congressional Gold 
Medals.
  This is especially poignant when one realizes the cultural context in 
which Sam and his fellow Navajo were raised. Subjected to alienation in 
their own homeland, discouraged from speaking their own language, this 
group of Native Americans rose above adversity, voluntarily came 
forward to develop the most significant and successful military code of 
the time saving countless American lives, and then honored their oath 
of secrecy by stepping back into the obscurity from which they came.
  Many of these marines have finally come forward to be appropriately 
recognized and honored, but many took their secret to the grave. I am 
happy that in the twilight of Sam's life, he was able to see Congress 
finally mark that place in history so long overdue the Navajo Code 
Talkers.
  We, as a nation, are but a product of those who have come before us--
their accomplishments, their contributions, and their sacrifice in the 
struggle for freedom and democracy. We must never forget that our 
society is made possible only through the sacrifice and hard work of 
thousands of American men and women.
  Sam Billison, Navajo Code Talker, was one of an elite group of 
veterans, and yet he was more. He was a teacher, a school principal and 
a superintendent, helping educate thousands of young people, and 
setting an example for all to follow. In all sense of the word, he was 
a true American hero. He shall be dearly missed.

                          ____________________