[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 153 (2007), Part 11]
[House]
[Page 15962]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




               HONORING VIETNAM WAR VETERAN JAMES WILLIS

  (Mr. KLEIN of Florida asked and was given permission to address the 
House for 1 minute.)
  Mr. KLEIN of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor and pay 
homage to a Vietnam War veteran by the name of James Willis. Mr. 
Willis, who is stricken with cancer and only has weeks to live, has 
been living on the streets of West Palm Beach for nearly 20 years.
  Because of the good will of a local police officer who has been 
keeping track of Mr. Willis for the past year, Mr. Willis received a 
$121 bus ticket to Greensboro, North Carolina, so he could spend his 
dying days with the only family left, his half brother.
  Friends, it is an absolute shame that many of our Nation's veterans 
are living on the streets. These brave men and women in uniform served 
our country with bravery, honor and sacrifice. Yet unfortunately many 
of them are barely scraping by, and, in the case of Mr. Willis, are 
homeless.
  In the words of Palm Beach County Corporal Karl Martin, who arranged 
through the Marine Corps League to purchase him a bus ticket, ``There's 
no reason for any veteran in this country to be living in the woods 
somewhere.''
  Corporal Martin, you're a hero for arranging for Mr. Willis to spend 
his last days with his family. And to Mr. Willis from our entire 
Nation, we are grateful for your service to our country. Thank you for 
the sacrifices you have made to protect our freedom.

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