[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 153 (2007), Part 9]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 12578]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                      TRIBUTE TO HOWARD L. BRIGHAM

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. MARILYN N. MUSGRAVE

                              of colorado

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, May 15, 2007

  Mrs. MUSGRAVE. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor a true American 
hero who proudly served our country in World War II. Howard L. Brigham 
was born in 1925 in Denver, Colorado, the oldest of eight children. 
After serving our country in the war, Howard served Colorado for 37 
years as an educator and administrator.
  In December of 1942, 1 year after the attack on Pearl Harbor, Howard 
joined the United States Navy at the young age of 17. He was unable to 
be present for his own high school graduation. Howard manned a 20 
millimeter gun and served as a deck boss's mate on the Seaplane Tender, 
USS Matagorda. Howard served primarily in the Atlantic theater, but he 
also spent time in the South Pacific. He was briefly in port in 
Iceland, England, Wales, North Africa, and Brazil. He was away from his 
family the entire 4 years of the war and spent most of that time at 
sea. Howard's father passed away during this time and he was unable to 
leave his duties to attend the funeral. Seaman 2nd Class Brigham was 
awarded the American Theater Medal, the European Theater Medal and the 
Good Conduct Medal.
  Following his heroic service, Mr. Brigham attended the University of 
Denver earning both a bachelors and a masters degree in education. For 
the next 37 years he served as a teacher, counselor, and principal in 
the Denver Public School system and the Poudre School System in Fort 
Collins. He and his wife Jeanie will celebrate 60 years of marriage in 
June of this year. Together they raised three children, Jerry Brigham 
of Broomfield, and Randy Brigham and Kay Rich of Sterling.
  We are so fortunate to live in this great country where freedom is 
something that we rarely have to think about and often take for 
granted. It is simply a way of life for us, and we are truly blessed to 
live in a country whose citizens willingly volunteer to put themselves 
in harm's way to defend and protect our great Nation.
  I am proud to honor Mr. Brigham for his dedicated service to our 
Nation. Howard is an American hero who left his home to defend our 
Nation, and then returned home to be a valued member of his community, 
showing his children and grandchildren how to live meaningful lives of 
service. Howard is the embodiment of all the values that have molded 
America into the great Nation it is today. May God bless Mr. Brigham 
and his family, may God bless our precious veterans, and may God 
continue to bless America.

                          ____________________