[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 155 (2009), Part 13]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 18175]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




   HONORING THE LIFE OF U.S. AIR FORCE CAPTAIN GEORGE BRYAN HOUGHTON

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. HEATH SHULER

                           of north carolina

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, July 16, 2009

  Mr. SHULER. Madam Speaker, I rise today with a heavy heart to honor 
the life of an esteemed constituent, Captain George Bryan ``G.B.'' 
Houghton of Cashiers, North Carolina. Captain Houghton, a member of the 
421st Fighter Squadron, was killed on June 22, 2009 while on a 
nighttime Air Force training mission in Utah. This young man showed 
remarkable courage and dedication while serving our country. His family 
is in my thoughts and prayers.
  Captain Houghton began his Air Force career while attending Enka High 
School where he was actively involved in the Air Force Junior ROTC 
Program. Through his hard work and dedication, Mr. Houghton achieved 
the rare honor of serving on the program's color guard as a freshman, 
and he eventually became the program's Corps Commander.
  His dedication and leadership skills earned him an appointment to the 
United States Air Force Academy where he graduated with a degree in 
civil engineering in 2002. Captain Houghton earned his pilot wings at 
Laughlin Air Force Base, and between 2003 and 2008, he trained over 150 
Air Force pilots.
  Captain Houghton dedicated his life to serving others, from leading 
fellow Junior ROTC participants to training many men and women who are 
now defending and protecting our liberty. Every day we enjoy freedoms 
made possible by this heroic young man and the thousands of other 
members of our military who have risked or given their lives to protect 
us, to ensure that the United States remains the land of the free and 
the home of the brave.
  I offer a prayer of comfort to the family he has left behind: his 
wife, Josephine Houghton; his parents, George and Darlene Houghton; 
brothers, Daniel and Patrick Houghton, and maternal grandparents, JoAnn 
and Herschel Greene.
  Madam Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in expressing our 
remorse at the passing of Air Force Captain George Bryan Houghton, an 
outstanding leader and an American hero, and I ask that we remember the 
men and women who sacrifice so much to protect our nation and ensure 
our freedom.

                          ____________________