[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 160 (2014), Part 1]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 113]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




           COMMEMORATING THE LIFE OF THE HONORABLE BILL YOUNG

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. JACK KINGSTON

                               of georgia

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, January 7, 2014

  Mr. KINGSTON. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the life of the late 
Bill Young. On October 18, 2013, America lost one of its great national 
leaders. Bill Young was a gentleman, a passionate advocate for the 
military, and a devoted public servant.
  During his twenty-two terms in Congress, Bill was the number one 
cheerleader for our service men and women. He was especially concerned 
for their personal safety and health care for the wounded. In these 
times of low public approval for Congress, Bill was the exception. He 
was respected by all, and, more importantly, never joined in the 
partisan bashing that is all too common in Washington today. He was a 
proud Member and executed his job with great pride.
  When I was a new member of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on 
Defense, I was surprised by his offer to visit the military 
installations in my district. Though I was new in representing Warner 
Robins Air Force Base that year, having Bill come and talk to their 
leadership sent a strong signal that they were in good hands. Bill did 
the same thing for many other members regardless of party.
  I was once returning from an overseas trip with Bill, and we were in 
Shannon Airport in Ireland long after it closed. We ran into a group of 
soldiers from the Third Infantry Division returning home. Their 
reaction to seeing Bill was truly heartwarming. They immediately 
recognized him, and came over to greet him and get a picture. I believe 
that the reason they admired Bill had less to do with his title or 
position, but more to do with how he felt about the military. They knew 
Bill Young as one who knew the capability of weapons systems, but 
always remembered the young men and women whose lives depended on them.
  Part of Bill's charm was that he was well grounded, rooted in a 
loving wife and family. He was even tempered, kind hearted, and the 
consummate gentleman. He set the tone for the Committee and Congress as 
a whole. Bill will be remembered and missed by Congress, the military, 
and a grateful nation. God bless his memory and his family.

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