[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 161 (2015), Part 10]
[Senate]
[Page 13644]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                     TRIBUTE TO WILLIAM P. GARDNER

 Mr. DAINES. Mr. President, as I have served Montana's veterans 
and military members in Congress, I continue to be amazed and humbled 
by the incredible stories of Montanans fighting for our country in all 
corners of the world. Montana is home to more veterans per capita than 
almost any other State in the Nation, and tribal members enroll in the 
military at a higher rate than any other minority. I wish to recognize 
one of America's heroes who exemplifies the best of Montana, who is 
also an enrolled Crow tribal member: William P. ``Butch'' Gardner.
  Mr. Gardner served our country during the Vietnam war. This brave 
gentleman selflessly served for a number of years during the conflict 
before he was honorably discharged. Mr. Gardner's commitment to service 
did not stop when he took off the uniform; in his community, he and a 
handful of other veterans serve as the color guard on the Crow 
Reservation. He continues to serve in the honor guard despite losing 
his leg to an amputation 2 years ago. His peers describe Mr. Gardner as 
the backbone to the color guard.
  Montanans are proud of our diverse heritage, and it is truly an honor 
to celebrate an individual who so humbly embody the spirit of 
patriotism.

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