[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 163 (2017), Part 11]
[Senate]
[Page 15936]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                     TRIBUTE TO GEORGE JAMES WRIGHT

  Mr. TESTER. Mr. President, today I wish to honor George James Wright, 
a resident of Laurel, MT, and a veteran of the Second World War.
  George, I would like to thank you and your family on behalf of 
Montana and the United States of America for your service to our Nation 
in times of war.
  George was born on June 14, 1923, in Hinsdale, MT.
  Like many Montanans from Valley County, he made a living off the land 
farming and ranching. He worked hard alongside his older brother, where 
he remembers driving the tractor and looking up into the big blue 
Montana sky.
  Also, like many Montanans, he did not back down from answering the 
call to serve his Nation when we needed him most.
  In 1943, George enlisted in the Army, making him the first in his 
family to serve in the military.
  He spent over 2 years fighting in the jungles and on the beaches of 
the Philippines and New Guinea as a proud member of the 32nd Infantry 
Division.
  He braved the mud. He braved the rain. He braved the bugs, and he 
braved the bullets.
  He saw the unimaginable, as Japanese kamikaze pilots slammed their 
airplanes into American ships.
  He did the unbelievable, driving Army bulldozers into the unknown, 
making sure our soldiers got the supplies and food they desperately 
needed.
  He served our Nation with bravery, courage, and dignity, working his 
way up to the rank of T5.
  After America's victory, George came home, and returned to those same 
Montana fields and skies.
  After seeing the war's destruction firsthand, he knew that the world 
needed to be rebuilt, and he knew he was the person for the job. He 
took what he learned on the battlefield and spent his next years doing 
construction work.
  He married the love of his life, Vivian, who we remember today, and 
they had two children Roland and Sharon.
  At the time, he did not receive the recognition that he was due for 
his service to our Nation, but we are here today to make that right.
  Now, a proud father, grandfather of two, and great-grandfather of 
seven, he will get that long overdue acknowledgement.
  I have the proud honor of presenting him with the following: Bronze 
Star Medal with one Bronze Service Star, Good Conduct Medal--Army, 
American Campaign Medal with three Bronze Service Stars, World War II 
Victory Medal, Philippine Liberation Ribbon with one Bronze Service 
Star, and Honorable Service Lapel Pin--WWII.
  George, you are a Montana farmer through and through, whether feeding 
Americans at home or soldiers in the field.
  I am proud to call myself a farmer, if only because it means I have 
something in common with a man like George Wright.
  George, you have spent your life providing for Montanans at home and 
protecting Americans overseas.
  These medals serve as a small token of our Nation's appreciation for 
your service and your sacrifice. You are an American hero and one of 
Montana's best. Thank you for your service.

                          ____________________