[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 163 (2017), Part 4]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages 4842-4843]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                         HONORING SAMUEL WOODS

                                  _____
                                 

                        HON. BENNIE G. THOMPSON

                             of mississippi

                    in the house of representatives

                         Friday, March 24, 2017

  Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor a 
courageous and remarkable veteran, Samuel Woods.
  Mr. Woods is a native of Leland, Mississippi, born on February 22, 
1944.
  Mr. Woods attended and finished grade school at Abraham Lincoln 
School Center then went to high school at Breisch High School in 
Leland, Mississippi.
  Growing up Mr. Woods was into baseball and football. In baseball, his 
position was centerfield. However, in football, he played several 
positions; fullback, halfback, center linebacker and outside 
linebacker.
  In high school, Mr. Woods learned how to weld and lay bricks under 
Mr. Turnipseed. This trade helped him get his first job in Memphis, 
Tennessee as a brick layer. While there, he received a two year 
scholarship at Oakton Community College but couldn't attend because he 
got drafted into the U.S. Army. However, he didn't want to go to 
regular Army so, he went home (Mississippi) to beat the Draft and start 
school in the Army.
  Mr. Woods finished basic training at Fort Polk, Louisiana. From 
there, he went to Fort Benning, Georgia, to Signal School and Airborne 
training. Next, he was transferred and assigned to Fort Campbell, 
Kentucky, home of the 101st Airborne Division. He was granted a team of 
twelve soldiers. He moved up in rank and became SGT E-5. He joined 
Pistol and Rifle teams, where he got to travel and make a jump every 
week. Mr. Woods worked hard with his team and became team chief.
  In 1967, Mr. Woods' team got airlifted to Vietnam. They were 
stationed at Bien Hoc home base, where he got his first Tet offense. 
When they landed at Bien Hoc Airbase, they were pinned down for a 
while. Later, they got

[[Page 4843]]

engaged in combat. Sometime later they made it to their destination, 
501 Signal Battalion 101st Airborne Division.
  Mr. Woods installed and operated various equipment; landlines (LL) 
and radios, set up cables and connected to the Battalion Headquarters 
Toc to read out to all the units. Most of Mr. Woods' work was done in 
the field.
  He moved around a lot to various places like Phu Bui and Hue Da Nang, 
always in combat. He got sprayed twice with Agent Orange and had a 
close encounter with a 122mm rocket, which causes him to have hearing 
problems today. After he left Vietnam in 1968, he got out of the 
service.
  After returning from Vietnam, his first job was in Greenville, 
Mississippi, at Atkinsaw, where he had to grind and polish saws. On 
January 13, 2002, Mr. Woods married Ruby Lee and they have one son, 
Japheth.
  Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in recognizing Mr. Samuel 
Woods for his time and dedication to serving our country.

                          ____________________