Brian Jones: “My heart ached so much last week when I heard that the chairman, and that's what I called Jack Murtha, Mr. Chairman…”

“My heart ached so much last week when I heard that the chairman, and that's what I called Jack Murtha, Mr. Chairman, that he had passed on. My father served in the Congress for 26 years. I have been here for 15 years. So that means for 41 years Jack Murtha, Mr. Chairman, has been part of our life, of the Walter Jones family. I wanted to come to the floor tonight because I could not go to bed knowing that this tribute would be held to honor a great man. I have the privilege of having Camp Lejeune Marine Base and Cherry Point Marine Air Station in the Third District of North Carolina. To the chairman, the Marines were a part of his heart, because he was a marine. The many times that I would go to that corner that so many people have made reference to, and I would stand in line because I am a Republican, and that didn't matter to him. What mattered to him was that I was a person, like the chairman, who cared. As has been said many times before me tonight, it didn't matter which party you were in. What was good for America, what was good for the military, that's what he stood for. I would stand and wait my time, and he would say, Walter, what do you need? I would go up and take my turn and say, Mr. Chairman, our marines down in Camp Lejeune are having many problems with PTSD and TBI, and there are not enough psychiatrists to help. This was the last time I spoke to him. He said, Well, why don't we get together. Why don't we have a meeting.…”