Political Quotes

“Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor the memory of Major General Oliver William Dillard, Sr., a decorated soldier, an exemplary Army intelligence officer, and a pioneer for other Black and minority military leaders. I thank my colleague, Representative Haley Stevens, for introducing this bill, H.R. 7903, as amended, which will designate the VA outpatient clinic in Canton, Michigan, as the Major General Oliver W. Dillard VA Outpatient Clinic. Originally from Margaret, Alabama, deep in the Jim Crow South, Major General Dillard enrolled at the Tuskegee Institute at age 15 shortly after the famed Tuskegee Airmen program was established. He was a proud ROTC cadet and student instructor at Tuskegee and an exceptional student as well. Major General Dillard postponed his academic studies, however, after being drafted into the U.S. military in 1945. He completed basic training at Fort McClellan, Alabama, and was sent to Bavaria, Germany, where he served as an administrative specialist in the Army's 349th Field Artillery Group during World War II. Following the war, Major General Dillard chose to remain in the Army. He completed Officer Candidate School and was assigned to the all-Black 356th Infantry Regiment at Fort Dix, New Jersey. He served admirably throughout five campaigns in the Korean war and graduated from the Army Command and General Staff College at Fort Leavenworth in 1958 as one of only three Black officers in his class.…”