Political Quotes

“Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise to recognize the life of a remarkable Californian, Master Sergeant Richard Allan Pittman, by naming VA's brand-new, state-of-the-art outpatient clinic in French Camp, California, the Richard A. Pittman VA Clinic. I thank my friend and colleague, Representative Jerry McNerney of California, for leading this legislation, which will appropriately pay tribute to Master Sergeant Pittman, a marine who served his Nation with honor and distinction during and after the Vietnam war. A native of the San Joaquin Valley, Master Sergeant Pittman was born in French Camp, California, in 1945 and graduated from Franklin High School in nearby Stockton in 1964. Declared legally blind in one eye, Master Sergeant Pittman was considered medically unfit for combat by the Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marines, but he did not let that deter him. Set on serving in the military, Master Sergeant Pittman somehow bluffed a vision test and enlisted in the Marine Corps Reserve in 1965. He was soon deployed to Vietnam. On July 24, 1966, as his unit moved along a narrow jungle path near the demilitarized zone, marines ahead of him came under heavy fire. Master Sergeant Pittman immediately leaped into action, grabbing a machine gun and several belts of ammunition as he rushed to his comrades' defense.…”