Political Quotes

“I come to the floor with somber news for Colorado and our country. It is about a gentleman I have talked about many times on this floor and across Colorado--Donald Stratton, a veteran of World War II, who was on the USS Arizona on December 7, 1941. Our country has suffered a great loss this past week with Mr. Stratton's passing. A gallant man, Donald Stratton served his country, his family, and our great State with honor, pride, and courage. He was the type of person who only comes around once in a generation and was someone whom I was lucky to have gotten to know and certainly proud to have worked with. It is with great emotion that I come to the floor to share his story once again. I am sure it will not be the last time, but it is certainly the most personal time that I have ever shared this story. Donald Stratton was born in a tiny town in Nebraska--Red Cloud--in 1922. Its population today is of 900 or so people. I didn't have a chance to look up how big it was when he was born in 1922. I imagine it may have been a little bit bigger. It has certainly faced the fate that many rural communities in America have. It has seen times of growth and times of loss. Certainly, the people of Red Cloud know they have lost a great hero as well. Donald Stratton wrote in his memoirs on December 6, 1941, as a young Nebraskan sailor, that he felt like the luckiest boy from Red Cloud because he was in an incredibly beautiful part of the world.…”