Byron Donalds: “I want to thank the gentlewoman from Florida, my good friend, Congresswoman Cammack, for bringing this great idea to the…”

“I want to thank the gentlewoman from Florida, my good friend, Congresswoman Cammack, for bringing this great idea to the House Chamber to honor those of us in our communities who have done, frankly, more than Members of Congress actually have. The sacrifices that they have made not only in our communities but throughout their lives is really something to honor, it is something to behold, and it is something to cherish. I am just grateful for this opportunity to do this on the peoples' floor this evening. The first hometown hero I wish to honor is Captain Wayne Ogden Smith. Today, we pay tribute to one of Naples' hometown heroes. Mr. Smith was a United States Air Force fighter pilot and a Vietnam prisoner of war. Captain Smith was a prisoner of war at the Hanoi Hilton for 5 years, alongside Senator Sam Johnson and Senator John McCain. However, he would never call himself a hometown hero. Wayne was a 1965 graduate of the United States Air Force Academy and would fly 90 F-4 fighter combat missions over North Vietnam and Laos. Captain Smith was shot down on January 18, 1968, at the age of 24. He survived 5 years and 2 months and was repatriated on March 15, 1973. Wayne's combat honors include two Silver Stars, the Legion of Merit, two Distinguished Flying Crosses, two Bronze ``V'' Stars, seven Air Medals, and the Purple Heart.…”