Cliff Stearns: “I am going to quote Sam Johnson's wife. I do not think anybody today has done that. Let me tell my colleagues what…”

“I am going to quote Sam Johnson's wife. I do not think anybody today has done that. Let me tell my colleagues what Shirley says: ``When he makes up his mind he's going to do something, he doesn't make a big deal of it. He just does it.'' These words, of course, stood true in perhaps one of Mr. Johnson's greatest tests, the hellish 82 months he spent as a prisoner of war in the Hanoi Hilton. Bound by a faith in God and a love of country, Congressman Sam Johnson is a man who has given 29 years to the United States Air Force, 52 years to his wife Shirley, and a lifetime to his country. Sam, congratulations on the 30-year anniversary of freedom and patriotism for this country. I am proud to serve with him on the Air Force Caucus, which he helped to start. Resilient, courageous, steadfast, a patriot, and a friend; Sam Johnson is all of these things to me. He is a man of unwavering commitment to the betterment of this country. As both a statesman and an airman, Sam Johnson has fought both for the sovereignty of democracy and our children's future.”