Bob Barr: “in Vietnam in 1969, a platoon of men serving in the U.S. Army were advancing on a mission into enemy controlled…”

“in Vietnam in 1969, a platoon of men serving in the U.S. Army were advancing on a mission into enemy controlled territory when a crossfire of small arms erupted and grenades began exploding. An enemy grenade was thrown directly at S. Sgt. Hammett L. Bowen, Jr., and his men just as Sergeant Brown shouted a warning. Fearlessly, Sergeant Bowen thrust himself on the grenade, absorbing the explosion and saving the lives of his fellow soldiers, but sacrificing his own. For his heroic bravery, Sergeant Bowen, a La Grange, GA, native, was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor. Hammett will also now be remembered by tens of thousands of travelers each year, when they travel Route 109 east in La Grange, now known as the Hammett L. Bowen, Jr. Memorial Highway. I commend the Georgia Department of Transportation, as well as other State and local authorities for recognizing Hammett's sacrifice. As Americans, we owe our lives to the many men and women who serve our country, just as Staff Sergeant Bowen did, and who make it a safer and freer place in which all of us might live and prosper.”