Daniel Inouye: “Strom Thurmond will go down in the history of our Nation as an extraordinary citizen and an extraordinary patriot. Few…”

“Strom Thurmond will go down in the history of our Nation as an extraordinary citizen and an extraordinary patriot. Few people can match his record of achievements: He was commissioned as an officer in the United States Army Reserve nearly 80 years ago. In 1959, he retired as a major general after serving 36 years in reserve and active duty. On D-day, June 6, 1944, Lieutenant Colonel Thurmond boarded an Army CG4A glider and flew behind enemy lines into Normandy. He served as Governor of South Carolina. Later, he was a candidate for President of the United States, receiving the third-largest independent electoral vote in U.S. History. In 1954, he was elected to the U.S. Senate as a write-in candidate. Today, he is the oldest and longest serving Member of the Senate. I have been privileged to know and work with Senator Thurmond for nearly 40 years. I wish to thank him for his wealth of wisdom. I will always cherish his friendship. But Senator Thurmond is not only my colleague and friend, he is also my brother-in-arms.”