Political Quotes

“Mr. President, it has been said that nations that forget its defenders will be itself forgotten. Well, I would like to take a moment to recognize one of those defenders who fought for and secured our freedom during World War II. First, I want to commend Richard Paul for his brave actions and quiet courage--and thank him for a debt that we can never fully repay. I also want to wish him an early happy birthday. On October 23, Richard Paul, first lieutenant of the 13th Army Air Force--from Quincy, IL--will turn 100 years old. What an achievement. Today, I am honored to share his story. Let me take you back to November 29, 1942. On that November day, in the midst of World War II, rather than waiting to have his draft number called, Richard drove down to the nearest Army Air Force Cadet Training Program in Peoria, IL, and volunteered to serve. The next day, he was sworn into the program and told to await further orders. In January 1943, Richard received his orders and reported to Decatur, IL. After stints in Jefferson Barracks, MO, and Galesburg, IL, Richard found himself in Texas for pilot training. On March 12, 1944, Richard graduated from flight school and spent the next 7 weeks in Liberal, KS, learning to fly the B-24 Liberator, an American bomber with the greatest bomb load carrying capacity and longest range of its time.…”