Political Quotes

“Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise to express my support for H.R. 4136, to rename the Department of Veterans Affairs community-based outpatient clinic in Plano, Texas, as the ``U.S. Congressman Sam Johnson Memorial VA Clinic''. Congressman Sam Johnson was a combat veteran of both the Korean war and the Vietnam war, a fighter pilot, and a nearly 28-year Representative from Texas. He flew 62 missions during the Korean war. During his 25th mission in Vietnam, his F-4 Phantom fighter bomber was shot down on April 16, 1966. His injuries included a broken arm, a broken back, and a dislocated shoulder, none of which were properly treated during his nearly 7-year imprisonment in Hanoi's Hoa Lo, commonly referred to by many former POWs as the ``Hanoi Hilton.'' For the last 18 months of his captivity, Johnson shared a cell with future Senator John McCain. Mr. Johnson weighed 120 pounds when he was released February 12, 1973. His right hand was permanently disabled, and he walked with a limp for the rest of his life. Congressman Johnson graduated from Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas, in 1951 as a member of the Air Force ROTC. Following his service in Vietnam, he received a master's degree in international affairs from George Washington University in 1974. He retired from the Air Force as a colonel in 1979. Congressman Johnson's political career followed shortly after.…”