John Joseph Moakley: “Mr. Speaker, when I get up in the morning, the first 2 things I do are to thank God for my life and thank veterans for…”

“Mr. Speaker, when I get up in the morning, the first 2 things I do are to thank God for my life and thank veterans for my way of life, because if it had not been for the men and women who wore the uniform of the United States military through the years, I would not have the privilege as a citizen of the United States of America of going around bragging about how we live in the freest and most open democracy on the face of the earth. Freedom is not free. We have paid a tremendous price for it. I shall always be grateful to those who, like my brother, Bill, made the supreme sacrifice, and to people like that man right there, Jerry Solomon, who served with distinction in the United States military and then came back to our home region in upstate New York, was a successful businessman, but more importantly in my eyes, who entered a career in public service.”