Seth Moulton: “I thank the gentleman for yielding. When I was younger, we seemed to have a lot of American heroes around, from the…”

“I thank the gentleman for yielding. When I was younger, we seemed to have a lot of American heroes around, from the Greatest Generation that won World War II to the civil rights leaders of the 1950s, to the men who walked on the Moon. To call one of them a colleague was one of the greatest honors of my life, and it hit me every day I saw John Lewis on the House floor. ``Good morning, sir,'' was may usual greeting. Not because of my Marine background or his age--most people in Congress are older than me--but simply because there is nobody in Congress who had more respect. Nobody. But he was much more than just a towering figure. He was a loving, caring, indefatigably optimistic friend and mentor, especially to young people like me. John and I took bets on the 2017 Super Bowl, with the winner committing to visiting the loser's district. After the Patriots had the greatest comeback in Super Bowl history, we started talking dates for his trip to Massachusetts. But with a few conflicts and his getting older, I proposed an alternative: a visit to some of the civil rights sites in his hometown. Through all the turmoil of the last few years, there are only two times I have cried in Congress: visiting the prison in Hanoi with John McCain and visiting Atlanta with John Lewis.…”