Roger Wicker: “I rise this afternoon to call attention to the Mississippi National Guard on the eve of the 60th anniversary of their…”

“I rise this afternoon to call attention to the Mississippi National Guard on the eve of the 60th anniversary of their largest ever deployment. We have been fortunate since before Mississippi actually became a State to have a strong National Guard dating back actually to 1798. The Mississippi National Guardsmen have served honorably in armed conflicts, including the War of 1812, both World Wars, the Korean war, and the Global War on Terror. They have also been the backbone of disaster relief, responding to hurricane, floods, and tornadoes. But what I want to talk about today is what they did to keep the peace at a time of civil unrest 60 years ago tomorrow, September 30, 1962. Many of us remember this. No doubt, the Presiding Officer remembers this. On September 30, 1962, a riot erupted at the University of Mississippi, my alma mater, as James Meredith arrived on campus. James Meredith would become the first African-American student to gain admission at Ole Miss. James Meredith is being recognized in Mississippi this week, as he rightly should be. My wife Gayle attended a very impressive event last night on the campus of the University of Mississippi at our beautiful Gertrude Ford Center with Mr. Meredith present. We are glad he is still with us, and he was rightly recognized.…”