Political Quotes

“Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of this legislation, as well as legislation I introduced along with the Montana Senate delegation to honor three Montana veterans by renaming three Department of Veterans Affairs facilities in their honor. These three veterans have shown the true spirit and dedication all Montanans and Americans should aspire to. Ben Steele from Roundup, Montana, joined the Army Air Corps and was stationed at Clark Field in the Philippines in 1941 when he was 24. Following the Japanese invasion, Ben fought on Bataan and survived the Bataan Death March. He was held prisoner for 3\1/2\ years, and sketched with charcoal scenes on concrete and secret scraps of paper. Some of his work is still on display in the MacArthur Museum in Norfolk. After the war, he continued his passion for art and taught at MSU-Billings for 33 years. Mr. Steele passed away in September of 2016 at the age of 98. The only thing he liked more than art was fishing. I am proud that the Billings Community Based Specialty Clinic will be renamed in honor of Benjamin Charles Steele. David Thatcher enlisted in the Army Air Corps in December of 1940. Following the attacks on Pearl Harbor, Mr. Thatcher volunteered for a secret mission joining Jimmy Doolittle in a bombing mission over Tokyo. Serving as a B-25 tail gunner on the Ruptured Duck, Thatcher saved the lives of his crew when the plane crashed into the sea trying to make landfall in China after the raid.…”