Joe Cunningham: “I remember attacking a site and the guy on the ground said hit the purple smoke, and the purple smoke was their…”

“I remember attacking a site and the guy on the ground said hit the purple smoke, and the purple smoke was their position. And it was guys like the gentleman from California (Mr. Hunter) and the rangers in Vietnam that were trying to scamper down the back side of a hill; and I remember thinking I am glad that I am in this nice air-conditioned airplane at 20,000 feet, not scampering down on the ground like the gentleman from California (Mr. Hunter). Mr. Speaker, it is all relative. Men like the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Sam Johnson) was a prisoner of war for 7 years. Half of that time was in solitary confinement. He was leader of the Air Force Thunderbirds, and what a marvelous representative he is here. When Americans hold up their heads and look to heroes, we know that Mexican Americans, Hispanics, had more per capita Medal of Honor winners than any other group. Because of their values and defense of national security and taking care of their families and so on, that the Tuskegee Airmen, during very difficult times in our country with racism, fought through those barriers. Not a single bomber went down that was escorted by a Tuskegee Airman, and those are the kinds of things that I am talking about.”