Joe Cunningham: “President Ronald Reagan in his inaugural address talked about a man named Martin Treptoe. Martin Treptoe, like J.J.…”

“President Ronald Reagan in his inaugural address talked about a man named Martin Treptoe. Martin Treptoe, like J.J. Chestnut, John Gibson, had not ever been heard of by America before that time, but Martin Treptoe was a baker. During World War I, when it was raging, he volunteered to go to the front. He became a message carrier. He got to the front, and three other message carriers had been killed, but yet Martin Treptoe volunteered again. And like the other three, they found Martin Treptoe dead about halfway to the front, and they found his message pouch, and I would like to quote from that pouch. It says: ``This is a very difficult war. I don't think I will survive. But I must treat every action as if that action determined the outcome of this conflict.'' Both J.J. Chestnut and John Gibson treated every one of their actions as if the outcome made a difference for the Members of Congress and the safety of the public. We honor those two individuals today. May God bless.”