Kay Granger: “since September 11, 2001, Americans have had great lessons in what it means to be a hero. We realize more than ever that…”

“since September 11, 2001, Americans have had great lessons in what it means to be a hero. We realize more than ever that we owe a debt of gratitude to those patriots and their families who fight to protect our freedoms. Today, I am rising to particularly recognize a man whose life is a lesson in heroism. I did not know Sam Johnson before I campaigned to join him here in the Congress, but I knew him from his reputation and his record. After I came to Washington, I read the book he wrote of his experiences in Vietnam. Although it is not a long book, and I am a pretty fast reader, I could not read it all in one sitting as I often do, because I would have to put the book down to wipe my eyes, because I have never known anyone to go through what he went through in the name of America. He is being recognized today on the 30th anniversary of his release from a North Vietnamese prison camp in Hanoi, where he spent 7 years as a prisoner of war, 7 long years, 3 in solitary confinement and 2 in leg irons. During that time, he was a hero to all he came in contact with. How did he come in contact with his fellow prisoners? By tapping a code on the wall and by memorizing 374 names of other prisoners, because he never lost hope of getting out of that confinement and bringing those names home.”