Ted Poe: “The brutal trench hand-to-hand combat of World War I claimed more American lives than Vietnam and Korea combined. The…”

“The brutal trench hand-to-hand combat of World War I claimed more American lives than Vietnam and Korea combined. The war to end all wars between European monarchies was at a standstill until the United States entered the war. Texas boys like Corporal Samuel Sampler stood up and fought over there across the sea to successfully break the deadlocked war. On October 18, 1918, in France, this young Army corporal became the third Texan in World War I to be awarded the Medal of Honor. When his company suffered severe, devastating casualties during an advance, Sampler took action. Grenades in hand, he left the line and rushed in through enemy machinegun fire until he engaged the enemy directly. His grenades hit the target, killing two and silencing all the machineguns. Twenty-eight other Germans surrendered, allowing the American doughboys to resume their advance. The 100-year anniversary of the great war is upon us. We remember Texans like Sampler and all Americans who proudly served our country in lands far away 100 years ago and won the ultimate victory in World War I. And that is just the way it is. ____________________”