Vicente Gonzalez: “this is a tremendously mixed emotional feeling for me. Sam Gibbons is an ideal American: He is absolutely honest; he is…”

“this is a tremendously mixed emotional feeling for me. Sam Gibbons is an ideal American: He is absolutely honest; he is courageous in every sense of the word; he cares about his fellow human beings; and he is a public servant of the highest integrity, the deepest commitment, and the most dogged determination. Sam Gibbons is everything that anyone could ever hope to see in a friend, a neighbor, a soldier and an elected representative. Sam is the kind of man you are grateful to know and happy to serve with. If you had the ability to pick and choose who you would have for a friend and colleague. Sam would always be first on the list. Others have or will speak about Sam's history as a D-day paratrooper, and of the details of his long and distinguished career. But I want simply to say that Sam is a decent man, the kind we all look up to, and the kind we always wish we could be. One thing about Sam Gibbons: He fights for what he believes in and for what he knows is right. He is not afraid to challenge the kind of arbitrary and frankly brutal behavior of the current majority in this House; nor does he shade the truth when it comes to the tough issues we face. He's old-fashioned in that regard: A gentleman whenever he can be, and a fighter if he has to be. Sam is one we can always count on to be fair, and to be square with us. His word is never open to question: When he makes a commitment, he means it and he stays with it.”