Nick Rahall: “it is with great honor today that I rise today to pay tribute to our colleague, Sam Gibbons of Florida. For 33 years…”

“it is with great honor today that I rise today to pay tribute to our colleague, Sam Gibbons of Florida. For 33 years, Sam has stood proudly as a Member of the House of Representatives representing the 11th district of Florida and he will be missed by all for his integrity and dedication to the people of Tampa and to this institution, the U.S. House of Representatives. Mr. Speaker, although every American has a different definition of an hero, I think that most Members of the House would agree with me that Sam Gibbons has qualities that would qualify him as a great American hero to each and every American. To some, a hero is defined as a military man who distinguishes himself in battle. As a young captain in 1944, Sam was with 12,000 members of the 101st Airborne who parachuted into German-occupied France, providing key support for the invasion at Normandy on D-day which earned him the Bronze Star. To some, a hero is someone who has established himself as a leader of men.”