November 14, 2019 - Issue: Vol. 165, No. 182 — Daily Edition116th Congress (2019 - 2020) - 1st Session

[Pages H8832-H8833]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




               HONORING MASTER SERGEANT MATTHEW WILLIAMS

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
Texas (Mr. Roy) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. ROY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor a native of the 21st 
Congressional District of Texas, Master Sergeant Matthew Williams.
  Master Sergeant Williams received the Medal of Honor at the White 
House 2 weeks ago for his heroic actions while serving as Weapons 
Sergeant, Special Forces Operational Detachment Alpha 3336, Special 
Operations Task Force-33, in support of Operation Enduring Freedom.
  According to the Medal of Honor citation, on April 6, 2018, Williams, 
his team, and roughly 100 Afghan commandos were airdropped from 
helicopters into a mountainous area in Afghanistan's Shok Valley.
  The terrain was too rough for the helicopters to land, so the 
soldiers jumped from 10 to 12 feet off the back of the helicopters to 
start the mission. Some landed on jagged rocks. Others landed waist-
deep in a river. None of them were detoured from the mission.
  After making their way through fast-moving water and up rocky 
terrain, an element of Williams' team faced an onslaught of machine gun 
fire, sniper fire, and rocket-propelled grenades.
  Williams and his group were forced to take cover. Once Williams 
learned members of his team were trapped and taking heavy fire, he 
quickly joined a small assault team to assist the wounded and the 
troops taking heavy fire.
  Williams led the group up the mountain and across a 100-meter valley 
of boulders and difficult terrain toward the American troops in danger.

                              {time}  1030

  Quickly, they set up a human chain to bring the wounded down the 
mountain. As they were setting up the chain, one of his fellow soldiers 
was hit. Without a moment's hesitation, Williams braved enemy fire to 
give the soldier first aid and get him out of the line of fire.
  After helping his fellow soldier, Williams immediately turned around 
and fought his way back up to the mountain to where his teammates were 
pinned down.
  After taking out multiple insurgents, Williams worked to get his unit 
organized. He then went back to putting himself between enemy fire and 
his fellow soldiers, to protect them as they were making their way to 
safety.
  Insurgents began attacking a small house at the base of the mountain 
the American troops were using as the collection point for casualties 
and injured soldiers. To buy time for helicopters to extract the 
wounded and get them to safety, Williams led a counterattack against a 
group of over 200 insurgents, fighting them off as his troops were 
being saved.
  Master Sergeant Williams' actions were critical in helping to save 
the lives of four wounded soldiers. There is no doubt that Williams 
protected his fellow soldiers from grave danger. Because of his actions 
and that of his brave teammates, no American servicemembers were 
killed.
  Master Sergeant Williams exemplifies the selfless commitment our men 
and women in uniform give to the United States of America, our values, 
and our way of life.
  Master Sergeant Williams from Texas-21, from Boerne, Texas, the State 
of Texas and the entire Nation is proud of the honor you received 2 
weeks ago.


                     Honoring Service of Rick Perry

  Mr. ROY. Mr. Speaker, I also want to say a few remarks quickly about 
my friend and former boss, and the former Governor of the State of 
Texas, Rick Perry. He is going to be ending his service as the 
Secretary of Energy, I believe at the end of this month.
  He is a patriot, a proud veteran of the Air Force, and a proud Aggie, 
which he and my Aggie wife like to remind me of regularly.
  He was born in Paint Creek, Texas, in a house that didn't have indoor 
plumbing. He lived in that house for 5 years without indoor plumbing.
  He worked up to graduate from A&M, serve in the Air Force, serve as a 
State representative, as the Texas Agriculture Commissioner, the 
Lieutenant Governor, and the 14-year Governor of the State of Texas.
  He is my friend. I respect him immensely. I thank him for his service 
as the Secretary of Energy.
  I would just say that when I worked for him, I was battling Hodgkin's 
lymphoma, and the Governor could not have been more gracious and more 
supportive of me and my young family at the time.
  He will always be someone for whom I will be happy to crawl across 
broken glass for any day, any week, anywhere in the United States. I 
know his public service is far from over because he loves this country 
so much.


                     Questions for Majority Leader

  Mr. ROY. Mr. Speaker, I would make only one other point in my 
remaining 20 seconds.
  I heard the distinguished majority leader talking about the 
whistleblower. We are in the middle of the Nation focusing on what the 
House of Representatives is doing, and the Nation is wondering why we 
aren't working on the things that will make their lives better: 
lowering healthcare prices, balancing the budget, securing the border, 
and doing the work that we should be doing to make their lives better 
in the United States of America.
  To listen to the majority leader talking about the whistleblower in 
some hallowed respect when that very whistleblower had an attorney who 
was talking about a coup in 2017, I would ask one question: Why hasn't 
this alleged whistleblower fired that attorney?
  Did the whistleblower know that the attorney was talking about a coup 
in 2017? If he did, why did he hire him? If he didn't, why hasn't he 
fired him?
  Those would be my questions for the distinguished majority leader.

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