May 28, 2020 - Issue: Vol. 166, No. 100 — Daily Edition116th Congress (2019 - 2020) - 2nd Session

[Page H2326]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        REMEMBERING SAM JOHNSON

  (Mr. LaMALFA asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. LaMALFA. Mr. Speaker, I rise in sadness today, acknowledging the 
news I received late last night of the loss of our former colleague 
from Texas, Mr. Sam Johnson, a great American.
  I had the pleasure of knowing him personally. His story is amazing of 
his life serving our country. Of course, he is known as being a Vietnam 
POW, held 7 years in what is known as the Hanoi Hilton.
  He wrote a book about his exploits, including that part, called 
``Captive Warriors: A Vietnam POW's Story.'' I would highly recommend 
everybody get that and then pass it along.
  My sweetest memory of him is Leader McCarthy invited a group of about 
10 of us Members to go have dinner with him one night and just sit and 
listen to this man talk about his life, not only the negative of being 
a POW, but what we always saw here in his positive, upbeat spirit all 
the time.
  This guy was a true cool guy. He was a Thunderbird aerobatic team 
member and also later directed the Air Force Fighter Weapons School, 
which is known as the Top Gun version of the Air Force.
  This was an all-around great American. We will miss him badly.

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