Floor Statements

Madam Speaker, earlier this week one of my constituents-- nationally-renowned author and historian, Winston Groom--wrote an op-ed piece for the Mobile Press-Register offering at least one theory as to why the reviews of Ken Burns' recent documentary series, ``The War,'' have been panned by several of America's leading and supposedly ``most respected'' national publications.

As you may know, ``The War'' recently aired throughout the Nation on PBS. While admitting that the ``Second World War was fought in thousands of places, too many for any one accounting,'' Mr. Bums and his extraordinarily talented team tell the story of four American towns and how some of the citizens from those towns experienced and remember ``The War.''

The personal accounts of these men and women in their own unique dialects and accents tell an important and powerful story of World War II and the men and women that Tom Brokaw, among others, has deemed ``The Greatest Generation.''

This documentary shows the significant sacrifices made by the brave men and women of the American military, as well as the millions of American families whose loved ones were fighting the forces of evil during the Second World War.

As Mr. Groom so eloquently explains in his article, the underlying complaint of ``The War,'' shared by many in the mainstream media who reviewed the film, is ``grounded in the new liberal fad of `moral relativism' '' and self-hatred. Unbelievably, some of these critics appear to believe that Mr. Burns' documentary was simply too ``pro- American'' and not sympathetic enough to the Germans and the Japanese.

After watching this fascinating documentary with my wife and children, I, personally, could not be more proud to be an American. Moreover, I believe this film should be required watching in every school in America.

Today, Madam Speaker, I rise to ask that this op-ed piece be entered into the Congressional Record in its entirety, for I believe Winston Groom may be on to something:

Hatchet Job on ``The War''

(By Winston Groom)

Many of you who enjoyed Ken Burns' ``The War'' may or may

not be surprised that much of the mainstream media trashed

the series.

At the simplest level, their complaints illustrate the

common literary fallacy in which the critic reviews not the

film (or book) that was written, but the one that he wanted

to see written. But this is merely one technique of doing a

hatchet job.

The underlying complaint against Burns' film by such

revered organs as ``The New York Times'', ``The New Yorker'',

``Slate'' magazine, etc., is grounded in the new liberal fad

of ``moral relativism'' or ``moral equivalency, ``a doctrine

that seeks to have us believe that in the real world, there

are in fact no ``good guys'' or ``bad guys.''

Instead, everything is ``relative'' (i.e. Oh, poor Adolf.

He was simply misunderstood.).

Thus, Alessandra Stanley of the Times felt compelled to

inform her readers that, ``Examining a global war from the

perspective of only one belligerent is rarely a good idea.''

I myself had a similar run-in with that kind of thinking

when the Times trashed my history ``1942: the Year That Tried

Men's Souls,'' so 1 know whereof I speak.

In that instance, the Times for some reason assigned the

hatchet job to its theater editor, who carped that I was

``cheerleading'' for America and ``conducting a pep rally for

the Allies.'' It made me wonder just who she wanted me to

cheer for--Hitler? Tojo? Or were we all of us--Japan,

Germany, America, England, Russia--equally at fault for the

war?

In the online magazine ``Slate'', Beverly Gage was

constrained to label ``The War'' ``manipulative, nostalgic

and nationalistic, `` and lamented that it offered ``no

commentary from the German or Japanese'' side.

To be fair, she also complained that it offered no

commentary from the British or Canadians, to which she might

also have added that we didn't hear about the Norwegians or

the Peruvians--or the Ugandans, for all it matters.

The point is, that was not what the film was about. It was

about America and Americans in World War II, as was plainly

stated at the beginning of each episode. To be fair again,

Ms. Gage acknowledges this, or, in her words, ``Burns admits

this,'' but then she goes on to complain about it anyway.

Ms. Gage also spears the film for offering ``fantastically

sentimental stuff--Ken Burns at his most indulgent.''

I, for one, didn't see anything particularly sentimental

about pictures of dead American Marines floating face down on

the beaches of Tarawa or being carted off the battlefield.

Ms. Gage also hints in her review that the story told by

Mobile's Eugene Sledge about some Marines pulling gold teeth

from dying Japanese soldiers smacks of American racism, since

in the European Theater, the absence of that unpleasant

custom presumably denied similarly situated Germans their

experience of a lifetime.

In The New Yorker, Nancy Franklin's objection, rather than

moral relativism, is that ``The War'' is just plain bad film-

making.

``They've taken a subject that is inexhaustible and made it

merely exhausting,'' she writes, before going on to complain

about the sound track and narration and that a lot of the

footage Burns selected had been used before--as if Burns,

being unable to conjure up some stash of unused footage, was

somehow obligated to use old bad footage instead.

She also found tedious Burns' style of using real

participants in the war to describe their experiences rather

than, one supposes, using analysts, historians and

politicians. Myself, I rather enjoyed hearing from such

contributors as Dwain Luce, Sid and Katherine Phillips,

Maurice Bell, Willie Rushton and others who actually lived

it.

As Ms. Stanley writes in her review, `` `The War' gives

generous voice to a wide variety of voices, but they are all

American voices,'' which, she complains, ``is the only tale

Burns wants to tell.''

The strange implication here is that surely Burns could

have dug up a Hiroshima survivor or a fugitive Nazi SS man to

tell his side of the story--or better yet, a Kamikaze pilot.

What really underlies this ``moral relativism'' is the

fetish of self-hatred that has become so pervasive in the

mainstream media and the halls of academia. Whatever the

issue, ``America is at least no better than the rest of them,

and probably worse'' is their mantra, and anything that

smacks of patriotism is automatically suspect.

Heaven help us if this had been the bunch in Philadelphia

on the Fourth of July, 1776, when they were trying to find

people to sign the Declaration of Independence.

Madam Speaker, the city of Mobile and indeed the entire state of Alabama recently lost a dear friend. I rise today to honor him and pay tribute to the memory of Mr. Herman M. Maisel, a devoted family man and dedicated community leader.

A native and lifelong resident of Mobile, Mr. Maisel was a standout athlete at Murphy High School in football, basketball, and baseball. After graduating in 1942, he enlisted in the Marines. He served in the Pacific theater until the end of WorId War II and was cited for his bravery.

After returning home, he attended the University of Alabama using the G.I. Bill and received a degree in education. Once again, he was a standout athlete, named to the all-star teams in intramural football, basketball, and baseball. While in graduate school at the university, he coached both the freshman football and basketball teams.

In 1952, Mr. Maisel was named assistant football coach and head basketball coach at his alma mater, Murphy High School. Under his leadership, the Murphy High School basketball team racked up 91 wins and only 12 losses, winning three city championships and tying for another. The team also won three district titles and the 1956 Alabama State Basketball Championship, a first for a Mobile school. He also coached the Murphy golf team, which won the state championship in 1956.

With a desire to be a better provider for his family, Mr. Maisel entered the real estate business. In 1971, he acquired Staples, Pake & Griffin Real Estate in Mobile, changing the name to Herman Maisel & Company. This company became one of the top 100 shopping center developers in the United States, with holdings in 14 states. Additionally, he was a founding partner in Mobile Greyhound Park.

Mr. Maisel was actively involved in his community, contributing to numerous civic and charitable endeavors. He was a member of the Mobile Sports Hall of Fame, serving on its board of directors, and a past president of the Ahavas Chesed Synagogue in Mobile.

There is no doubt--Mr. Herman Maisel's contributions to Mobile and the state of Alabama will be long remembered. He loved life

and lived it to the fullest, and his passing marks a tremendous loss for all of south Alabama. He will be deeply missed by many, most especially his wife of 60 years, Freida Gutlow Maisel; his three children, Kathy M. Bronstein, Elliot B. Maisel, and Ivan B. Maisel; his ten grandchildren; as well as countless friends he leaves behind.

Our thoughts and prayers are with them all at this difficult time.

Madam Speaker, it is my distinct pleasure to rise today to recognize a true Southern lady who, over the course of the past few weeks, has become a familiar face and distinctive voice throughout America, Mrs. Katharine Phillips Singer of Mobile, AL.

Her story, which is told in the Ken Burns' highly-acclaimed documentary, ``The War,'' represents the significant sacrifices--and obvious concerns--of millions of American families whose loved ones were fighting the forces of evil during the Second World War.

Whether it was rationing food by cooking without essential ingredients, saving tin cans or purchasing war bonds, World War II was a time when all Americans were called upon to do their part to contribute to America's success.

Young Katharine was just a sophomore at Auburn University when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor and her 17-year-old brother, Sidney Phillips, signed up for the Marines. Upon graduating in 1944, she returned to Mobile and began working in a day care center for shipyard workers' children. She volunteered at the Red Cross canteen at the railroad station and served coffee and donuts to the troops aboard trains as they passed through town. She also volunteered with the Red Cross motor pool and regularly drove officers around town.

At the end of the war, Katharine began working as a stewardess for Waterman Airlines. In 1947, she married Harvey Singer, a Waterman pilot and former WWII naval pilot. They lived in Ohio for many years and returned to Mobile in 1970. The mother of two daughters and the grandmother of four, Mrs. Singer runs her own antique linen business in Mobile.

Madam Speaker, the recognition of Mrs. Katharine Phillips Singer in ``The War'' provides us all with an appropriate time to pause and thank her and all of the concerned families who shared their loved ones with the world during this trying time.

Not only did she provide an intimate story of what it was like here at home during the war, but along the way she became a prominent storyteller for a documentary that I believe should be required watching in every school in America. I urge my colleagues to take a moment to pay tribute to Mrs. Katharine Phillips Singer for her love of family and love of country.

Madam Speaker, Baldwin County and indeed the state of Alabama recently lost a dear friend, and I rise today to honor him and pay tribute to the memory of James Jerry Boyington, Sr.

Jerry Boyington, former State senator and Baldwin County commissioner, was a devoted family man and dedicated community leader throughout his life.

A native of Bay Minette and a longtime resident of Fairhope, Jerry was a decorated major in the U.S. Army and veteran of the Vietnam War, and he served his country with honor and distinction.

Jerry's legacy in Baldwin County and the State of Alabama will certainly be his hard work and dedication to the people of southwest Alabama. In addition to serving in the Alabama Senate and as chairman of the Baldwin County Commission, he also served as Baldwin County administrator and chief corrections officer for the Baldwin County sheriff's office.

Jerry's political savvy, combined with his many friendships in the legislature, helped county officials pass zoning legislation, which has proven critical to the county's growth.

Madam Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in remembering a dedicated community leader and friend to many throughout southwest Alabama. James Jerry Boyington Sr., will be deeply missed by his family--his wife, Linda Boyington; their daughter, Shanna Boyington; their sons, Chris Boyington and Clay Boyington; his brother, Curtis Boyington, his sisters, Lucille Adams, Foy Kusion, and Jewell Boyington, and two grandchildren, James J. Boyington, III, and Anna Boyington--as well as the countless friends he leaves behind. Our thoughts and prayers are with them all at this difficult time.

Madam Speaker, today I rise to pay tribute to Mr. Lee Sentell and the Alabama Bureau of Tourism and Travel for being named the best in the South by the Southeast Tourism Society.

This is the third time in four years that Lee and his outstanding team of professionals have received this prestigious award. The department was nominated for its ``Year of Alabama'' Arts campaign.

The award winning food campaign of 2005 featured a brochure of ``100 Dishes to Eat in Alabama before You Die,'' which was selected as the best promotion in the country by the National Council of State Tourism Directors. In 2004, the agency was recognized for its garden campaign.

Alabama's tourism industry has continued to thrive under Lee Sentell's strong leadership. The industry's economic impact on the State's economy is expected to reach an all-time high of $9 billion in 2007. Last year, over 22.3 million people visited the State of Alabama, with my home area of Mobile and Baldwin counties among the 5 most visited counties.

Madam Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join with me in congratulating Mr. Sentell and all of those at the Alabama Bureau of Tourism and Travel for being named the best in the South by the Southeast Tourism Society. For these and all their accomplishments, I extend my heartfelt thanks for their continued service to the First Congressional District and the entire State of Alabama.

Madam Speaker, it is my pleasure to rise today to recognize Mr. Dwain Luce of Mobile, AL, for his courageous service during World War II. His heroic story, along with other Mobilians, is told in the Ken Burns' documentary series ``The War.''

After graduating from Auburn University with a reserve commission in 1938, Mr. Luce went to Mississippi to work for his family's cannery business. Following the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, he was recalled to active duty and reported to duty on January 15, 1942.

As a lieutenant in the 82nd Airborne Division's 320th Glider Field Artillery Battalion, he participated in the invasions of Sicily and later Italy. He was promoted to captain, and he and his unit were sent to England to train for the invasion of France. He landed his glider at Normandy on June 6, 1944, and survived 33 days of fighting there.

Several months later, his unit saw action again when they were dropped behind enemy lines into Holland as part of Operation Market Garden. They remained in Holland for 6 weeks battling both the Germans and the cold weather.

He and his unit also participated in the Battle of the Bulge where they anchored the northern flank of the American lines. On May 1, 1945, the 82nd Airborne took 144,000 German prisoners as they surrendered to Americans.

His story, along with other Mobilians, is told in the Ken Burns' documentary series ``The War.'' Madam Speaker, the recognition of Dwain Luce in ``The War'' documentary is an appropriate time for us to pause and thank him--and all of the soldiers who fought in World War II. They personify the very best America has to offer. I urge my colleagues to take a moment to pay tribute to Mr. Luce and his selfless devotion to our country and the freedom we enjoy.

Madam Speaker, it is my pleasure to rise today to recognize Mr. Willie Rushton of Mobile, Alabama, for his courageous service during World War II. His heroic story, along with other Mobilians, is told in the Ken Burns' documentary series ``The War.''

Born in Nadawah, Alabama, Mr. Rushton grew up on a saw mill farm in Atmore. After graduating from high school, he moved to Mobile to work at the Coca-Cola Bottling Plant. He was drafted in the spring of 1943, just a year after getting married.

He signed on with the Marines and was shipped to the Pacific in July 1943. His son was born just 1 month later, a son he would not see for more than 2 years. Assigned to the 11th Depot Company, he served in the South Pacific from July 1943 until October 1944. He and his unit--a unit that sustained the highest casualty rate of any black Marine unit--took part in the invasion of Peleliu along with the 1st Marine Division.

Mr. Rushton himself was wounded in the leg by shrapnel from a mortar round while on the island. When he returned to Mobile following his discharge in November 1945, he was unable to return to his job at Coca- Cola. He worked at Sears, Brookley Field, and the United States Postal Service, where he stayed for 43 years.

Madam Speaker, the recognition of Mr. Willie Rushton in ``The War'' documentary is an appropriate time for us to pause and thank him--and all of the soldiers who fought in World War II. They personify the very best America has to offer. I urge my colleagues to take a moment to pay tribute to Mr. Rushton and his selfless devotion to our country and the freedom we enjoy.

Madam Speaker, it is my pleasure to rise today to recognize Dr. Sidney Phillips of Mobile, Alabama, for his courageous service during World War II. At just 17 years of age when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor, young Sidney Phillips signed up for the Marines.

After training, Pvt. Phillips was assigned to H Company, 2nd Battalion, 1st Marines Regiment, 1st Marine Division, and taught to operate the 81 mm mortar. He went overseas in the spring of 1942 first to New Zealand, and then to the Solomon Islands that August where he participated in the landings on Guadalcanal. He survived four months of combat on the island and fought in many battles, including the Battle of the Tenaru.

At the end of 1943, he was sent to New Guinea for training and participated in the invasion of Cape Gloucester, on the western tip of New Britain. In 1944, he was sent back to the United States for the V- 12 naval officer training program. He was still in training when the war ended, and was able to return to Mobile.

His story is told in the Ken Burns' documentary series ``The War.'' He is now a retired physician living in Theodore. In 1997, Dr. Phillips penned his war memoir entitled, ``You'll Be Sor-ree!''

Madam Speaker, the recognition of Dr. Sidney Phillips in ``The War'' documentary is an appropriate time for us to pause and thank him--and all of the soldiers who fought in World War II. They personify the very best America has to offer. I urge my colleagues to take a moment to pay tribute to Dr. Phillips and his selfless devotion to our country and the freedom we enjoy.

Madam Speaker, it is my pleasure to rise today to recognize Mr. Glenn Frazier of Mobile, AL, for his courageous service during World War II. At just 17 years of age, Mr. Frazier signed up to join the peacetime Army in the summer of 1941.

Volunteering to serve in the Philippines, where he would be a world away from the battle raging in Europe, he was assigned to the 75th Ordinance Depot and Supply Company. When the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor and the Philippines, Corporal Frazier and thousands of American and Filipino troops were forced to retreat to the Bataan Peninsula. In April, 1942, he was one of 78,000 American and Filipino troops captured and forced to march to a prison camp more than 60 miles away without food or water. Thousands of the prisoners died during the week-long march that became known as the Bataan Death March.

After surviving months of horrific conditions at Camp O'Donnell, Corporal Frazier was shipped to Japan and spent nearly 3 years in various prison camps. The army presumed him to be dead in the summer of 1944, and confirmed him to be dead in 1945. However, after the second atomic bomb was dropped, his prison camp was abandoned by the guards, and Corporal Frazier and his fellow POWs escaped to freedom.

His story, along with other Mobilians, is told in the Ken Burns' documentary series ``The War.'' Madam Speaker, the recognition of Mr. Glenn Frazier in ``The War'' documentary is an appropriate time for us to pause and thank him--and all of the soldiers who fought in World War II. They personify the very best America has to offer. I urge my colleagues to take a moment to pay tribute to Mr. Frazier and his selfless devotion to our country and the freedom we enjoy.

Madam Speaker, it is my pleasure to rise today to recognize Mr. Maurice Bell of Mobile, Alabama, for his courageous service as a sailor aboard the USS Indianapolis during World War II.

Mr. Bell, along with 320 others, was pulled from the South Pacific following the sinking of the Indianapolis, a heavy cruiser brought down by torpedo attack on July 30, 1945. In what was later recognized as the worst single at-sea loss of life in the history of the Navy, Mr. Bell watched his fellow survivors succumb to shark attacks, exposure, and dementia while waiting five nights for rescue. It is estimated that 500-600 sailors died in the water while awaiting rescue.

Mr. Bell, one of 80 remaining Indianapolis survivors, tells the story of the Indianapolis in Ken Burns' documentary series ``The War.'' The USS Indianapolis was no ordinary ship, and it was on no ordinary mission. The ship carried the first atomic bomb to the U.S. air base at Tinian Island. Having successfully delivered its precious cargo, the Indianapolis set out for home. Tragically, a pair of torpedo blasts from a Japanese submarine sunk the cruiser and left its crew to struggle for survival in the South Pacific.

Madam Speaker, the recognition of Mr. Maurice Bell in Ken Burns' documentary series ``The War'' is an appropriate time for us to pause and thank him--and all of the soldiers who fought in World War II. They personify the very best America has to offer. I urge my colleagues to take a moment to pay tribute to Mr. Bell and his selfless devotion to our country and the freedom we enjoy.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize Mr. Thomas Galloway of Mobile, Alabama, for his service in the United States Army during World War II. Serving as a lieutenant in the European Theater of Operations in the winter of 1944, Mr. Galloway fought bravely in some of the toughest and most brutal battles of the war, including the Battle of the Bulge and the Huertgen Forest.

In his career as a soldier, Mr. Galloway was captured twice, and he escaped twice. Escaping as part of an attempted rescue of Gen. Patton's son-in-law, he was captured and returned to the prisoner-of-war camp in Hammelburg, Germany. Later that spring, Mr. Galloway escaped while on a march toward Austria, eventually making it back behind American lines.

Upon returning home from the war, Mr. Galloway graduated from Auburn University and the University of Alabama School of Law and began a successful law career. He served as assistant attorney general for the state of Alabama and assistant district attorney for Alabama's thirteenth judicial circuit. He is now a member of Galloway, Wettermark, Everest, Rutens & Gaillard, LLP of Mobile.

Madam Speaker, the recognition of Mr. Thomas Galloway in Ken Burns' documentary series ``The War'' is an appropriate time for us to pause and thank him--and all of the soldiers who fought in World War II. They personify the very best America has to offer. I urge my colleagues to take a moment to pay tribute to Mr. Galloway and his selfless devotion to our country and the freedom we enjoy.

Madam Speaker, it is my pleasure to rise today to recognize the late Dr. Eugene Sledge of Mobile, Alabama, for his courageous service during World War II.

After graduating from Mobile's Murphy High School, he entered Marion Military Institute to study to become an officer. However, as just a freshman, he signed on as a private in the Marines in order not to miss an opportunity at combat.

Private First Class Sledge was assigned to the 1st Marine Division. He trained as a mortarman and fought on Peleliu in September of 1944 and on Okinawa in the spring of 1945. Throughout these months, he kept a journal of his impressions of the fighting, keeping the notes between the pages of his Bible. These notes later became his memoir, With the Old Breed at Peleliu and Okinawa, which he published in 1981. Ken Burns, who recently produced the PBS documentary series ``The War,'' relied heavily on this memoir. His memoir will also form the basis for the HBO series ``The Pacific,'' the successor to ``Band of Brothers.''

At the end of the war, Corporal Sledge returned to Alabama where he earned both a bachelor of science and a master of science from Alabama Polytechnic Institute, now Auburn University. He earned his doctorate at the University of Florida and became assistant professor of biology at Alabama College, now the University of Montevallo. In 1970, Dr. Sledge was named a professor in the Department of Biology at the University of Montevallo, a position he held until his retirement in 1990.

Dr. Sledge passed away in 2001 before his second memoir, China Marine: An Infantryman's Life after World War II, was published.

Madam Speaker, the recognition of Dr. Eugene Sledge in ``The War'' documentary is an appropriate time for us to pause and thank him--and all of the soldiers who fought in World War II. His life and actions personified the very best America has to offer. I urge my colleagues to take a moment to pay tribute to the life of Dr. Sledge and his selfless devotion to our country and the freedom we enjoy. I also extend my thanks to his family for sharing the story of his courageous life with all of us.

Madam Speaker, it is my pleasure to rise today to recognize Judge Herndon Inge of Mobile, Alabama, for his courageous service during World War II. His heroic story, along with other Mobilians, is told in the Ken Burns' documentary series ``The War.''

Judge Inge attended the University of Alabama and then the Army's officer candidate school. He was commissioned January 7, 1944, and became a 2nd lieutenant in company D, 301st Regiment, 94th Infantry Division, in a heavy weapons unit.

Arriving in France in September of 1944, he and his division contained 60,000 German troops along the French coast at St. Lazaire and Lorient. Following the sinking of the USS Leopoldville when hundreds of American soldiers were killed, Lt. Inge was sent into the Battle of the Bulge. He was captured by German troops on January 21, 1945.

He was held at numerous POW camps, and he finally ended up in Oflag XIIIB near Hammelburg. He was liberated April 21, 1945. After the war, 1st Lt. Inge returned to Mobile. He attended law school and began his law practice in 1948. He was appointed Juvenile Court Judge and then appointed Circuit Judge of the Domestic Relations Division by then Alabama Governor Jim Folsom. At the time, he was the only judge in Mobile County to serve in both capacities at the same time.

Madam Speaker, the recognition of Judge Herndon Inge in ``The War'' documentary is an appropriate time for us to pause and thank him--and all of the soldiers who fought in World War II. They personify the very best America has to offer. I urge my colleagues to take a moment to pay tribute to Judge Inge and his selfless devotion to our country and the freedom we enjoy.

Madam Speaker, it is my pleasure to rise today to recognize Mr. Ray

Pittman of Mobile, Alabama, for his courageous service during World War II. His heroic story, along with other Mobilians, is told in Ken Burns' documentary series ``The War.''

Mr. Pittman was working in Mobile for his father's carpentry business when he enlisted in the Marines. Trained to be a member of a demolition team that assaults enemy ``strong points'' in advance of the rifleman, he was assigned to the 4th Marine Division, 20th Marine Engineers.

In February of 1944, he and his division were fighting in the Marshall Islands before landing on Saipan. After securing the island, they invaded Tinian. Pittman lost 50 pounds in the five months he spent on these two islands. By February of 1945, he was promoted to sergeant and put in charge of his own demolition team. On February 19, 1945, Sgt. Pittman and his squad landed on Iwo Jima. The squad of 16 was left with only three men by the end of the battle.

Mr. Pittman's daughter, Beth Harrison, put it best in her article for the Hattiesburg American, ``Dad has always said he has lived 62 years more than he should have and has often wondered and marveled at why his life was spared. Now, at age 84, Ken Burns will tell his story.''

Madam Speaker, the recognition of Mr. Ray Pittman in ``The War'' documentary is an appropriate time for us to pause and thank him--and all of the soldiers who fought in World War II. They personify the very best America has to offer. I urge my colleagues to take a moment to pay tribute to Mr. Pittman and his selfless devotion to our country and the freedom we enjoy.

Madam Speaker, it is my pleasure to rise today to recognize Mr. John Gray of Mobile, Alabama, for his service to his country as a Marine during World War II. As a member of the 51st Defense Battalion, Mr. Gray served in one of only two black Marine units trained for combat.

After changing his age in an effort to get a job at a Mobile construction company, Mr. Gray was drafted into the military when he was just sixteen. Though he and his unit were trained for combat and sent to the South Pacific with training and experience in handling 90- and 150-millimeter machine guns, his white commanding officers relegated them to menial tasks such as unloading cargo and carrying ammunition.

Carrying his experiences from segregated Alabama into the Marines, Mr. Gray served patriotically despite discrimination. When Japanese propaganda encouraged him and other black soldiers to defect, Mr. Gray chose to fight for his country.

Returning from the war to a state still more rigidly segregated than the armed forces, Mr. Gray devoted his life to education. He is now retired after serving for 50 years in Mobile city schools as a teacher and assistant principal.

Madam Speaker, the recognition of John Gray in Ken Burns' documentary series ``The War'' is an appropriate time for us to pause and thank him--and all of the soldiers who fought in World War II. They personify the very best America has to offer. I urge my colleagues to take a moment to pay tribute to Mr. John Gray and his selfless devotion to our country and the freedom we enjoy.