Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, on rollcall No. 194 I was stuck at the airport--flight delay. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yes.''

Madam Chair, I rise today in support of H.R. 4487--the Fiscal Year 2015 Legislative Branch Appropriations Act.

For our government to truly remain ``of the people, and by the people'' the House of Representatives must be a place that is open and transparent to all. From ensuring constituents can meet with their elected representatives to guaranteeing open access to the legislative business of Congress, the Legislative Branch must be accessible to the public. We also have a responsibility to ensure the safety and security of the U.S. Capitol complex for all who work here and all who visit.

Therefore, as a Member of the Legislative Branch Appropriations Subcommittee, one of my priorities has been to provide appropriate oversight regarding the security of the U.S. Capitol complex, including Members, staff, and visitors. I have met personally with House Sergeant of Arms Paul Irving and will continue to follow closely any developments relating to security concerns. I greatly appreciate Mr. Irving and our professional team of Capitol Police officers for the tireless work they put in to protect us and all who visit these hallowed halls.

Madam Chair, this bill adequately provides for the needs of the House Sergeant of Arms and the Capitol Police to ensure the necessary steps can be taken to maintain and strengthen security procedures for the entire Capitol complex.

Recent events have shown that even the most secure buildings in our country are still susceptible to security lapses. That is why it is more important than ever to remain vigilant in our efforts to ensure we are secure.

As I continue to serve on this Subcommittee, it is my responsibility to ask questions, find solutions, and help enact policies to keep members, staff, and guests as safe as reasonably possible.

I urge my colleagues to support this bipartisan bill.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

Mr. Chairman, there is no greater duty that we have as a Nation than to care for our veterans. I am so proud to stand in support of this bill funding critical VA needs like medical care, medical health services, suicide prevention, traumatic brain injury treatment, homeless services, and job training.

One way I believe that we can greatly improve VA services is to further develop the Patient-Centered Community Care program. Some services veterans need aren't always offered at their local VA hospital, or, if they are, the waiting list may be really long. In these cases, it only makes sense for the VA to contract out services through local providers and get the veteran patients the care that they need. And offering better care to veterans while saving taxpayer money is a win-win situation.

Our committee report for this bill asks the Department of Veterans Affairs to document the successes and efficiencies of Patient-Centered Community Care so we can make the case for allowing more veterans to take advantage of this innovative program.

I strongly support this bill.

I thank the gentleman for yielding.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today on behalf of the people of Alabama's Second Congressional District to lend my support to H.R. 4138, the ENFORCE the Law Act and, of course, to the rule that is being debated here today.

I appreciate my friend and colleague from South Carolina, Trey Gowdy, for bringing forth this very important legislation.

We are here today to answer one question, Mr. Speaker: Will we stand idly by while an imperial President ignores the rule of law and unravels the separation of powers so carefully woven into our Constitution?

The answer is ``no.''

Probably, more than anything else, my constituents ask me: What are we doing to address the pattern of executive overreaches and disregard for the law by President Obama and his administration?

Good, God-fearing Americans who work hard, who pay their taxes, and who obey the law are understandably frustrated by a President who acts as though he is above the law. The abuses are well documented: selective enforcement of immigration laws, waiving compliance for ``welfare to work'' laws and what has become almost weekly attempts to delay, waive, or to just not enforce parts of ObamaCare because of the political implications. These are just to name a few.

Mr. Speaker, our constitutional constraints on government may not be convenient for the President or for his political or policy goals, but they are necessary for preserving the checks and balances that ensure this government still derives its authority from the people and not the other way around.

We now seek the intervention of the judicial branch to rein in the executive branch and reconstitute our proper separation of powers. I believe in our Constitution, and I believe it is worth fighting for. That is why I urge my colleagues to support the ENFORCE the Law Act and the rule and to join the fight to restore the checks and balances.

Mr. Speaker, today is a monumental day for our nation's agriculture policy. After three years of hard work, today the House of Representatives finally approved a final Farm Bill that provides certainty for our nation's farmers and institutes money-saving reforms to agriculture and nutrition policy that we've needed for some time.

Agriculture is our top industry in Alabama, employing more 580,000 Alabamians. Agriculture alone is worth around $70 billion to our state's economy. That is why this bill has been one of my top priorities since being elected to Congress in 2010.

This bill is a win for Alabama farmers and foresters. It is also a win for taxpayers. The Farm Bill replaces outdated policies left over from the Pelosi-led Congress and represents a positive step toward fiscal responsibility.

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the members of my Agriculture Advisory Panel who have proved so beneficial to my staff and I throughout this process. This group includes a representative from each county in Alabama's Second Congressional District and representatives from a wide variety of commodities and industries. We have held numerous meetings in the District to share ideas, listen to concerns, and discuss a way forward on agriculture policy. I cannot say enough about how much I appreciate these individuals for sharing their time, knowledge, and ideas.

One of the provisions included in this Farm Bill is a direct result of a brainstorming session of our Agriculture Advisory Panel. The Farm Bill includes a provision to reduce the amount of land allowed into the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP), restricting the increasingly- frequent practice of paying landowners to let fertile cropland go unplanted for years.

Members of my Agriculture Advisory Panel are: Andy Wendland, Walt Corcoran, Kenny Childree, Tom Duncan, Carl Sanders, Andy Sumblin, Josh Carnley, Salem Saloom, Ricky Wiggins, Rhett Johnson, Tony Beck, Monica Carroll, Albert Curry, Andy Bell, Neil Outlaw, Cindi Fain, Ed White, Gary Mattox, Dale Armstrong, George Jeffcoat, Richard Holladay, Hassey Brooks, Edwin Marty, John Dorrill, and Ed Berry.

I also want to mention the hard work of Mike Albares on my personal staff who put in countless hours of work to help me through this process. Mike, a native of Dothan, is well aware of the importance of agriculture to South Alabama, and I appreciate his dedication to our local farmers.

I want to thank Chairman Frank Lucas and his staff for their diligent work throughout what has, at times, been a challenging process. I want to recognize Ranking Member Peterson and his team for all that they have done to work across the aisle to get this bill finished. Agriculture policy has almost always been a bi-partisan issue, and this final product is no different.

Mr. Speaker, I recognize that this bill isn't perfect. I would have liked to have seen more reforms to nutrition programs, but we will continue to work toward that goal. Undoubtedly, the reforms contained in this Farm Bill are a major step in the right direction.

Thank you again to the countless individuals who helped make this Farm Bill happen. I look forward to continuing to be a strong advocate on behalf of Alabama's farmers.

Madam Speaker, I thank the gentlelady from Tennessee for her leadership on this.

I have been intrigued at the latest rhetoric on the so-called ``war on women.'' I am intrigued because at some point pro-abortion activists stopped using the word ``abortion.'' Instead of using the ``A'' word, they use terms like ``women's health'' or ``reproductive rights.'' It is a clever word game designed to disguise the truth and build artificial support. After all, who would be against the health of women? Who would oppose anyone's right to reproduce? But what about the baby's health? What about the unborn child's ``right'' to life?

They don't call it abortion anymore because people understand what abortion is. It is the taking of a life. It is death where life once existed. It is cruel and tragic, and there is no place in the Federal budget for funding it.

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the gentleman from New Jersey for his leadership in the Pro-Life Caucus and for organizing today's discussion.

Of course, next week will mark 41 years since the landmark Supreme Court decision in ROE v. WADE, and since then, approximately 56 million unborn children have been aborted in the United States--56 million unborn children aborted.

Recently, important legislative actions have been taken to defend the unborn and protect women from the brutality of late-term abortions. These include measures to tighten restrictions and raise health and safety standards for abortion providers.

As we fight to increase protection for life under the law, I believe it is equally as important to promote the respect for life, emphasizing adoption as a loving alternative to abortion.

Mr. Speaker, I want to take a moment to highlight a very special organization in my State called AGAPE. AGAPE provides adoption services, counseling and outreach programs to mothers-to-be across central Alabama.

Talk to anyone who has gone through either side of the adoption process, and they will tell you how challenging it is, and that is where AGAPE comes in.

AGAPE is there to find permanent nurturing families for children and to make sure all involved in the adoption process have the support they need. It is groups like AGAPE that help a woman with an unplanned pregnancy know about the loving, nonjudgmental way adoption works.

It is groups like AGAPE that give children the hope and opportunity to

grow up healthy and happy. It is groups like AGAPE that make it possible for families who don't think they can ever have children to experience the unique blessing of adoption and be made whole.

Mr. Speaker, adoption is humanity's recognition of the miracle of life, an affirmation that every life matters and that each person has value in this world.

As we here amongst my colleagues today reaffirm our commitment to protect life under the law, let us also take this opportunity to promote life by supporting birth mothers, adoptive parents, and organizations like AGAPE that connect them.

I, again, thank the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Smith) for his leadership.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate an exemplary public servant, Donald ``Donny'' Bynum, recipient of the distinguished 2014 Alabama Superintendent of the Year award.

A prime example of servant leadership, Superintendent Bynum has served for over 29 years as a teacher, coach, and administrator. He holds an AA Degree in School Administration plus a Master of Science in School Administration, both from Troy University in Dothan, and a Bachelor of Science in Education from Troy University.

Prior to his tenure as the Superintendent of Dale County Schools, Mr. Bynum served as an Education Specialist with the Alabama Department of Education and in various capacities within the Dale County School System. Such positions included the Transportation Supervisor; Principal at G.W. Long Elementary School; and as the Assistant Principal at G.W. Long School.

Almost one year ago, the nation watched a terrifying situation emerge in Dale County, Alabama. The murder of a school bus driver, abduction of a five-year old student, and the prolonged hostage situation that ensued presented a unique challenge for all levels of state and local government. That was especially true for Dale County Schools, which was faced with the murder of an employee and the abduction of a student, all while the need to ensure the safety and stability of the schools was paramount. Superintendent Bynum handled this challenge with strength and grace, helping lead the students, parents, faculty and community through the tragedy. By all accounts, Dale County emerged stronger and more united than ever, thanks in large part to Superintendent Donny Bynum's leadership in this trying time.

Also active in the Dale County community, Superintendent Bynum is involved with the Dale County Children's Policy Council, Dale County United Way Board of Directors, School Superintendents of Alabama Board of Directors District III President, and he and his wife Paula, a retired educator, are members of the Ozark Baptist Church. He and Paula have two children, Mason and Elizabeth.

Mr. Speaker and colleagues, please join me in honoring Donny Bynum as the 2014 Alabama Superintendent of the Year. His exceptional moral character, experience, and dedication to the Alabama school system render him a qualified recipient of this honor. I am grateful for Bynum's service and proudly recognize his contributions to the betterment of the great State of Alabama.

Thank you so much to my colleague from South Carolina. I just want to tell you that, as I travel throughout Alabama's Second District, the question I get over and over and over again is: What can we do about this executive overreach?

So I rise, Mr. Speaker, today on behalf of the people of Alabama's Second Congressional District to lend my support to Mr. Rice's S.T.O.P. Resolution in order to stop this overreaching Presidency. I appreciate so much the diligent and thorough work of my colleague's on this resolution, and I am proud to sign on as a cosponsor.

In advancing this resolution, we are seeking to finally stop constitutional overreaches by the executive branch and restore the separation of powers by bringing legal action against the Obama administration to compel the judiciary to rein it in. This resolution directs a civil action on behalf of the House of Representatives in Federal court in the District of Columbia, challenging four unilateral Obama administration actions, as have already been explained, that blatantly flout constitutional restraints on the executive branch. I am going to mention them again:

Specifically, these include the lifting of the Affordable Care Act's mandated requirements on the type of insurance providers can offer; the 1-year delay of the health care law's employer mandate; the adoption of a policy against deporting certain illegal immigrants, which is counter to U.S. immigration and naturalization laws; and the decision to waive the ``welfare to work'' laws.

Mr. Speaker, the Obama administration is certainly not the first administration to overstep its constitutional authority as, I would say, most Presidents in recent history have pushed the limits of executive power, but the actions taken in the last few years have been especially blatant and egregious. President Obama and his administration have recklessly stretched the scope of the executive branch, aggressively imposing by administrative rule or regulation what they can't achieve legislatively. When I am at home and am talking with my constituents about this, we talk particularly about the promulgation of rules. It is just a backdoor attempt to get done what the President can't get done here in the Congress.

Amazingly, in some cases, the administration has moved to delay, tweak or to otherwise alter the very health care law he pushed to enact, all while dismissing legislative proposals that would have had the same effect but would have had the benefit of being legal because they would have gone through the Halls of Congress. If allowed to stand unchecked, such actions present a dangerous threat to our constitutional separation of powers.

Mr. Speaker, I wish this weren't necessary. I wish President Obama and his administration had the self-restraint to act within their constitutional bounds, but this administration's pattern of aggressively overstepping its authorities to implement policy and win political battles leaves us no choice to act. Our constitutional restraints on government are not always convenient for political or policy goals, but they are necessary for preserving the checks and balances that ensure this government still derives its authority from the people and not the other way around.

We know that working through the courts can take time, but the judicial branch has shown a greater willingness as of late to rein in these overreaches from the Obama administration. Two recent decisions that are worth noting have already struck down the Obama administration's attempts to flout the law and act outside of the constitutionally prescribed role of the executive branch.

One was the lower court's ruling overturning the President's attempt to appoint NLRB members without Senate approval, and the other was a rare mandamus order from the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals that rejected the administration's attempt to simply not enforce laws related to Yucca Mountain and nuclear waste.

Mr. Speaker, this S.T.O.P. Resolution allows the House of Representatives to seek the intervention of the judicial branch to rein in these executive abuses and reconstitute the separation of power. I hope it also sends a message to the Obama administration that this body, as one half of a coequal branch of the United States Government, is not going to stand by and watch the erosion of this country's constitutional framework.

Again, a sincere thank you to my colleague from South Carolina for taking the lead on this, for showing leadership. I am proud to be able to state to the people of Alabama's Second District, when asked ``What are you doing about this?,'' that this S.T.O.P. Resolution is a step in the right direction. So thank you very much.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to express my support for this National Defense Authorization Act. I want to express my gratitude to Chairman McKeon and the entire Armed Services staff for their hard work and commitment to our men and women in uniform.

While I will no longer be serving on the Armed Services Committee, I know that Chairman McKeon and his team will continue their good work.

Mr. Speaker, providing for the common defense is one of the fundamental duties of the Congress spelled out in our Constitution, and I am proud to represent two distinguished military installations in Maxwell-Gunter Air Force Base in Montgomery and Fort Rucker-Wiregrass. These installations and others like them around the world will be better able to prepare our men and women thanks to this year's NDAA.

One important part of this bill I want to highlight is its focus on helping our military assets respond to global threats while remaining within our Nation's fiscal constraints. During my time as chairman of the Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee, we focused on the rights of Afghan women and ensuring that our military is better postured to respond to any future attack, like the one on the consulate in Benghazi, Libya, last September.

I am pleased that the NDAA provides provisions offering the appropriate guidance on both of these issues.

The bill also addresses the important issue of sexual assault in the military in a responsible and reasonable way, and I know my friend Representative Walorski is going to address that in a moment, and I appreciate her and other's leadership on that issue.

I encourage my colleagues in the House to pass this critical measure to ensure that our military men and women receive the resources and policy that they need to do their job.

Thank you again, Mr. Chairman, for your work.

Mr. Speaker, I have the distinct privilege of recognizing a valued member of my staff, Frances Spurlin, who will retire on December 31, 2013, after 27 years of faithful and exemplary service to the United States House of Representatives and Alabama's Second Congressional District.

For almost three decades, Frances has worked as a constituent services representative in Southeast Alabama. She began her Congressional career in 1985 when Representative Bill Dickinson opened a district office in Opp, Alabama. Frances continued her service when Representative Terry Everett assumed office in 1993--and I was honored to have her join my staff when I was sworn into office in 2011.

From veterans to small business owners and from farmers to local and state elected officials, residents of the Second District have benefited from Frances' effective work and compassionate manner. With many cases being time sensitive, Frances never hesitated to go above and beyond to help our constituents cut through bureaucracy and work toward an equitable solution. No matter how big or small, Frances treated each case with diligence, thoughtfulness, and care.

Frances has also served as a mentor to other Congressional staff through the years, instilling her commitment to casework in those she has trained. She has set the example of how to represent a Congressional office with grace, character and ability. I can confidently say that the constituents of Alabama's Second District have been well served by the work of Frances Spurlin.

As she enters retirement, I join my staff and so many others in Southeast Alabama in thanking Frances for her 27 years of public service. To Frances, her husband Gordon, and their family, I wish them health and happiness in the years ahead.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to share some of the stories of Alabamians who are being negatively affected by the implementation of the Affordable Care Act.

Over the last several weeks, thousands of health insurance policy holders in Alabama have received notice that their plans have been canceled or altered, and their costs have risen, some quite dramatically. This, despite President Obama's often-repeated and unmistakable promise to the contrary.

He promised of the Affordable Care Act:

If you like your doctor, you will be able to keep your

doctor. Period. If you like your health care plan, you will

be able to keep your health care plan. Period. No one will

take it away, no matter what.

Mr. Speaker, we now know this wasn't true. To make matters worse, the disastrous rollout of the ObamaCare Web site has made it nearly impossible for those affected to search for alternatives. The President didn't tell the truth, and the Americans who took him at his word are paying the price.

I recently reached out to Alabamians, asking those who have experienced health care plan cancelations or rate increases because of ObamaCare to tell me their stories. The response has been overwhelming; and, Mr. Speaker, I would like to share just a few of those stories here in the House this morning.

Allyson Strickland, a wife and a homeschooling mother of four from Dothan writes:

We are a family of six with one income, and our premiums

doubled from $420 to $940 a month. We are already under great

financial strain, and this is not helping relieve any of the

tension. At this point we are unsure about what we are going

to do. With four growing children, we know insurance is

vital, but at what cost to the daily needs of our family? We

are very disappointed in the Obama administration.

Shaun Cunningham of Montgomery writes:

I am a married father of two beautiful little girls. My jaw

dropped when I found out my family's premium was going from

$400 a month to $722. I called BlueCross first thing Monday

morning, but I was told I needed to contact healthcare.gov

for assistance. After 6 hours on the phone with them trying

to apply for a subsidy, I did manage to find out that there

was a cheaper premium. I could choose the Blue Saver Bronze

at a rate of $545 per month, which was still an increase over

the plan I liked. The other problem? My individual deductible

would be $6,350 and my family deductible would be $12,700. I

fail to see anything ``affordable'' about this.

Chris Vuccovich of Montgomery:

Was notified that my policy was not ACA compliant. Paying

$390 for family coverage, just found out comparable plan,

``Silver,'' would be $704, my out-of-pocket went up, so did

deductibles and copays. We make too much money and will not

qualify for, nor do I want, a subsidy.

Leigh Hayes Wiatt of Montgomery:

Our premium went up to $1,374 a month.

Angela Zacchini of Greenville:

Our family of four is paying $417 a month, and it is going

to $765 a month.

Jim Harrell of Prattville:

My doctor retired and told me that he was not going to deal

with the changes in the Affordable Care Act. So I could not

keep my doctor. Both of my adult daughters got letters

indicating their policies were canceled due to not meeting

all the requirements of the new law. New policies being

issued will be about 33 percent more expensive. One has a

specialist doctor who is now going to charge patients a

costly fee up front each year, and then pay for services

rendered. All of these effects are negative to my family.

Mr. Speaker, these individuals and families are not statistics. They are real people from Alabama's Second Congressional District whose lives are being made more difficult because of ObamaCare.

I don't know why the President repeatedly misled the country about the true implications of this health care law. This is the kind of Washington doublespeak, political doublespeak, people are so fed up with; and this time it is hurting people in a very real way.

We have an opportunity here in the House this week to make it right by acting to protect Americans from these rate hikes and plan cancelations. So that is why I am a cosponsor of Keep Your Health Plan Act, which will allow health care plans currently being offered to continue next year, just like the President promised.

This bill also ensures that Americans choosing to maintain their health care plans will not face a tax penalty under ObamaCare.

I appreciate the leadership of Chairman Fred Upton of Michigan in bringing forth this legislation. The Keep Your Health Plan Act won't fix every problem with ObamaCare, but it will offer real changes and peace of mind to Americans affected by these changes.

Mr. Speaker, this isn't a partisan issue. Republicans and Democrats alike recognize the basic unfairness that has occurred here. So I urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to support the Keep Your Health Plan Act.

Mr. Speaker, I rise this morning to express my frustration and the frustration of my constituents over the stalemate here in Washington.

It didn't have to come to this. The House has put forth four proposals to the Senate, each one offering a compromise to the other side. Time after time Senator Reid stonewalled our efforts to forge a compromise and prevent a shutdown. When House Republicans passed legislation that simply asked Senate Democrats to just simply come to the table to negotiate, Senator Reid said no.

Everyone knows that Republicans and Democrats don't see eye to eye on every spending issue. However, there is a lot that we do agree on, like funding critical care for cancer research, the national parks, veterans services, National Guardsmen and Reservists. And when we have drafted stand-alone bills funding these efforts, we saw support from some Senate Democrats. But again, Mr. Reid said no.

So first we couldn't get Mr. Reid to negotiate over what we disagree on, and today we can't get him to even consider what we do agree on.

Mr. Speaker, I don't know how many more olive branches we have left on the tree, but today we are going to offer more. We have already worked to ensure that young boys and girls who need cancer treatments from the National Institutes of Health receive the lifesaving medicine they deserve.

Today, we will work to protect our Nation's military men and women who have served so honorably in combat, only to have their hard-earned benefits denied to them by partisan bickering.

Finally, and most importantly, we will work to end this shutdown, not just for some Americans, but for all Americans, because, Mr. Speaker, this has always been an issue of fairness.

So our message to President Obama is, you are willing to sit down with Big Business and insurance companies to negotiate delays and exemptions and exceptions from the health care law. Why will you now refuse to negotiate with us and give the same reprieve to regular Americans?

Our message to the Majority Leader Reid is, you worked swiftly to pass a stand-alone funding bill for Active Duty soldiers. Why now not work with us to pass similar bills for veterans, our National Guardsmen and Reservists, cancer research, or national parks?

The people deserve better, Mr. Speaker, than President Obama and Majority Leader Reid's refusal to work toward bipartisan compromise. Enough is enough. Pass these noncontroversial spending bills. Come to the negotiating table. Let's talk. Let's demonstrate fairness to the American people. Let's work together, and let's end this shutdown.

Mr. Speaker, on Wednesday, September 25, 2013 and on Thursday, September 26, 2013, I was necessarily absent from the House chamber.

If I had been present, I would have voted, the following on September 25, 2013:

Rollcall 484 on the motion to suspend the rules and pass, H.R. 1961, To amend title 46, United States Code, to extend the exemption from the fire-retardant materials construction requirement for vessels operating within the Boundary Line, I would have voted, ``aye.''

Rollcall 485 on the motion to suspend the rules and p ass, H.Res. 354, Providing for the concurrence by the House in the Senate amendment to H.R. 527, with an amendment, I would have voted, ``aye.''

If I had been present, I would have voted, the following on September 26, 2013:

Rollcall 486 on the motion to suspend the rules and pass, H.R. 3095, To ensure any new or revised requirement providing for the screening, testing, or treatment of individuals operating commercial motor vehicles for sleep disorders is adopted pursuant to a rulemaking proceeding, and for other purposes, I would have voted, ``aye.''

Rollcall 487 on the motion to suspend the rules and pass, H.R. 2600, To amend the Interstate Land Sales Full Disclosure Act to clarify how the Act applies to condominiums, I would have voted, ``aye.''

Rollcall 488, on approving the journal, I would have voted, ``aye.''

Rollcall 489, on agreeing to the amendment of H.R. 687, Grijalva of Arizona Part A Amendment No. 1, I would have vote ``nay.''

Rollcall 490, on agreeing to the amendment of H.R. 687, Napolitano of California Part A Amendment No. 3, I would have vote ``nay.''

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Lieutenant Colonel James Michael Sprayberry of the United States Army.

Raised in Sylacauga, Alabama, he joined the Army in Montgomery, Alabama, in 1967. Lieutenant Sprayberry was just 21 years old and serving with the 1st Cavalry Division in Vietnam when, on April 25, 1968, he engaged in extraordinary acts of heroism for which he was awarded the Medal of Honor.

On that day, his company commander and many of his fellow soldiers were wounded and separated from the unit. When a daytime rescue attempt was deterred by entrenched enemy machine-gun fire, Lieutenant Colonel Sprayberry organized and led a nighttime patrol to eliminate the enemy fire and rescue his fellow surrounded soldiers.

When the patrol came under intense enemy machine-gun fire, he single- handedly conducted multiple attacks against multiple enemy machine-gun bunkers and eliminated them one by one with hand grenades. After destroying bunkers, he was able to direct the isolated men to safety. The operation was a resounding success and resulted in the safe return of many fellow soldiers.

It is for his conspicuous gallantry and indomitable spirit that I am proud to honor the actions of Lieutenant Colonel James Michael Sprayberry.