Congressman Keith Self | Official U.S. House headshot
(Washington, D.C.) Congressman Keith Self is introducing a bill that renames the Department of Veterans Affairs community-based outpatient clinic in Plano, Texas, the ‘‘U.S. Congressman Sam Johnson Memorial VA Clinic.”
“Congressman Johnson was a patriot and a true American warrior,” said Congressman Keith Self. “My hope is that honoring his memory will inspire those serving in this facility to offer the same level of excellence that Sam pursued throughout his life and service to a grateful nation.”
Prior to serving Texas’ Third Congressional District, Johnson was a highly decorated fighter pilot who served in the United States Air Force for 29 years before retiring as a Colonel. During a combat mission over North Vietnam, Johnson was shot down, sustained a broken right arm, broken back, and dislocated shoulder. He was subsequently taken as a prisoner of war (POW) for nearly seven years, in the infamous Hanoi Hilton. Undeterred by repeated torture and three and a half years in solitary confinement, Johnson was recognized as one of the “Alcatraz Eleven,” a POW group revered for their resistance efforts against their captors.
Colonel Sam Johnson was awarded two Silver Stars, two Legions of Merit, the Distinguished Flying Cross, the Bronze Star Medal, and two Purple Hearts.
“Sam Johnson was an American hero, a statesman, a loving husband and father, and a good friend,” said Sen. Cornyn. “With more than five decades of service to our nation in the Air Force and Congress, Sam’s life was a shining example of American patriotism, and I ask all my colleagues in Congress to join me in paying tribute to his extraordinary legacy.”
Original source can be found here.
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