Tribute To Dr. Sam Billison

TRIBUTE TO DR. SAM BILLISON -- (Senate - November 20, 2004)

Mr. BINGAMAN. Mr. President, today I wish to mark the passing of Dr. Sam Billison, a recipient of a Congressional Silver Medal, who died earlier this week. He was a great American.

In 2001, the President of the United States awarded Congressional Gold and Silver Medals to Sam and his fellow Navajo Code Talkers. Of all the honors Congress can bestow, these Medals are often considered the most distinguished, expressing the gratitude of the Congress and the entire nation.

With this award, the Code Talkers joined the ranks of an exclusive group of people-Robert Kennedy, Harry Truman, General H. Norman Schwarzkopf, Nelson Mandela, General Colin Powell, and President Reagan, to name a few.
As with many other recipients, Sam and his fellow WWII Code Talkers were recognized for valor, for their contributions to the
national good, for their defense of freedom and democracy. However, unlike the others, they set several precedents, not the least of which that they were the first Native American Indians to receive Congressional Gold Medals.

This is especially poignant when one realizes the cultural context in which Sam and his fellow Navajo were raised. Subjected
to alienation in their own homeland, discouraged from speaking their own language, this group of Native Americans rose above adversity, voluntarily came forward to develop the most significant and successful military code of the time saving countless American lives, and then honored their oath of secrecy by stepping back into the obscurity from which they came.
Many of these marines have finally come forward to be appropriately recognized and honored, but many took their secret to the grave. I am happy that in the twilight of Sam's life, he was able to see Congress finally mark that place in history so long overdue the Navajo Code Talkers.

We, as a nation, are but a product of those who have come before us-their accomplishments, their contributions, and their sacrifice in the struggle for freedom and democracy. We must never forget that our society is made possible only through the sacrifice and hard work of thousands of American men and women.

Sam Billison, Navajo Code Talker, was one of an elite group of veterans, and yet he was more. He was a teacher, a school principal and a superintendent, helping educate thousands of young people, and setting an example for all to follow. In all sense of the word, he was a true American hero. He shall be dearly missed.