Date: 2010-03-10
Speaker: GENE GREEN (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Im proud to follow my colleague from North Carolina. We share his support and his prayers for our men and women serving this country. Thats why its so important tonight to be here to honor the late Member of Congress. Charlie Wilson. from east Texas. I first met Charlie Wilson in 1972. as a young State representative. He had just been elected to Congress. It was a fundraiser for him at the Intercontinental Airport. The Marriott. in Houston. I was 25yearsold and went out there. and the State senator who was just elected to Congress. and heard Charlie tell the folks stories. And this is 1972long before Afghanistan. long before Charlie Wilson became known as "goodtime Charlie." In fact. in Texas. as a State senator hes known as "Timber Charlie" because he represented the timber trees of east Texas. But a great Member. He was elected in 1972. like I said. to the U.S. House of Representatives from the Second District. He was elected 11 times. He did not run for reelection in 1996. In fact. he resigned in October of 1996. Charles Nesbitt Wilson was born in Trinity. Texas. where his father was an accountant for a lumber company. on June 1. 1933. in the depths of the Depression. He attended the Naval Academy in Annapolis and graduated in 1956. He served 4 years in the Navy. from 1956 to 1960. and came back to Texas. where he was elected to the State house and the State senate. Charlie Wilson died on February 10. 2010. at Lufkin Memorial Hospital in Lufkin. Texas. where he had been taken after collapsing earlier in the day and suffered from a cardiopulmonary arrest. He was pronounced dead at 12:16 p.m. Central Time. Congressman Wilson received a graveside service with full military honors at the Arlington National Cemetery on February 23. 2010. Now for some of the stories about Charlie Wilson as a friend. Im glad my colleague from Texas. JOE BARTON. is here. and Congressman CHET EDWARDS and AL GREEN and SHEILA JACKSON LEE. because Charlie had some stories that we couldnt tell on the floor of the House. But Im going to tell you some of the good ones. He is survived by his wife. Barbara. the former Barbara Alberstadt. and his sister. Sharon Allison. Charlie told me many times. like he told other Members. that he credited his wife Barbara with saving his life because it got him off a lot of things that he shouldnt have been on to begin with. In having seen him many times after he left Congress. Charlie was still Charlie. Charlie entered politics as a teenager. He began by running a campaign against his nextdoor neighbor. a city council member in Trinity. Texas. When Charlie was 13. his dog entered that neighbors yarda city council memberand he retaliated by mixing glass in the dogs food and causing fatal internal bleeding. Being a farmers son. Charlie was able to get a drivers permit at age 13. And so he was going to pay that council member back. So he drove 96 people to the polls on the next election at age 13it was mainly black citizens. African American citizens from the poor side of townto make sure they knew what happened to his dog. That incumbent lost by 16 votes. So Charlie Wilson entered politics at 13 years of age by defeating a city council member in his neighborhood. Charlie had so many things I could tell you. wrapping his arm around us and giving us that counsel. But I think hes best known outside of Texas for being the leader in Congress during the 1980s and known for supporting Operation Cyclone. the largestever Central Intelligence Agency covert operation. under President Reagans administration. by supplying military equipment. including antiaircraft weapons such as Stinger antiaircraft missiles and paramilitary officers from their Special Activities Division to the Afghan Mujahedeen during the Soviet war in Afghanistan. From a few million dollars in the 1980s. his support for the resistance grew to $750 million a year by the end of the decade. I remember Charlie Wilson telling us in 1996. when he was leaving. and earlier. that we made a mistake by abandoning Afghanistan. And literally after 9/11. he came and talked to the delegation and said we made a mistake. and were paying the price for it right now because we left Afghanistan in turmoil and ended up with the Taliban. We dont need to make that mistake again. Thats why tonight Im proud to honor Charlie Wilson in his service to our country.