From the Office of U.S. Congressman Spencer Bachus
(Editor’s note: Photo of Congressman Bachus, Noah Galloway, and son Colston is attached. For video montage of Congressman Bachus and Galloway at the Rayburn Building at the U.S. Capitol, click here. To view remarks, click here.)
WASHINGTON – Remarking on tonight’s State of the Union Address, Congressman Spencer Bachus (AL-6) said Americans are able to live in a democracy and enjoy freedom because of the service and dedication of soldiers like Iraq war veteran Noah Galloway of Alabaster.
Congressman Bachus invited Galloway, who was severely injured during his second tour of duty in Iraq, to be his special guest in the House Gallery for the President’s address. Bachus joined in a bipartisan effort with Representatives Jeff Miller (FL), Tim Walz (MN), and Marcia Fudge (OH) to encourage lawmakers to invite Iraq war veterans to attend the speech in recognition of their service to their country.
“There is one thing that doesn’t divide us and that is our respect for our soldiers and their sacrifice. Noah represents thousands of young men and women who left their country, their jobs, their families, and their homes and risked everything for us. That is why we have freedom and the Capitol here today,” Congressman Bachus said in welcoming Galloway and his 7 year old son Colston.
Galloway served in Bravo Company, 1st Batallion, in the 101st Airborne Division’s 502nd Infantry Brigade in Iraq. He lost his left leg and left arm in a bomb explosion in 2005 and was taken for care to Walter Reed Medical Center in Washington. Congressman Bachus first met Galloway during a visit to the hospital. Galloway was fitted with prosthetic limbs during his recuperation and has since traveled and spoken nationally on behalf of injured veterans.
“It was an incredible honor to have been invited by Congressman Bachus. When I found out that Democrats and Republicans were trying to reach out to veterans in general, it meant a lot. When you’re at home and watching the news, you’re catching nothing but arguments but it’s obvious that one thing stays the same and it’s our veterans,” Galloway said today at the Capitol.
In addition to attending the President’s address, Galloway’s scheduled activities included a special reception with other invited veterans at a reception in the Cannon House Office Building, and escorted tours of the U.S. Capitol and national monuments. The trip marks a special occasion for his son, whose previous visits to Washington came when his injured father was in the hospital.
The bipartisan effort resulted in 23 veterans attending the State of the Union Address as guests of both Republican and Democrat Members of Congress.
