Sen. Strom Thurmond Tribute

Reuters photo | 12/4/02 | Reuters

[anniegetyourgun]

Sen. Strom Thurmond of South Carolina is set to reach a final political goal December 5, 2002 -- celebrating his 100th birthday as the oldest member of Congress ever. First elected to the Senate in 1954, Thurmond, seen attending a Senate Armed Services Committee (news - web sites) hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, Sept. 19, will retire on Jan. 3 when his eighth term comes to an end. (Hyungwon Kang/Reuters)

[anniegetyourgun]

For all those who would like to wish the elder statesman and fine conservative a happy birthday.

Thank you, Senator and God bless you.

[Guillermo]

Strom 3000 bump.

[My2Cents]

God Bless Senator Thurman. But I hope I don't live to be 100.

[TXBubba]

My great-grandfather lived to be 107. He was in great health and of sharp mind his whole life. However, he watched his friends and children all pass on before him. What a wealth of live history he was! Thankfully he had a good family in his grandchildren etc. that loved spending time with him. God Bless Sen. Thurmond.

[ConservativeMan55]

BUMP!!!

[afraidfortherepublic]

God Bless Strom. May he enjoy many productive years of retirement.

[BillCompton]

Thurmond is an interesting character in American Politics. Though he has no business being a Senator now, he did play an important role in bringing the Southern Republicans back from banishment since the Civil War. He was elected Governor of SC in 1946! He first left the Democratic Party when Truman changed the party platform to support civil rights. He ran for President as a Dixiecrat in 1948 and actually won four states. He returned to the Democrats and finished his term as governor and was elected as a Democrat to the senate in 1954. He switched to the Republican party to support Barry Goldwater in 1964. That was the first time since reconstruction that Republicans started making inroads in the south. He was Republican when Republican wasn't cool.

[billorites]

Time to settle down and start a family.

[anniegetyourgun]

AND, he turned his heart over to the Lord who softened it a great deal....resulting in his public repudiation of his former prejudices towards blacks. It takes a strong man to admit to previous racist thoughts and actions. But it takes an even better man to then embrace, mentor, and directly assist those he once hated. The latter is something Sen. Thurmond doesn't get credit for...and he doesn't ask for it.

[ewing]

I wish someone had that photo of Stroms retirement party at Trent Lotts office with his staffers..it was priceless!

[Southack]

Senator Thurmond left politics, browbeat up the military bureaucracy, and obtained an age exemption to enlist as a paratrooper. He was the oldest man to land on Normandy during our D-Day invasion, and contributed to liberating Jews from the gas chambers as well as to liberating France from the NAZIs.

He re-entered politics and won his Senatorial race as a write-in candidate, a feat never before achieved and never since matched. He also saw the light and chose the path to protecting civil rights, not an easy feat for someone who once fought against equality, but one that should be admired.

[NewHampshireDuo]

Time to settle down and start a family.

Hmmm, think he's been there and done that more than once....

[deport]

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Col. Thurmond drives a vehicle he captured from the Germans near St. Mere Eglise in Normandy, France. Date: June 10, 1944		Sen. Thurmond is sworn in as Major General USAR at the Pentagon by Major General R.V. Lee, U.S. Army adjutant general, as Secretary of the Army Wilber M. Brucker looks on. Date: April 25, 1960

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Baby picture of Strom Thurmond Date: 1903
Sen. Thurmond with Nancy Moore Thurmond and children Paul, Julie, Nancy Moore and Strom II Date: October 1987

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• Additional Photographs
• Biography

[Southack]

Take a gander at Colonel Thurmond driving his captured German light armored vehicle in Normandy.

Now consider that the Germans had between 42 to 48 full divisions guarding France.

Yet on D-Day, the U.S. and our allies landed only 6 divisions.

Initially outnumbered and on the offense, our towering giants kicked the NAZIs all the way back to Germany, with Patton's Third Army only being preventing from ending the war by Christmas 1944 by a political move that deprived his armor of fuel.

[B.O. Plenty]

To Senator Thurmond.....

May the Lord Bless and Keep you and make His Face shine upon you....and bring you Peace.

Thanks for your service to our Country.

[E Rocc]

Sen. Thurmond with Nancy Moore Thurmond and children Paul, Julie, Nancy Moore and Strom II Date: October 1987

This is the pic I was going to post. He was 84 years old at the time. Politics aside, the man is a legend.

-Eric