War hero congressman says 'debt of gratitude' owed to veterans

Sunday marks Veterans Day, a time set aside to honor the service and sacrifice of American military veterans. Congressman Sam Johnson (R-Texas) is one of those heroes. Johnson was a POW for seven years in Hanoi, Vietnam, where he was held in solitary confinement for 42 months and repeatedly tortured. He says veterans "stand for honesty, integrity, hard work, personal responsibility, perseverance and a love for freedom."

"We just owe them a deep sense of gratitude -- and you know, I think we have to remember freedom isn't free," he says. "I remember one of our guys, when we were getting out of Vietnam prisons over there, left an inscription on a wall which said: 'Freedom has a taste to those who fight and almost die that the protected will never know.'"

Johnson contends the federal government is "doing better every day" in its effort to take care of servicemen and women. According to the Purple Heart recipient, the Veterans Administration is "pushing the envelope and trying to make veterans feel like they're part of America."

The Texas Republican is also encouraging veterans of all wars to participate in the Veterans History Project at the Library of Congress. The project captures first-person accounts of wartime experiences that "helped make America great," says Johnson. He says that as the WWII generation continues to age, many stories could be lost if those who experienced them are not encouraged to share them.

Johnson says that the project is "one of the best programs" because it will protect American history. The Veterans History Project is part of the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress.