Mississippi National Guard Recognition Day

Floor Speech

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Mr. WICKER. Mr. President, I rise this afternoon to call attention to the Mississippi National Guard on the eve of the 60th anniversary of their largest ever deployment.

We have been fortunate since before Mississippi actually became a State to have a strong National Guard dating back actually to 1798. The Mississippi National Guardsmen have served honorably in armed conflicts, including the War of 1812, both World Wars, the Korean war, and the Global War on Terror. They have also been the backbone of disaster relief, responding to hurricane, floods, and tornadoes.

But what I want to talk about today is what they did to keep the peace at a time of civil unrest 60 years ago tomorrow, September 30, 1962. Many of us remember this. No doubt, the Presiding Officer remembers this. On September 30, 1962, a riot erupted at the University of Mississippi, my alma mater, as James Meredith arrived on campus. James Meredith would become the first African-American student to gain admission at Ole Miss.

James Meredith is being recognized in Mississippi this week, as he rightly should be. My wife Gayle attended a very impressive event last night on the campus of the University of Mississippi at our beautiful Gertrude Ford Center with Mr. Meredith present. We are glad he is still with us, and he was rightly recognized.

Today, for the first time, we have an opportunity to finally recognize those young Mississippians and young Americans who were called up by President Kennedy and maintained the peace and did their duty. The soldiers arrived in Oxford on September 30. They came from small towns and rural communities across Mississippi, and like Mr. Meredith, some of them are still with us.

As we mark the 60th anniversary of that Ole Miss riot, it is right that today we honor the citizen soldiers who stood in harm's way to answer the call of the President to protect life and property. It was clear even before the violence erupted that many agitators--a vast number of them from out of State--were going to cause trouble.

There was a retired general in Texas named Edwin Walker. He issued a radio call from Texas suggesting that 10,000 people from across the region descend on the Ole Miss campus. In response, our Mississippi National Guard prepared for the worst. They responded to President Kennedy's call in the great tradition of our military dating back to the time of George Washington. The civilian leadership gave an order, and our military saluted and did their duty.

As night fell, the crowds grew increasingly violent, and the need for reinforcements became dire. At the command of Mississippi Brigadier General Charles Billingslea, the National Guard dispatched two battle groups from the 155th Infantry Regiment and one group from the 108th Armored Cavalry Regiment, a total of 3,086 men out of Laurel, Amory, and Tupelo, MS.

These young soldiers immediately met resistance as they arrived on campus. Rioters actually assaulted General Billingslea, along with his deputy, General John Corley, and his aide, Captain Harold Lyon, and set their vehicle on fire. These three soldiers managed to escape by crawling 200 yards to the Lyceum building, our administration building, while under gunfire. Hours later, additional troops were called in from Pontotoc, Water Valley, to quell rioters who surrounded the Lyceum. By morning, some 25,000 servicemembers had arrived to restore order.

Tragically, there were two fatalities during this 15-hour riot, but there could have been a lot more. Dozens more were wounded, including 40 of the soldiers. As a precaution, the National Guard troops were kept in place for several weeks. And by the end of their deployment, more than 30,000 soldiers had been mobilized. These citizen soldiers did their duty, and following the orders of their Commander in Chief, they prevented a crisis from becoming much worse.

This riot was an ugly chapter in our history, but it was one of the Mississippi National Guard's finest hours.

As the decades have proceeded, and we recognized the other people who were involved, this is the first time that the Senate will have had an opportunity to recognize the young Americans who came and restored order.

My colleague Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith and I have joined to introduce a resolution honoring the Mississippi National Guard for their heroic actions and designating tomorrow, September 30, 2022, as Mississippi National Guard Recognition Day.

Res. 809, which is at the desk.
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