Wilson 'a true Texas legend,' Hutchison says
By JEFF AWTREY
Cox East Texas
Tuesday, July 31, 2007
U.S. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison gives former East Texas congressman Charlie Wilson credit as someone who has changed the world, and she believes he deserves credit for helping end the Cold War.
 Joel Andrews/The Lufkin Daily News U.S. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison and Congressman Louie Gohmert each spoke on the advantages the new Charlie Wilson VA Clinic will bring to the Lufkin area. |
"I've known Charlie for 40 years and he is such a good friend. And I think it is a rare achievement to be able to say about someone that they changed our country and the world," Hutchison, who spoke at the Charles Wilson VA ground breaking ceremony, said. "What he did in never letting go in Afghanistan to try to help the Freedom Fighters clear the Soviets out was remarkable. It really began setting the stage for Afghanistan to be able to achieve some amount of freedom and democracy."
Wilson is the subject of the major motion picture "Charlie Wilson's War," set for release Dec. 21. The movie is about his role in the most successful covert operation in U.S. history. While they were successful in driving the Soviets out of Afghanistan, it is widely believed the U.S. left Afghanistan alone too soon, which ultimately led to the rise of the Taliban.
"(A government in Afghanistan) is not there yet but it is on the way," Hutchison said, "and I think Charlie Wilson showed that for the first that you could have a freedom fighter win over an organized army and it was spectacular.
"In addition, he loved East Texas," she said. "He kept his roots. He still lives in Lufkin and he wants to be remembered as the person who always looked out for the little guy. I think he's a remarkable person and a true Texas legend."
Tom Hanks will play the role of Wilson. Universal Studios will hold its world premiere Monday in Los Angeles.
Wilson is recovering from a successful heart transplant he underwent in September.
"He told me this morning he was going to Hollywood for one day and then back," Hutchison said. "He said he's really following doctor orders but raring to go. He's very excited about it, I know."
