The Sam Rayburn Foundation annual scholarship program asks graduating seniors across Fannin County to utilize the resources of the Sam Rayburn Library and Museum in Bonham in writing a Rayburn-themed essay over a topic of the Foundation’s choosing.  The program gives students the opportunity to reacquaint themselves with the legacy of Speaker Rayburn as well as experiencing first-hand the variety of resources available at the Rayburn Library.

2008 focused on Speaker Rayburn’s contributions during World War II.  Rayburn became Speaker in January 1940.  Although the United States was not officially in the war at the time, President Roosevelt and Congress had begun to prepare for what looked to be inevitable. As Speaker of the House, Rayburn recognized his responsibility in making certain the U.S. would be able to contribute to and survive the conflict.  

Nolan Skidmore of Sam Rayburn High School is this year’s first place winner of the H.G. Dulaney Scholarship offered to seniors from rural area schools across the county.  His winning essays follows:

Sam Rayburn’s Contribution to World War II

Freedom will last only as long as someone is willing to fight for it. In the past, our nation’s freedom was tested with World War II. While there were many willing to fight for our freedom, it didn’t cover the magnitude of soldiers needed. While our country was trying to find a way to provide protection for America, a man named Sam Rayburn decided to step up and do the fighting within the legal system. If you look back in history, you will see that Sam Rayburn played a significant role in protecting the freedom and safety of the United States. He was the man responsible for providing America with soldiers and money to end the war quickly. In addition to helping conserve the number of troops available for warfare when the United States entered the war, he was also very active in the use of the atomic bomb on Japan to help end the war and save thousands of lives that would have been lost otherwise. He is a very honorable man that should be held in high regard for his contributions to helping his country.

The problem with the number of troops available for warfare began in 1941. Most of the troops that had signed up or had been drafted were supposed to be finished with their service after one year. The nation’s freedom began to look bleak as soldiers were nearing the end of their service, just as America was being called into the war. The United States was not yet involved with the war, but the need to be ready to fight was great. The need for troops was at an all-time high, but the amount of soldiers joining was at an all-time low. More and more, these statistics were beginning to show that without the needed soldiers, America’s freedom would be gone in a short amount of time. With the threat of war increasing daily, the nation needed to be ready to fight at any point. An idea to extend the Draft Act was proposed to keep all active soldiers in duty for a longer amount of time than one year. Many opposed this idea because the United States was not even at war yet, and they believed that the soldiers should be allowed to leave the services after their time was served.

While the soldiers were dedicated to serving their country, they felt when their service time was over, they should be heading back home. However, the country was in more need of them then they could ever realize. Sam Rayburn was able to see the importance of these soldiers, and he began to think of ways to provide America with the troops to protect the freedom that people enjoyed. He then came upon the idea to improve the selective service program. His improvements began with the action of extending the Draft Act. 

Sam Rayburn believed that it was on his shoulders to help his country by persuading people to vote to pass the Draft Act, which would extend the time that soldiers had to spend in the military before they could be released. After talking and explaining his reasoning to all who would listen, he helped persuade Congress to pass the new bill to keep troops that had already been in the service for 12 months with a 203-202 vote. Thankfully, that one extra vote in favor of the Act would come into play quicker than Sam Rayburn ever expected, because shortly after this legislation was passed, the United States entered World War II. If we had not been prepared with troops ready to fight, we would not have been able to fight as we did in the war, and there would have been a very good chance that we would have lost the war. If that had happened, what would our country be like today? Would we still have freedom in America? It’s impossible to know for sure what would have happened, but being under another country’s authority and losing all freedom was not the plan in Rayburn’s agenda. It is because of Sam Rayburn that we now still enjoy the lifestyles that we hold so dear. He played a huge role in why we can live in the United States the way that we do today.

Along with the passing of the draft extension, Sam Rayburn was also involved with the funding of the atomic bomb. The atomic bomb began to take form in a project unknown to many. The Manhattan Project was a secret operation to develop an atomic bomb that could be used in the war. This operation had been under way since the United States entered World War II. While this secret project could save the country with one bomb, it was coming to a halt in 1944 when its funding was almost gone. President Roosevelt’s administration had been funding the program from various agencies to avoid having to inform Congress about the situation. As hard as President Roosevelt tried, there seemed to be no answer to the ever-present worry of how to obtain the money needed to continue the project. When they realized that the funding was gone and other monetary input was a must, Secretary of War Henry Stimson and Army Chief of Staff George C. Marshall asked Sam Rayburn to help fund $2 billion to continue the building of the atomic bomb. Rayburn knew there was no way to get the money from the legislature without explaining what it would be going toward. Sam Rayburn was so well respected and trusted that by just simply asking the House of Representatives in his characteristically humble way, he managed to get the money without having to tell Congress what was really going on. This allowed the atomic bomb to remain a secret and not let the enemy know what was to come.

So, because of the smooth talking Rayburn, the Manhattan Project gained the $2 billion needed to help perfect the atomic bomb. This bomb helped end the war by eliminating a large amount of the Japanese forces, giving Japan no option but to pull out of the war. These bombs saved thousands of American lives, which would have been lost if we had tried to take over Japan with ground troops instead. Many more would have lost their lives and Sam Rayburn is a big part of that protection.

Sam Rayburn made a very big impact in the lives of those living at the time of World War II. His contributions to the war effort still affect us today. Because of Sam Rayburn we are able to live freely in America, without worry of oppression from Germany and the others supporting it. Rayburn will forever be remembered in the lives of those who know the man behind the scenes, fighting to keep freedom alive in our country.  

The Sam Rayburn Foundation Scholarship Program is offered every spring to graduating seniors from Fannin County.  For more information on the scholarship program, please contact the Sam Rayburn Library and Museum, 903-583-2455.