[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 95 (Wednesday, July 20, 1994)]
[Senate]
[Page S]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: July 20, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
           IN HONOR OF COL. JAMES P. HAGERSTROM, USAF (RET.)

  Mr. INOUYE. Madam President, I rise to honor the memory of Col. James 
P. Hagerstrom, who passed away on June 25, 1994, at the age of 73. 
Although born in Iowa and raised in America's heartland, to a great 
extent, Colonel Hagerstrom's life was played out in the Pacific. I wish 
to offer a few thoughts on the life and service of this remarkable 
American who served his country in three wars, piloting hundreds of 
combat missions and earning the status of double ace in air-to-air 
combat victories.
  In 1943, at the age of 22, Colonel Hagerstrom was assigned to the 
Army Air Corps 8th Fighter Squadron, 49th Fighter Group, in the New 
Guinea Theater. He flew 170 combat missions in a P-40 aircraft, was 
credited with 6 victories in air-to-air combat, and was ranked as an 
ace.
  After the war in the Pacific ended, Colonel Hagerstrom served as an 
Army Air Force test pilot and, making the transition to jet aircraft, 
he served in Korea as a fighter squadron commander. Flying over 100 
missions in Korea, Colonel Hagerstrom was credited with more than eight 
victories in air-to-air combat with MiG-15 enemy aircraft and, thereby, 
became a double ace.
  In Vietnam, Colonel Hagerstrom served as Director of Combat 
Operations for the 7th Air Force, and flew 30 combat missions. He 
retired from the Air Force in 1968.
  During his outstanding military career, Col. James P. Hagerstrom was 
awarded the Distinguished Service Cross, the Silver Star, the Legion of 
Merit, the Distinguished Flying Cross with 5 oak leaf clusters, the Air 
Medal with 10 oak leaf clusters, the Air Force Commendation Medal with 
1 oak leaf cluster, and 17 other awards and decorations.
  However, that is not where the Hagerstrom story ends. Colonel 
Hagerstrom also raised eight children with his wife, Virginia Lee 
Hagerstrom, a World War II WASP pilot. After leaving the military, Jim 
went to law school and began a second career. In the late 1970's, the 
Hagerstroms built a boat and sailed throughout the Pacific, spending 
time in Hawaii, the Marshall Islands, the Federated States of 
Micronesia [FSM], and Guam.
  In Pohnpei, the Capital of the FSM, Colonel Hagerstrom practiced law 
and his wife, Lee, taught at the local college. In Guam and remote 
places like Kosrae, Colonel Hagerstrom served as an advisor to island 
leaders and spoke out on issues of local, national and international 
law, and policy.
  After spending a significant part of five decades during his military 
and private life in the Pacific, Colonel Hagerstrom returned to the 
United States. The Hagerstroms eventually settled on a farm in 
Mansfield, LA.
  Col. James P. Hagerstrom will be interred with full military honors 
at Arlington National Cemetery on July 26, 1994. In addition to 
offering sympathies to Colonel Hagerstrom's wife, family and friends, 
it is incumbent upon us to recognize and salute this honorable man.
  As we approach a new century, Colonel Hagerstrom and those who served 
with him leave us with a legacy of courage and vigilance in defense of 
liberty that saw this Nation through dangerous times in our history. 
Because of the way Colonel Hagerstrom, and others like him, lived and 
served, our children and grandchildren will be blessed with freedom and 
democracy.

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