[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 99 (Tuesday, July 26, 1994)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: July 26, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
                  IN TRIBUTE TO COL. JAMES HAGERSTROM

                                 ______


                            HON. JIM McCRERY

                              of louisiana

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, July 26, 1994

  Mr. McCRERY. Mr. Speaker, today, Air Force Col. James Hagerstrom will 
be laid to rest in Arlington National Cemetery. Colonel Hagerstrom died 
of stomach cancer at Overton Brooks VA Medical Center in Shreveport, 
LA, on June 24, 1994. He was 73. I rise today to pay tribute to this 
man who served his country valiantly in World War II, the Korean war, 
and Vietnam as well as to extend my deepest sympathy to his family for 
their loss.
  The colonel was a remarkable man of great courage and skill. His 
ability as a pilot and warrior earned him a place among the greatest 
military men of his age. Colonel Hagerstrom was a double ace who downed 
six enemy planes in World War II and eight and one-half of our enemies 
in the Korean war. Only 13 airmen in our Nation's history have achieved 
this feat.
  Overall, his abilities in the cockpit earned him the Nation's second-
highest medal, the Distinguished Service Cross, the Silver Star and 
multiple awards of the Distinguished Flying Cross and the Air Medal. As 
if his efforts in World War II and Korea were not enough, he also saw 
service in Vietnam receiving the Republic of Vietnam Medal of Honor for 
his service there.
  But his achievements in the Air Force were in no way the full measure 
of Colonel Hagerstrom. In addition to his military exploits, the 
colonel lived a rich family life. He and his wife Virginia shared a 
love for aviation as well as each other--Virginia having also been a 
pilot during World War II serving with the WASP's. This mutual 
understanding and appreciation for each other's work formed the 
foundation of a loving relationship that lasted throughout their 
marriage.
  Avid sailors as well as pilots, the colonel and Virginia took their 
children on sailing trips to Mexico and beyond. On one occasion, 
Colonel Hagerstrom and Virginia sailed with four of their children to 
the South Pacific in a boat they had built themselves. Following his 
retirement from the Air Force in 1968, Colonel Hagerstrom and Virginia 
came to live first in the Marshall Islands and later in Guam. The 
colonel and Mrs. Hagerstrom lived the last few years of his life near 
their daughter in Mansfield, LA.
  Great events summon great men. James Hagerstrom answered every call 
through some of the most momentous events of this century. His courage 
and skill in battle as well as his compassion for his family, his 
friends and his comrades were beyond question. His death takes from us 
all a man whose life stands as a shining tribute to man's greatest 
endeavor--a willingness, indeed an eagerness, to risk everything we 
have for the preservation of a stranger's freedom.
  There is no way in this short memorial to pay adequate tribute to 
this man who dedicated his life to secure freedom for this Nation and 
for oppressed people throughout the world. The example of his life, as 
an airman, a husband and a father, speaks more clearly than anything I 
might say here.

                          ____________________