[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 67 (Tuesday, April 25, 1995)]
[Senate]
[Pages S5636-S5637]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


          ANNIVERSARY OF COL. CHARLES SHELTON CAPTURE IN LAOS

  Mr. FORD. Mr. President, Saturday, April 29 marks the 30th 
anniversary of Col. Charles Shelton's capture in Southeast Asia.
  Colonel Shelton grew up in my hometown, Owensboro, KY, where you 
could find him playing football for the high school team, courting his 
wife, and developing the values that would later serve him so well as 
he served his country.
  Like so many other dedicated American soldiers, the day he left the 
United States to fly secret reconnaissance missions over Laos, he put 
his life on hold, whether that meant the dreams and ambitions of an 
individual life, or the simple pleasure of watching his five children 
grow into adults.
  But, when he was shot down on April 29 and captured, the notion of 
putting a life on hold took on a new and horrible dimension for Colonel 
Shelton and his family. That's because for the next 29 years, Colonel 
Shelton remained an official prisoner of war--the final U.S. military 
personnel to be so listed by the American Government.
  Because of numerous reports of sightings and escape attempts well 
into the 1980's, it wasn't until 1994 that his children requested the 
Pentagon to change his status to presumed killed in action.
  While we can't begin to imagine what this wait was like for Colonel 
Shelton or his family, we can pay tribute to his service and to the 
ordeal he and his 
[[Page S5637]] family endured in order to protect the freedoms we all 
enjoy in this country.
  Mr. President, let me close by saying to the children of Colonel 
Shelton that we can never replace the years you lost with your father, 
but his marker in Arlington National Cemetery will serve as a reminder 
for generations to come of his heroism, his courage, and his unyielding 
love for this country.


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