[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 162 (Thursday, October 19, 1995)]
[Senate]
[Page S15361]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    TRIBUTE TO THE HOCKING BROTHERS

 Mr. CRAIG. Mr. President, I rise today to pay tribute to the 
Hocking brothers from Idaho who served together courageously during 
World War II.
  They were a family of 10 children, 4 girls and 6 boys, and lived in 
Moore, ID in 1929. In 1935 they moved to Mackay, ID. Mackay was 
considered home for all of them. Presently, one brother lives in each 
of the following Idaho cities or towns: Mackay, Arco, Blackfoot, 
Lewiston, and Deary. All of the brothers who are able are active 
fishermen and hunters. Two sisters and the oldest are now deceased. The 
oldest brother Pat Hocking, was not in the service as he had five 
children and worked at the Naval Gun Rellning Plant in Arco, ID. The 
remaining five brothers served in one branch or another of the military 
service.
  Jean Hocking was drafted before the war and was stationed for 38 
months of continuous service in Kodiak, AK in the U.S. Army Coast Guard 
Artillery and the U.S. Army Ski Troopers from 1941 to 1945. He was one 
of the very first men drafted from Custer County. Jean's camp was 
located on a mountain and everything had to be hauled up the mountain 
by hand. Jean's commanding officer was so disciplined that Jean did not 
have even 1 day off while he was there. He was always on alert or 
patrol. One day they were on patrol skiing down the mountain when 
Jean's ski tip got stuck in the snow toward the bottom of the mountain 
that he suffered a broken leg. He was so afraid of his commanding 
officer that he did not seek treatment and hobbled around on his broken 
leg. Jean was given a military disability and was in Walter Reed 
Hospital for 6 months after his discharge.
  Clayton Hocking served in the U.S. Army Air Corps 9th Engineering 
Squadron S.A.C. from 1942 to 1967. He served all over the Pacific and 
retired as a well-decorated staff sergeant. Clayton received a 
Phillipine Liberation Medal with one Bronze Service Star, a Good 
Conduct Medal, a World War II Victory Medal, and an Asiatic Pacific 
Medal. He is currently in a rest home in Arco, ID.
  Frank Hocking served in the U.S. Navy and the U.S. Marines from 1942 
to 1945. Frank served both the Navy and the Marines as the Marines had 
no medical corps. So the Navy furnished the Marines with a Medical 
Corps. The first place Frank was shipped to overseas was to New 
Caledonia. While there Frank went to town one day. As he was walking 
down the street, he literally ran into his brother Clayton. Frank had 
not seen Clayton since joining, and had no idea where Clayton was 
stationed. Frank and Clayton were able to visit each others camps while 
there. After leaving New Caledonia, Frank went to New Zealand where he 
joined the Second Marine Division and trained before the battle of 
Tarawa. He was on the first wave who landed on Tarawa in the Gilbert 
Islands of the South Pacific. The Marines were told they had to take 
the well-fortified Japanese defenses of the island in 6 hours or they 
wouldn't be able to take it. It took them 4 days to take the island. 
The battle cost 1,000 Marines lives and 2,300 men were wounded. 
Japanese losses totaled about 8,500. The taking of the island of Saipan 
of the Marianas Islands was another major battle. Frank was one of the 
original two Marine divisions that tried to take the island from the 
30,000 Japanese defenders. Frank was on the island from June 15 to July 
7 when the remaining Japanese resistance tried the largest suicidal 
counterattack in the war. The loss of Saipan was so devastating to the 
Japanese that Prime Minister Tojo Hideki and his entire cabinet 
resigned after word of the defeat reached them.

  Bill Hocking served in the 20th Air Force Division on Guam of the 
South Pacific from 1944 to 1946. He was the first aerial gunner on a B-
17. Later, he became a belly gunner on the B-29's. The most memorable 
event in Bill's military career happened when three B-29 planes were 
flying in formation when Bill's B-29 caught on fire. He and the whole 
crew were forced to bail out into the ocean between Guam and Tokyo. 
When he bailed out, he just about drowned when he got so tangled in his 
parachute shroud that he couldn't even upright his one-man life raft. 
He had to lay there holding on to his upside down raft. When he finally 
got into the raft, he couldn't see any of the rest of the crew as they 
were all scattered. One guy in the crew happened to have a whistle and 
he kept blowing it. They all paddled toward the sound and that is how 
they all got back together. They were always concerned about sharks so 
they used shark repellent. The crew was adrift for 3 days before being 
picked up by the ship. That episode made Bill a member of the 
Caterpillar Club. A patch was given as special recognition for 
surviving a bail out.
  Glen Hocking served in the 90th Naval Construction Battalion Combat 
Fleet Action from 1945 to 1946. Glen was 17 years old when he enlisted 
to follow in his older brothers' footsteps. He was told that his outfit 
was training to invade Japan. They were on their way to Japan when the 
bomb dropped on Hiroshima. He saw all the devastation over there. He 
was there for 9 months occupation duty. Glen came away from service 
with the Asiatic Pacific Area Campaign Medal and World War II Victory 
Medal.
  These five brothers all came home alive, but still felt the 
sacrifices of war. Two of their cousins did not make it home. There 
were killed in the line of duty. This is one of the many family stories 
that make up the heroism and valor that led the United States and our 
allies to victory in World War II. The five Hocking brothers fell very 
blessed and lucky to have all come home. We are very blessed that they 
and many others were there to serve their country and to fight for 
democracy and the freedom all Americans hold dearly.

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