[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 77 (Thursday, May 30, 1996)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E950-E951]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  SALUTING AIR FORCE LT. PAUL ``JAY'' SMITH FOR SERVICE TO HIS COUNTRY

                                 ______


                            HON. JACK FIELDS

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                         Thursday, May 30, 1996

  Mr. FIELDS of Texas. Mr. Speaker, all Americans were shocked and 
deeply saddened when they learned of the crash of Valujet flight 592 in 
Florida on May 11, a crash that took the lives of 110 persons. I want 
to take a moment to salute one of those victims, an extraordinary young 
man, Air Force Lt. Paul ``Jay'' Smith of Montgomery, AL.
  When he lost his life, Lieutenant Smith was returning to Montgomery 
from Miami, where he had traveled to participate in ceremonies 
commissioning a fraternity brother and former ROTC colleague as a 
second lieutenant in the Air Force.
  Lieutenant Smith was not a constituent, but he was a remarkable young 
man who served his country with distinction as a computer specialist 
with the U.S. Air Force at Maxwell Air Force Base in Montgomery. While 
his parents, Susan and Lt. Col. (ret.) Paul Smith, and his sister, 
Laurie, mourn Jay's passing, and while all of us in this Chamber share 
their grief, let each of us remember Jay's enthusiasm for life, his 
dedication to his country, and the love he showed his family--and let 
each of us determine to bring those same qualities into our own lives.
  A member of my staff who has known the Smith family for 40 years 
shared with me a letter that Jay wrote to his parents 2 years ago 
shortly after spending spring break with them.

       I pray every night that God will continue to be as generous 
     as he has been with our family. I think back on my life and 
     realize that I have been extremely fortunate. Who could ask 
     for anything more than great parents [and] a great sister,

Jay wrote.

       There's never really much to write about that I don't 
     already tell you about by phone, but I just wanted to take 
     the time out for a family that has provided me with 
     unconditional love. I love you very much. Making you happy is 
     one of the most important parts of my life. . . .

  That was the kind of young man that Jay Smith was--concerned more for 
others than for himself, and deeply grateful to his family for the 
opportunities they helped to provide him. But in the end, it was Jay's 
own hard work, dedication to duty, and commitment to excellence that 
made possible in his brief, but highly successful, career in the U.S. 
Air Force. A citation accompanying the posthumous presentation to Jay 
of the Air Force Commendation Medal mentions some of the qualities that 
so many other admired in him.
  That citation reads in part,

       The outstanding professional skill, leadership and 
     ceaseless efforts of Lieutenant Smith resulted in major 
     contributions to the effectiveness and success of the 
     Standard System Group's efforts. . . . He effectively 
     accomplished the work of five individuals and accelerated 
     work output to accommodate the heightened operational pace in 
     support of the United States Peacekeeping Forces in Bosnia. 
     Lieutenant Smith's ability to produce extraordinary results 
     even during periods of uneven workloads, irregular hours, and 
     an aggressive schedule, allowed the program to complete 
     numerous complex and time-consuming taskings error-free in 
     record time.

  I understand that nothing I say here will fully ease the Smith 
family's grief, or the pain that Jay's many friends and Air Force 
colleagues feel. I understand, too, that nothing I say will do justice 
to this remarkably dedicated young man who dreamed of following in his 
father's footsteps as a career officer in the U.S. Air Force.
  Regrettably, I can only state the obvious: that Lt. Paul ``Jay'' 
Smith is the kind of young man on whom our Nation's future depends, and 
on whom our Nation's freedom and security has always depended. In his 
all too brief

[[Page E951]]

time on this Earth, Jay touched many lives. I hope that in the days 
ahead, the Smith family and Jay's many friends will be comforted by 
God's healing powers, by our prayers and best wishes, and by the 
gratitude each of us feels for his service to the United States of 
America.

                          ____________________