[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 90 (Wednesday, June 23, 1999)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1366]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     TRIBUTE TO THE LATE JOHN LAVOO

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. SCOTT McINNIS

                              of colorado

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, June 23, 1999

  Mr. McINNIS. Mr. Speaker, I would like to take this opportunity to 
recognize and pay tribute to the memory of John LaVoo who died in 
Vietnam during an ill-fated combat mission. Mr. LaVoo will, at long 
last, be laid to rest on July 19, 1999, in Arlington Cemetery in 
Arlington, Virginia.
  Mr. LaVoo was a native of Pueblo and a graduate of the United States 
Naval Academy. On September 19, 1968, John and his navigator, Robert 
Holt, were killed when their plane crashed in North Vietnam. LaVoo was 
declared missing and was believed to be dead by the Marines, and in his 
honor, his widow, Rosalie Rusovick, commissioned the fabrication of a 
memorial anchor.
  Over the years, the memorial, which has hung in the Orman Street 
entryway of Tabor Lutheran Church, has served as a special place for 
family and friends, and in the absence of a gravesite, has provided 
them with some solace. The memorial serves as a constant reminder of 
the life and sacrifice of John LaVoo and none pass through without 
learning of the history behind the anchor.
  Recently, the remains of Mr. LaVoo were discovered through DNA 
evidence, and now his courage and sacrifice shall be honored through 
burial in Arlington. Though John will finally be put to rest in 
Virginia, his spirit will always rest in Pueblo where the anchor hangs 
in his memory. It is with this that I wish to pay my respects to Mr. 
John LaVoo, and I would like to express my gratitude to the LaVoo 
family for John's strength, patriotism, and service for our country.

                          ____________________