[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 110 (Friday, July 30, 1999)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1705]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        HONORING AMERICA'S HEROS

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. MICHAEL BILIRAKIS

                               of florida

                    in the house of representatives

                         Friday, July 30, 1999

  Mr. BILIRAKIS. Mr. Speaker, early this month I had the privilege of 
presenting military medals to several of my constituents--a recognition 
which was long overdue.
  Julian Burnside was serving in the U.S. Army's 106th Infantry 
Division when he was captured by German Nazis during the Battle of the 
Bulge. He spent 10 days squeezed into a railroad boxcar with other U.S. 
soldiers. The conditions were so bad that the men had to keep their 
legs folded and were only fed 4 of the 10 days.
  Julian was eventually taken to a prisoner-of-war camp near Dresden, 
Germany. While there, he was forced to pull bodies from piles of burned 
human remains and dig holes for their burials. During his captivity he 
suffered from frozen feet, malnutrition, dysentery and yellow jaundice.
  On May 9, 1945, Julian was freed when his German captors surrendered 
to the Allies. He spent months recovering in a hospital before being 
discharged in October 1945. While in the hospital, someone told Julian 
about all of the medals that he was eligible to receive, including the 
Order of the Purple Heart for Military Merit, commonly called the 
``Purple Heart.'' An officer then told him that they were no longer 
giving the Purple Heart for injuries like his. Julian didn't care. He 
was just happy to be free.
  But heros like Julian Burnside should never be forgotten, and on July 
3, 1999, I was honored to present Julian with both the Purple Heart and 
the POW medal. The Order of the Purple Heart is awarded to members of 
the Armed Forces of the United States who are wounded by an instrument 
of war in the hands of the enemy. It is a combat decoration.
  The POW medal may be awarded to anyone who ``was taken prisoner and 
held captive while engaged in an action against an enemy of the United 
States, while engaged in military operations involving conflict with an 
opposing foreign force, or while serving with friendly forces engaged 
in an armed conflict against an opposing armed force in which the 
United States is not a belligerent party.''
  The front of the circular medal features a golden eagle standing with 
its wings outspread against a lighter gold background, ringed by barbed 
wire and bayonet points. Although symbolically imprisoned, the American 
eagle is alert to regain freedom, the hope that upholds the prisoner's 
spirit. On the reverse side of the medal, there is the inscription: 
``For Honorable Service While A Prisoner of War.''
  Another American hero who should not be forgotten is Luis Reyes. Luis 
was also in the U.S. Army Infantry, but he served during the Korean War 
from August 1950 until August 1951. He was wounded in the Injim River 
area during the War and suffered a bullet wound in his leg. On July 3, 
I presented him with the Purple Heart for wounds received in action 
against an armed enemy.
  That day, I was also honored to present the POW/MIA medal to the 
family of a third Army veteran, Lowell Pirkle. Lowell was killed while 
working for Air America in Vietnam in 1967. During his lifetime, he 
received two Purple Hearts, the Vietnam Service Medal and the Good 
Conduct Medal.
  Lowell, who served two tours in Vietnam, was attempting to load 
wounded Laotian soldiers into a helicopter when the aircraft was hit by 
a rifle shell and exploded. The pilot and co-pilot escaped. Lowell and 
a Laotian soldier were not so lucky. His body was not recovered.
  Lowell was survived by his wife, Deborah, and two children, Robin and 
Scott. Lowell's family and the Air America Association pressed the 
federal government for information about Lowell after discovering he 
had never been listed among those missing in action.
  The crash site was discovered in 1995, and Lowell's remains were 
identified by the U.S. Army in January 1998. On August 3, 1998--thirty-
one years to the day after being shot down--Lowell was laid to rest in 
Arlington Cemetery.
  The POW/MIA medal depicts a bald eagle, which symbolizes all 
unaccounted for Americans, amidst the bamboo of a Southeast Asian 
jungle. The eagle retains the American spirit of freedom in its 
vigilant stance. On the reverse side is a representation of the Vietnam 
Campaign Medal lying on a table, issued, but not yet claimed by its 
owner. The words, ``You Are Not Forgotten'' reflect the sentiment of 
family, loved ones, and all Americans waiting their return.
  Mr. Speaker, Julian, Luis and Lowell all answered the call to duty 
when their country needed them. They are true American heros.

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