[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 147 (Tuesday, October 26, 1999)]
[Senate]
[Pages S13188-S13189]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   THE PASSING OF MR. HARRY VANDEMORE

 Mr. JOHNSON. Mr. President, today I rise to honor the memory 
of a departed friend and trusted advisor, Harry VandeMore of Canton, 
South Dakota; a lifelong advocate for veterans and the citizens of 
Lincoln County, South Dakota.
  Harry's dedication to community began with his own service in the 
Seventh Infantry Division of the United States Army. He served 
meritoriously on the frontlines of the Korean War, earning the Combat 
Infantryman Badge for Excellent Performance. Unfortunately, on October 
14, 1952, he received serious combat injuries to the face, left arm, 
and left leg. For two years, he underwent thirty surgeries at Denver's 
Fitzsimmons Army Hospital to mend his injuries. As a result of his 
injuries, he was awarded the Purple Heart.
  After being discharged, he returned to Hudson, South Dakota, where he 
married Rose Ann McNamara, his wife of forty-four years, and farmed the 
lands of Hudson with his parents and brothers. Community was second 
only to his family. Harry always brought his family to events he 
attended. Many people who worked with Harry knew his children just as 
well.
  Harry dedicated his life to veterans ``because he went through it,'' 
according to Rose, his wife. His first service was to help the 
returning Vietnam War veterans who were facing mass rejection. Harry 
was honored by his peers when he was elected to the Disabled American 
Veterans National Executive Committee for the Fourteenth District, 
gaining wide respect serving a four-state region. His dedication was 
also present with his eighteen years on the state D.A.V. Executive 
Committee where he served as state commander; with his years as 
American Legion Post Commander in Hudson; and as president of the South 
Dakota Veteran's Council.
  Many have dedicated their life only to this very important cause, but 
Harry also served the whole community with seven years as chairman of 
the Hudson School Board and his years on the Lincoln County Planning 
and Zoning Commission. It was on the commission where he helped make 
roads safer for fellow farmers because they were farm-to-market roads.
  Harry was always a valuable citizen-counsel to me. He always helped 
to keep me abreast of veterans' hardships during my days as a state 
legislator, then as a member of the House, and

[[Page S13189]]

now, during my service in the U.S. Senate. I will forever miss his 
perspective on the uniquely tragic situation many of America's 
servicemen and women are in today. His life is a model to all South 
Dakotans and all Americans.
  Harry VandeMore will be missed. He served by dedicating his life to 
his community and comrades, leading by example. As a soldier, a farmer, 
a husband and father, and as a public servant, he served not only the 
veterans, who are too often passed over, but the entire community, so 
others would not have to go through hardship.

                          ____________________