[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 159 (Thursday, November 11, 1999)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2347]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

[[Page E2347]]



                 HONORING CPL. WALTER OLLIFF MOORE, USA

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. JACK KINGSTON

                               of georgia

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, November 10, 1999

  Mr. KINGSTON. Mr. Speaker, when President Eisenhower signed a 
proclamation expanding the observance of Armistice Day to the 
commemoration of Veterans Day in 1954, he called for a day to `` * * * 
let us solemnly remember the sacrifices of all those who fought so 
valiantly, on the seas, in the air, and on foreign shores, to preserve 
our heritage of freedom, and let us reconsecrate ourselves to the task 
of promoting an enduring peace so that their efforts shall not have 
been in vain.''
  Thursday is Veterans Day, and we owe it to the men and women who have 
served our nation in the Armed Forces to remember their sacrifices and 
to honor them for the freedoms they have guaranteed for us today. Since 
1775: 41,882,000 Americans have served their nation through eleven 
major conflicts; 1,091,200 have died in service to our country; 
18,968,000 veterans of America's wars live in our communities today; 
and another 30,638,000 living ex-service members or peacetime veterans 
are our neighbors.
  We must commemorate this day by remembering our veterans are our 
grandfathers, fathers, and brothers, uncles and aunts, or the guy next 
door. Most do not seek recognition for their sacrifices, but spend the 
eleventh hour, of the eleventh day, of the eleventh month, remembering, 
reliving their experiences, and praying for their fallen comrades.
  Walter Olliff ``Ollie'' Moore is one of those veterans. 
Unpretentious. A resident of Millen, Georgia, he was the guy next door 
in 1949. Engaged to be married to Miss Jacklyn Miller, he entered the 
service at Fort Jackson, South Carolina. With war erupting in Korea in 
1950, as a U.S. Army Infantryman he was transferred to the combat zone 
and assigned to Company D, 19th Infrantry Regiment. Ollie was wounded 
in action in November of that year. He recovered and returned to action 
on the front lines. He was captured by the enemy and was held captive 
as a Prisoner of War at Pyo Dong, Camp #5, in North Korea until 
September 1953. Corporal Moore returned home to Georgia in October 
1953, married Jackie in February 1954, became a father to Walter Jr., 
and settled in as the guy next door.
  Ollie is one of 41,882,000 American Veterans who has sacrificed for 
our nation, one of 6,807,000 who served during the Korean conflict, one 
of 7,140 Americans known to have been held as a POW in Korea, one of 
2,814 of those ex-POW's surviving today, and today one man in a 
community of over 273 million grateful Americans. We owe Ollie and the 
many Americans like him a debt of gratitude every day. On Thursday, we 
must all take a moment to pay homage to those who have contributed so 
much to the preservation of our nation. You do not have to go far to 
find a veteran; one may be in your family, a special friend, someone 
you pass on the street, or he or she may be the guy living next door.

                          ____________________