[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 34 (Thursday, March 23, 2000)]
[Senate]
[Pages S1664-S1665]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




               TRIBUTE TO RICHARD BEST--AN AMERICAN HERO

  Mr. HELMS. Mr. President, Tom Brokaw's recently released a best-
selling book, ``The Greatest Generation'' is a tribute to the 
contributions of the millions of Americans who grew up during the Great 
Depression, then went on to fight and win WWII.
  I suggest that most Americans will agree that Mr. Brokaw's father's 
generation is one of unique and lasting significance.
  Having lived through that dark hour when totalitarian regimes in 
Europe and Asia threatened the survival of our republic, and having 
witnessed the sacrifices unhesitatingly borne by our servicemen, I must 
confess that I, like most of that generation, can never take our 
liberties for granted.
  More than a half-century removed from victory in WWII, in retrospect 
I am convinced that far too many Americans have forgotten (or perhaps 
never learned) how bleak the prospects for our success appeared to be 
in the spring and early summer of 1942.
  Victory was not preordained, and our fate might well have been vastly 
different had it not been for the heroic actions of U.S. Navy 
Lieutenant Richard Best and others like him who won that decisive 
victory at the Battle of Midway in June 1942, reversing a decade of 
previously unchecked (and largely unchallenged aggression) by the 
Japanese Imperial Navy.
  Mr. President, to understand fully the heroic nature of Lieutenant 
Best's heroism, it is essential to understand the events leading up to 
the battle. Prior to Midway, American forces in the Pacific had endured 
a devastating series of losses and withdrawals that had crippled the 
U.S. Pacific Fleet.
  Beginning with almost 3,600 casualties at Pearl Harbor in December 
1941, Americans witnessed the fall of Hong Kong, Singapore, and Rangoon 
to battle-hardened Japanese forces; the collapse of a spirited defense 
of Battan by American and Filipino forces; and finally, the devastating 
loss of Corregidor, the island at the entrance of Manila Bay--an island 
that the United States had heavily fortified and which had been dubbed 
the ``Gibraltar of the East.''
  These losses led many Americans to the conclusion that Japan's 
success in the Pacific was inevitable. Some voices at home began to 
call for the withdrawal of U.S. forces from the Pacific theater so that 
we could first concentrate on winning the war against fascism in 
Europe.
  After the selfless and courageous action of Lieutenant Best on June 
4, 1942, and the American victory at the Battle of Midway, it became 
clear that America would not abandon the Pacific theater to an 
unprovoked aggressor. Instead, America would stand and fight.
  Mr. President, the Japanese plan of attack on Midway was designed as 
part of the largest operation in the history of the Imperial Japanese 
Navy. Anticipating complete surprise and equipped with four fast 
carriers, Kaga, Akagi, Soryu, and Hiryu, the First Carrier Striking 
Force had reason to expect a crushing victory. The early action of the 
battle seemed to justify that confidence.
  The first action saw three successive waves of American torpedo 
bombers attack the Japanese carriers. While avoiding damage to their 
carriers, Japanese fighters and antiaircraft guns quickly managed to 
shoot down 35 of the 41 American aircraft.
  Following these devastating losses, two squadrons of United States 
dive bombers from the U.S.S. Enterprise swooped down on the Japanese 
carriers. Leading the Enterprise's Bombing Squadron Six, a group of 15 
Dauntless SBD aircraft was their commanding officer, Lieutenant Richard 
Best (later lieutenant commander).
  Regarded as one of the Navy's most skilled dive-bomb pilots. 
Lieutenant Best took the point attacking the well-defended Japanese 
flagship, The Akagi. With precision, he delivered his bomb on the 
flight deck of the powerful carrier, scoring the first direct hit, one 
that would eventually lead to the sinking of the ship.
  Of the 15 planes in his squadron, only Lieutenant Best and four 
others returned to the Enterprise that day. After refueling and 
rearming, Lieutenant Best soared into the air again. This time he was 
searching for the Hiryu, the one Japanese carrier that had managed to 
survive the day's earlier fighting.
  According to the Naval Historical Center, Richard Best scored a 
second direct hit against the Hiryu, helping to deliver a devastating 
blow the overconfident and seemingly invincible Japanese Navy.
  In addition to being the only American pilot to score two successful 
direct hits on Japanese carriers at the Battle of Midway, there was 
something else remarkable about Lieutenant Best's courage that day. At 
the time of the attack, he was physically weakened and suffering from 
severe lung damage. Doctors later diagnosed him as suffering from 
tuberculosis, a condition that would (1) prevent him from ever flying 
again and (2) would cause him to spend the next two years recovering in 
Navy hospitals.
  For his actions at Midway, Lieutenant Commander Best received the 
Navy Cross in 1942, the second highest military award presented to 
members of the Naval Service. It now appears that this award was based 
on incomplete information and that at the time, the Navy was not aware 
(1) that Best was the only pilot who scored two direct hits and (2) 
that he was suffering from tuberculosis.
  Since then, a number of distinguished retired Naval officers, 
including Admiral Thomas H. Moorer, have ``weighed-in'' in support of 
awarding Dick Best the Congressional Medal of Honor. Should the 
Department of the Navy and the Department of Defense determine that an 
upgrade of the Navy Cross is appropriate I will unhesitatingly support 
it.

[[Page S1665]]

  Mr. President, tomorrow night, at a dinner in New York City, the 
International Midway Memorial Foundation, will celebrate the 90th 
birthday of Dick Best and honor him for his selfless and courageous 
conduct in the Battle of Midway. While I am unable to be present, I 
certainly extend my gratitude and respect for his incredible heroism 
that day.

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