[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 103 (Thursday, September 7, 2000)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1421-E1422]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




FIRST LIEUTENANT JOHN ARTHUR KEEPNEWS, UNITED STATES MARINE, MANHASSET, 
                                NEW YORK

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. PETER T. KING

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, September 7, 2000

  Mr. KING. Mr. Speaker, this year marks the 25th Anniversary of the 
end of the Vietnam War. We remember the brave and gallant service and 
the great sacrifice made by the sons and daughters of our great nation 
who served in that war. Even more important, we remember the great 
sacrifice made by the parents, spouses and families of those sons and 
daughters.

[[Page E1422]]

  The Vietnam War has left an indelible mark on all parts of this 
nation of ours, including my own district in New York. St. Mary's High 
School, which lies within the town of Manhasset, in my district in New 
York, was also affected by the Vietnam War. It sent many of its sons to 
fight in the Vietnam War, some paying the Supreme Sacrifice in the 
service of our country.
  During the latter part of this year, St. Mary's High School will be 
holding its First Annual Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony. Nominated for 
induction is United States Marine First Lieutenant John Arthur Keepnews 
of Manhasset.
  John Arthur Keepnews was born in Bayside, Queens and moved with his 
parents and younger brother Robert to the suburban community of 
Manhasset in 1958. His parents bought a home at 443 Hunt Lane, nestled 
in the heart of beautiful Munsey Park. During that same year, he 
entered St. Mary's High School in Manhasset and his parents became 
devout St. Mary's Parishioners.
  John Keepnews was your typical student at St. Mary's High School. He 
was a young man with a great deal of heart and potential. He was an 
honor student and a top runner on the St. Mary's High School Cross 
Country and Track Teams and on Long Island. He worked very hard at his 
running and as one of his former coaches put it, ``John did not have a 
lot of talent, but he had the tenacity of a bulldog.'' He trained in 
innovative ways which included running on beaches and interval, hill 
and weight training, at a time when distance runners merely did 
distance running to train. John Keepnews trained in a manner that was 
ahead of its time. (Today, these training methods are common to runners 
of all categories, as these methods provide more power and help to 
prevent injury.)
  At St. Mary's, he was coached by Brother Thomas Joseph. In cross 
country, John ran in the low 14's on the legendary Cross Country course 
at Van Courtlandt Park in Bronx, New York. In track, John ran a 4:50 
mile and a 9:52 two mile, his best event. He medaled frequently in 
races and enjoyed some heated rivalries. During his senior year at St. 
Mary's, John co-captained the track team and placed 4th in the two mile 
in both the indoor and outdoor Eastern States Championships. He 
received a track scholarship to Iona College in New York and the 
promise of a scholarship at Mount St. Mary's College in Maryland. John 
became an exceptional runner at St. Mary's and was one of the top 
distance runners of his time, if not in the history of St. Mary's High 
School.
  Outside of St. Mary's he was a regular guy, who would often find his 
way to the field at
  After graduating from St. Mary's High School in 1962, John decided to 
attend Mount St. Mary's College. The ``Mount'' was part of the Mason-
Dixon (Athletic) Conference of the National College Athletic 
Association (NCAA). Pursuing his running career here, John placed 
second in the two mile during the 1963 Outdoor Mason-Dixon Conference 
Championships and helped to contribute to the first ever Mount St. 
Mary's College track title. John was also instrumental in helping the 
team win the 1964 cross-country conference crown and the track title. 
He ran 4:37 for the mile, placed 4th in the 1962 Loyola Cross-Country 
Invitational, placed 5th in the 1963 Outdoor Track NCAA Atlantic Coast 
Regional 2 mile race and won the mile and two mile on numerous 
occasions. He was named All-Conference on several occasions and may 
have held at one point both the cross country and two mile records.
  Graduating from Mount St. Mary's College in 1966, John entered the 
Marine Corps Officer Candidate School (OCS) and was commissioned a 
Second Lieutenant. He graduated from The Basic School in Quantico, 
Virginia as an infantry officer and waived his overseas control date 
and requested orders to Vietnam. In early 1968 (just in time for the 
Tet Offensive), John was a Platoon Commander and Executive Officer of F 
Company, 2nd Battalion, 9th Marines, 3rd Marine Division. His unit 
spent all of its time just below the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ), near 
places that are now legend in the Marine Corps: Khe Sanh, Con Thien, 
Camp Carroll, Quang Tri and the Rockpile. As were all the Marines in I 
Corps (the northernmost provinces of Vietnam), John's unit was in 
almost constant contact with North Vietnamese Army regulars. On a daily 
basis, John and his unit sought out, closed with and destroyed the best 
trained, best equipped and best led units of the North Vietnamese Army.
  Tragically, we lost this Great American and outstanding Marine from 
Manhasset on June 7, 1968. It was at the time of his death that his 
brother Robert was commissioned a Second Lieutenant in the United 
States Marine Corps. First Lieutenant John Arthur Keepnews was killed 
as a result of multiple shrapnel wounds received near Landing Zone Stud 
(later renamed the Vandergrift Combat Base) in Quang Tri Province, 
South Vietnam. His death coincided with the 170th Anniversary of the 
formal establishment of the Marine Corps by the United States 
Government. It was in June of 1798 that Congress legally established 
the Marine Corps as a separate Department of the Navy.
  As a result of his brave and gallant service and self sacrifice as a 
United States Marine during the Vietnam War, Lt. Keepnews was awarded a 
Purple Heart, Combat Action Ribbon, Meritorious Unit Commendation, 
National Defense Service Medal, Vietnam Service Medal with three bronze 
stars, Republic of Vietnam Meritorious Unit Commendation (Gallantry 
Cross Color) and Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal.
  At the time of his death in June of 1968, Lt. Keepnews was survived 
by his parents Arthur J. and Mary E. Keepnews, his younger brother 
Robert, his wife Patricia and his 5 month old daughter he had never 
seen, Margaret Ann.
  We have much to be thankful for First Lieutenant John Arthur Keepnews 
and extend appreciation not just for his supreme sacrifice in the 
service of our country, but also the great sacrifice made by his 
family. We will forever remember John Keepnews, his humor, wit, hard 
work, perseverance, athleticism and bravery. I am proud to know that 
John Keepnews was a resident of my district, the 3rd Congressional 
District of New York. I know full well that when a young person joins 
the St. Mary's High School Cross Country and Track teams, John Keepnews 
will be with them placing hope and encouragement in them with each 
stride they take, in each race they compete in.
  First Lieutenant John Arthur Keepnews is a true representative of St. 
Mary's, of Manhasset, his country and his family. He represents the 
highest character of morals and bravery and embodies the spirit and 
principles of what it means to be a Great American. He is a person we 
are and will always be extremely proud of.
  In closing, I would like the members of this chamber to join me in 
remembering a true American Patriot and support his nomination for 
Induction into the St. Mary's High School Hall of Fame.

                          ____________________