[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 12 (Tuesday, January 30, 2001)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E51]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




             TRIBUTE TO MAJOR BEN W. STUTTS OF CHEROKEE, AL

                                 ______
                                 

                    HON. ROBERT E. (BUD) CRAMER, JR.

                               of alabama

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, January 30, 2001

  Mr. CRAMER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to a fallen 
soldier from my district, Maj. Ben W. Stutts. Major Stutts is a true 
hero of our district and I am pleased that his family will receive the 
Purple Heart in his honor today for his extraordinary acts of bravery 
and his lifetime commitment to our armed services.
  Born in Cherokee, Alabama, Major Stutts first entered the Army 
Reserves after finishing Florence State College and the ROTC program. 
He served as a military police officer before traveling to Ft. Hood, 
Ft. Devens, Korea and finally Redstone Arsenal as an infantry officer.
  Major Stutts' bravery was put to the test in May of 1963 when his 
helicopter on a routine mission along the Korean Demilitarized Zone 
inadvertently landed in North Korea. Held captive for a year in North 
Korea, Major (then Captain) Stutts courageously endured his situation 
and held onto his faith, his patriotism and his love of his family.
  While his family met with the Army and their representatives in 
Congress and his fate was uncertain, Major Stutts' perseverance served 
as inspiration for his family and friends anxiously awaiting his home-
coming. Stutts' widow Mary and his sons Gregory, Michael and Bruce 
deserve our recognition for the sacrifices they have endured these many 
years. As his family accepts this Purple Heart today in honor of their 
beloved husband and father, I would like to express my appreciation for 
Major Stutts' actions to keep this country the home of the free.
  On behalf of the Congress of the United States, I would like to pay 
tribute to Major Stutts and his loving family. We can never afford to 
forget the victories and sacrifices of our veterans like Major Stutts 
lest we take for granted the precious freedoms we enjoy every minute of 
every day.

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