[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 115 (Thursday, September 6, 2001)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1598]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      TRIBUTE TO KENNETH JERNSTEDT

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. GREG WALDEN

                               of oregon

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, September 6, 2001

  Mr. WALDEN of Oregon. Mr. Speaker, it is with great pleasure that I 
take this opportunity to recognize one of Oregon's most distinguished 
sons, Kenneth Jernstedt, on the occasion of the dedication of Ken 
Jernstedt Airfield on September 8, 2001, in the City of Hood River, 
Oregon.
  A devoted husband and father, a fearless warrior, a public servant, 
and a friend to the people of the Columbia Gorge, Ken Jernstedt is as 
fine an American as I have ever known. Naming the airfield in Ken's 
honor is a fitting tribute to a man who not only has served this 
community so ably, but who personifies aviation in Oregon. From his 
days as a combat pilot in the skies over China to his service as a test 
pilot after his return, Ken is an airman through and through.
  Recruited from the U.S. Marine Air Corps in 1941, Ken Jernstedt was 
among a restless and eager group of young pilots who answered the call 
to protect the Burma Road, a vital support line into China. These young 
men made up the American Volunteer Group, commonly known as the Flying 
Tigers, a clandestine organization of American civilian volunteers that 
became operational even before the United States entered the war 
against Japan.
  The Flying Tigers served in China and Southeast Asia from December, 
1941 to July, 1942 under the command of their charismatic leader, 
Claire Chennault. In just six months of combat operations, Jernstedt 
and his comrades-in-arms were credited with destroying 296 enemy planes 
and more than 1,000 airmen. For this toll on the enemy 22 Tigers made 
the ultimate sacrifice, never to return to the country they had served 
so honorably.
  During his tour with the Flying Tigers, Ken Jernstedt served as a 
flight leader of the 3rd Squadron. In combat against the enemy, he 
scored 10\1/2\ victories in his P-40 fighter, earning him the 
Distinguished Flying Cross, one of the highest decorations awarded by 
the United States for valor in aerial combat. Following the disbandment 
of the Flying Tigers in 1942, Ken became an experimental plane test 
pilot, a job no less dangerous than combat against the Japanese. Among 
the planes he piloted was the P-47 Thunderbolt.
  Later in his life, Ken directed his tremendous energies toward less 
dangerous endeavors. After serving as mayor of the City of Hood River 
from 1959 to 1960, he was elected to the State Legislature, where he 
served with distinction in both the House and Senate for a combined 20 
years. Following his departure from the Senate, Ken again served as 
mayor of Hood River from 1989 to 1990. In addition to his invaluable 
public service at both the local and state levels, Ken has served as 
honorary chair of the Air Safety and Education Foundation of the Oregon 
Pilots Association.
  In the future, as generations not yet born pass through the gates of 
Ken Jernstedt Airfield, they will be reminded of this giant of a man. 
If they admire courage in the face of danger, if they value personal 
sacrifice in a culture of self gratification, and if they cherish 
freedom in a world filled with oppression, they will salute him as I 
salute him today. Ken Jernstedt is, in a word, a patriot. For one who 
so values the liberty that was purchased with the courage of men like 
him, I can think of no higher compliment.

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