[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 73 (Thursday, June 6, 2002)]
[Senate]
[Page S5204]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      TRIBUTE TO CLARENCE B. CRAFT

 Mr. HUTCHINSON. Mr. President, it is with great pride, but 
with a heavy heart that I rise today to pay tribute to one of America's 
greatest heroes and fellow Arkansan, Clarence B. Craft. Mr. Craft 
passed away on March 28, 2002, but left behind a legacy of kindness and 
courage. Though he was born in California, he spent the last twenty-
five years of his life in northwest Arkansas giving selflessly of his 
time as a volunteer for the Veterans' Affairs Medical Center in 
Fayettville. He will be remembered as a true and dedicated friend to 
the veterans, one who lifted their spirits with personal visits, often 
visiting every patient in the hospital. After his passing, those who 
knew him characterized Clarence as a ``special man.''
  Clarence Craft was an extremely humble person, and rarely talked 
about the accolades that made this great American truly special. On May 
31, 1945, then-Private First Class Craft faced a numerically superior 
Japanese force on the island of Okinawa. PFC Craft's one-man attack 
against a Japanese defense that had repelled repeated, heavy assaults 
by battalion-sized U.S. formations for 12 days, resulted in the entire 
defensive line crumbling. For these heroic acts Clarence Craft was 
recognized with our nation's highest award for actions above and beyond 
the call of duty, the Congressional Medal of Honor.
  Let the record show on behalf of a grateful nation, that the U.S. 
Senate pays tribute to Clarence B. Craft, an American hero. He will be 
sorely missed.

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