[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 88 (Thursday, June 27, 2002)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1167-E1169]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
IN HONOR OF HEROES WHO HAVE FOUGHT FOR OUR COUNTRY
______
HON. ALBERT RUSSELL WYNN
of maryland
in the house of representatives
Wednesday, June 26, 2002
Mr. WYNN. Mr. Speaker, as we approach Independence Day, I submit for
the Record a speech given in my Congressional District on Memorial Day,
by James E. Merna of 7503 Dover Lane, Lanham, Maryland, honoring the
heroism of veterans from Prince George's County, Maryland, that have
fought to protect our freedoms.
Honoring Five Sons of Prince George County, Maryland, That Have Fought
to Protect Our Freedoms
(By James E. Merna, Former Maryland State Commandant, Marine Corps
League)
Thank you Mayor Harrington, Councilwoman Marion Hoffman,
Bill Hickey, other Town of Bladensburg elected and appointed
officials, members of American Legion Post 131, leaders of
other veterans organizations, and fellow veterans. Thank you
for inviting me. I am pleased to be here.
The town and citizens of Bladensburg should take great
pride for the many years you have conducted ceremonies such
as this. Bladensburg is not only a historic town--a famous
port town--it is also a very patriotic town. Thanks also to
Colmar Manor American Legion Post 131 for helping to make
these events happen.
Memorial Day, as it is now observed, is a special day set
aside to remember the service and sacrifice made by Americans
who answered their country's call to duty in all wars--those
who gave their lives, those who served and returned, those
who were injured or disabled as a result of their service
those who remain missing in action, and those who serve today
in Afghanistan and around the world to defend freedom and to
fight terrorism.
In my remarks today, I want to talk about five brave Sons
of Prince George's County, who answered their nation's call,
and of their courage, devotion to duty, and personal
sacrifice. I believe it is a message for all, but especially
for our young people, Better role model other than their
parents or close relatives, they could not have.
I stress younger people in light of an announcement from
the U.S. Department of Education this mouth that said ``More
than half of America's high school seniors do not have even
the most basic grasp of U.S. history, showing no improvement
in a nationwide test since 1994.''
The Education Department issued a national history ''report
card`` which measured the performance last year of fourth,
eighth and 12th graders in history. Students did not know,
for instance, that America's fundamental belief in individual
liberty was expressed in the Declaration of Independence, or
that the image of UNCLE SAM was used to appeal to patriotism
during wartime.
Educators said the results were ``truly abysmal,'' pointing
out that the higher the grade and closer a student was to
voting age, the lower the understanding of U.S. history.
In grade 12, only 43 percent of students had a basic or
proficient knowledge of history. More than a third of fourth
graders and nearly 40 percent of eighth graders also did not
have a basic understanding of the subject. The Secretary of
Education, Rod Paige, stressed that ``basic'' is the bottom
of the achievement ladder. And, he said, they didn't even
reach that--``the lowest rung.''
In this complex day and age, this is troublesome. History
is a key component of our nation's school curriculum, and it
is through history that we understand our past and
contemplate our future. Especially following the September 11
attacks that targeted U.S. democracy. It is appalling that
some of the questions that stumped students involved the most
fundamental concepts of America's democracy. Our work is cut
out for us--we need more enlightened students--and better
trained history teachers.
The first notable Son of Prince George's County that I want
to mention, is one of your very own, a life-long resident of
Bladensburg. When I think of him, I'm reminded of the many
great songs that were popular during World War II. And I'm
referring to records, not CD's, tapes, or DVD's.
[[Page E1168]]
Among the best in my opinion, were three: (1) There'll be
Bluebirds Over, the White Cliffs of Dover,'' sung by Vera
Lynn (2) ``Long Ago and Far Away,'' made famous by Jo
Stafford, and (3) ``When the Lights Go On Again, All Over
the, World,'' sung by Vaughn Monroe.
This individual, I am about to name, and many others of his
generation exemplified the very ideals inscribed at the base
of this Peace Cross Memorial: endurance, courage, devotion,
and valor. Because of their wartime service and sacrifice,
they made it possible for the bluebirds once again to fly
over the White Cliffs of Dover, for the lights to come on
again all over the world, in a global struggle long ago and
far away.
Ladies and gentlemen, I ask you to join with me in applause
for one of your finest citizens, a World War II Navy veteran
of many battles in the Pacific, a venerable gentleman who
will celebrate his 88th birthday in August, the Chairman-
Emeritus of Bladensburg's Promotions Committee--Mr. Bill
Hickey.
Let us never forget that we have yet to erect a Memorial on
the Mall in Washington for our World War 11 veterans, and
we're losing these veterans at an astounding rate of 1500 a
day. Like all of you, I want to see that overdue Memorial
built--and soon, as a tribute to the Bill Hickey's and all
our World War II veterans. I have a personal interest in this
Memorial as well. My oldest brother George was killed in
action in World War II. He went down with his ship, LST 577,
sunk by a torpedo from a Japanese submarine in the
Philippines, on February 11, 1945. He was 19 years old
Let me mention another truly outstanding Son of Prince
George's County--one who epitomized the motto of those long
ago great Notre Dame football teams coached by the legendary
Knute Rockne. Coach Rockne once said the motto of his teams
was: Don't Let Your Buddy Down''--a motto which he admitted
he borrowed from our Marine Corps on the battlefields of
World War I.
Captain Jim Graham grew up in Prince George's County, in
Accokeek, finished high school in Brandywine, and graduated
from Frostburg State College in 1963. His family later lived
in Forestville. He was a career Marine officer serving in
Vietnam in 1967. Listen to this stirring account of Captain
Graham's heroic actions as described by General Lewis W.
Walt, former Assistant Commandant of the Marine Corps:
``Captain Jim Graham was a young company commander serving
with our 5th Marine Regiment in Vietnam. His company, while
in the attack, came under heavy fire from mortars and small
arms which immediately inflicted large numbers of casualties
in his Second Platoon. Graham, upon seeing this, organized
and boldly led a fierce assault through the Second Platoon's
position, forcing the enemy to abandon the machine gun
position, thereby relieving some of the pressure on the
platoon and enabling evacuation of the wounded to a more
secure area. During the afternoon and early evening, Graham's
small force stood steadfast in its hard-won enclave. He was
wounded twice while personally accounting for 15 enemies
killed. His battalion commander ordered him to withdraw to
friendly lines. Graham reacted by sending all of his men back
except one man who could not be moved due to the seriousness
of his wounds. He apologized to his battalion commander for
not completely carrying out the order to withdraw, but said
``I just can't leave this young Marine, keep the firing
coming through Colonel, we are hurting them.'' About 20
minutes later, Captain Graham radioed: ``This is my last
transmission. I am being assaulted by at least 25 of them.
It's been a pleasure soldiering with you.'' Captain Jim
Graham was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for his
heroic deeds that day.''
A year later, I had the privilege to attend a ceremony at
8th and I, Marine Barracks, Washington, DC when Captain
Graham's widow, Janice, accepted the Nation's highest award,
the Congressional Medal of Honor, in her husband's name. It
was the first Medal of Honor to be awarded to a Marylander in
the Vietnam War.
Another Prince George's great, the late Maryland State
Senator Ed Conroy, was a highly decorated army Korean War
hero who led the defense of Heartbreak Ridge. He was severely
wounded twice, lost an arm and sustained burns over 90
percent of his body. Among his decorations were the Silver
Star, and two Purple Hearts. Ed had a miraculous recovery and
went on to earn a law degree from Georgetown University. He
never forgot his fellow veterans and was known in the
Maryland Senate as the champion legislator for all veterans
legislation. I had the pleasure to organize a testimonial
dimer for Ed when he was elected as National Commander of the
Disabled American Veterans. On many occasions when I would
introduce him, he would have me say with pride that he was
``the closest to a Marine without being a Marine.'' We miss
Ed and his tireless energy. A great patriot. Many of you, I'm
sure, know Ed's widow, Mary Conroy. She serves Prince
George's County today with much distinction, as a Member of
the House of Delegates in Annapolis.
Moving along, I want to mention two other notable Sons of
Prince George's County who served their nation with honor in
Vietnam: Charles E. ``Butch'' Joeckel, Jr., and John
Clements, both distinguished combat Marines.
Butch Jeckel was raised in Colmar Manor, within walking
distance of this monument. He graduated from Bladensburg High
School in 1965, joined the Marines in 1966, and went to
Vietnam in 1967. He was a 20-year-old squad leader and only
in Vietnam three months when his river boat was ambushed
during the Tet Offensive in January 1968. While searching out
a suspected enemy position ashore, one of his men
inadvertently stepped on a land mine, triggering an explosion
which blew off both of Butch's legs above the knee. Seven
other Marines were wounded by the blast. Despite his severe
injuries, Butch maintained exceptional presence of mind and
called for a medical evacuation and directed the clearing of
a helicopter landing zone.
As is the case with all seriously wounded servicemen and
those killed in action, a military officer is usually
assigned to make personal contact with the family. The
casualty notification officers, as they are called, was in
Butch's case, a Marine Lieutenant just back from Vietnam. It
was my brother, Jerry Merna. When Jerry got back home that
night, in Alexandria, Va., he called to let me know he had
just been in Colmar Manor, visiting with Butch's parents. He
let me know of the severity of Butch's wounds.
For me, that was the beginning of a 34-year friendship, to
this day, with Butch. I soon rounded up a few other former
Marines and we visited Butch at the Philadelphia Naval
Hospital. In fact, we brought him home once he was
discharged, back to his boyhood home--at 3605 40th Place, in
Colmar Manor, where his dad, a World War II veteran, still
lives. On the way home, we made a detour, to Peter Connell's
Restaurant on Annapolis Road, now called The Italian Inn, for
``refreshments.''
I was with Butch at a ceremony at Headquarters Marine Corps
when he was awarded the Silver Star, the nation's third
highest award for bravery in combat. It was presented to him
by four-star General Lewis W. Walt, Assistant Commandant of
the Marine Corps. Earlier, in the Korean War, General Walt
was my Commanding Officer, when he commanded the 5th Marine
Regiment, First Marine Division. When pinning the medal on
Butch, General Walt said, ``This is one of the proudest
moments of my military career, for I am more proud of Butch
than of any Marine I know.'' That was quite a compliment
coming from someone like General Walt, who during his
military career, won two Navy Crosses and the Silver Star in
World War II, the Legion of Merit, and the Bronze Star in
Korea, and the Distinguished Service Medal as the Commander
of Marines in Vietnam.
This was not the first meeting Butch had with General Walt.
Back on July 6, 1968, thirty-four years ago, I had the
pleasure of organizing a Welcome Home Parade for Butch. The
parade commenced right here at this very site, the Peace
Cross, and marched all the way down Bladensburg Road to the
DC line. My Prince George's County Detachment of the Marine
Corps League and the American Legion Post 131 in Colmar
Manor, co-chaired the event. We had the county proclaim that
day, July 6, 1968, as Butch Joeckel Day. Youth groups,
veterans groups, community service organizations, high school
marching bands, the Marine Corps Band, and troops from each
of the military services marched proudly in Butch's honor
that day. The grand marshal of the parade was General Walt,
just back from Vietnam himself. Admittedly, and
unfortunately, there weren't many parades for returning
Vietnam Veterans in those days, but we had one, right here in
Prince George's County. It was a huge success, and was
nationally televised by ABC-TV.
One last word about Butch. He went on to a very
distinguished career. He earned his college degree, then
decided he wanted to help his fellow veterans. He took a low-
level position in the Washington office of the Disabled
American Veterans, and then went on to head up not only the
Washington office, but the entire national organization
itself, with more than one million members strong. He lives
in Annapolis now, is married with two grown children, and is
a grandfather. He's currently serving on a presidential
disability commission. But he's never forgotten his roots. In
an interview with the Capital newspaper in Annapolis not too
long ago, he said, ``I've been working in veterans affairs
since I came back in 1968. It's in my heart. I felt like I
had to give back to my community because they were great to
me. I got a welcome home parade in my hometown. Not many
did.''
Finally, a word about John Clements. John was raised in
Cheverly, and graduated from DeMatha High School. John was a
contemporary of Butch's, and like Butch, joined the Marines
right out of high school. He went off to Vietnam where he won
three Purple Hearts. He was seriously wounded and spent a
long time hospitalized. I visited John at Bethesda Naval
Hospital a number of times. The doctors wanted to amputate
one of John's legs, but through perseverance and much prayer,
he was able to convince them otherwise. John has gotten by
since then with the use of a cane. Like Butch, John too
wanted to help his fellow veterans, and went on to a
successful career with the Veterans Administration designing
prosthetic equipment for disabled veterans.
In closing, as we leave here today, let us affirm to
remember Memorial Day for what it was intended to be--a day
of recognition, honor, and respect, and not just a three-day
holiday.
Let us remember our fallen comrades--those who fought and
died for freedom, and
[[Page E1169]]
the children, spouses and parents they left behind. Let us
never forget those who returned, many disabled. If we can
remember these worthy veterans on Memorial Day, we ought to
honor them on Election Day. Let's do all in our power to put
more upcoming Ed Conroy's in City Hall, on the County
Council, in our State House, and in the Congress. We have the
opportunity to do so with elections coming up in the Fall.
They served us so well in war--and they would do as well in
preserving the peace.
Our very own heroes--Bill Hickey in World War II, Ed Conroy
in Korea, and Captain Jim Graham, Butch Joeckel, and John
Clements in Vietnam--they represent the best that America has
to offer. They are object lessons themselves. They made
history. Hopefully, our young people will be inspired by
their example.
If America is to remain great, it may indeed depend on how
well we continue to inspire our youth to excel. Our noted
Sons of Prince George's County have shown the way.
Thank you--and God Bless America.
____________________