[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 123 (Tuesday, September 9, 2003)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1749]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[[Page E1749]]
        HONORING THOMAS HUDNER AND THE HEROES OF THE KOREAN WAR

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. WILLIAM D. DELAHUNT

                            of massachusetts

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, September 9, 2003

  Mr. DELAHUNT. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to the brave 
men who fought to preserve the ideals of liberty and freedom from 
oppression that threatened to engulf the entire Korean peninsula back 
in the summer of 1950. On Sunday, July 27, 2003, in the town of 
Abington, Massachusetts, veterans of the Korean War, their families and 
fellow citizens will gather to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the 
end of what is often called ``The Forgotten War.'' But in truth it was 
anything but. The fighting, death and destruction was no illusion but a 
cold hard fact. Over 50,000 Americans were killed, wounded or taken 
prisoner. Our allies, the South Koreans, and the other countries that 
fought with us under the umbrella of the United Nations, also suffered. 
From the Pusan Perimeter and Inchon to the Chosin Reservoir and Pork 
Chop Hill, so many of our husbands, fathers, sons and brothers made the 
ultimate sacrifice to ensure that Koreans can have the same advantages 
and freedoms we enjoy here at home.
  Representative of the sacrifices of this group of heroes is 
Congressional Medal of Honor recipient and former Massachusetts 
Commissioner of Veterans Services, Thomas Hudner. Born in Fall River, 
Massachusetts in 1924, Mr. Hudner attended the prestigious Phillips 
Academy and then enrolled in the U.S. Naval Academy at Annapolis. 
Trained to be a Naval Aviator, Lieutenant (jg) Hudner received orders 
to go to Korea, where his ship, the USS Leyte, arrived in October of 
1950. Though enemy naval units were not a major threat, providing 
support to U.N. ground forces was still dangerous.
  The character and mettle of the man was fully revealed on December 4, 
1950, when on a mission, the aircraft flown by Ensign Jesse Brown went 
down in the mountains of North Korea. After confirming that Ensign 
Brown initially survived the crash, the flight leader radioed for 
assistance and the Marines dispatched a helicopter. Fearing that the 
fire now enveloping his friend's plane--or the enemy that was in the 
area--would reach him first, Lieutenant Hudner, at the risk of his own 
life, performed a wheels up crash landing of his aircraft and tried to 
rescue Ensign Brown. The hope was that both could then escape the area 
aboard the arriving helicopter. Fighting against snow, sub-zero 
temperatures and enemy forces, Hudner tried to put out the fire and 
save his comrade. Unfortunately, the injuries suffered by Brown were 
fatal. For his bravery and courage Thomas Hudner was decorated with the 
Congressional Medal of Honor by President Truman in 1951.
  After the war, Thomas Hudner continued his military career in the 
Navy until his retirement in 1973. He continued to live and work in the 
Boston area. Like others of his generation, when our country needed 
them, they answered the call. They did their duty, saved and preserved 
the freedoms we cherish today and returned home to raise their own 
families during one of America's greatest eras of prosperity. Their 
legacy is the peace, security and opportunity of today's America. It is 
a gift so precious we can never repay them except by promising each 
other to never forget and always remain vigilant. It has been 50 years 
since the guns fell silent across the cease fire line in Korea. The 
passing of time has thinned their ranks, but the memories of their 
deeds in fighting for the liberty we enjoy today will never fade. God 
bless the men of the Korean War generation, their families and the 
United States of America.