[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 15 (Monday, February 9, 2004)]
[Senate]
[Page S718]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                HERMAN A. MACDONALD, OREGON VETERAN HERO

 Mr. SMITH. Mr. President, today I rise to honor an Oregon 
veteran who has gone above and beyond the call of duty in service to 
his country and to his State. Herman A. ``Mac'' MacDonald was born in 
1929 in Boston, MA and has lived in Oregon since the 1978. Mac's entire 
life has been dedicated to serving America, its veterans, and citizens.
  Mac's military career began shortly after he graduated from high 
school in 1948, when he joined the United States Coast Guard Reserves 
while attending Bryant College. After graduation, Mac joined the United 
States Marine Corps, as an officer. Mac's military career sent him to 
distant lands to defend America's interests. He served in combat on the 
main line of resistance in Korea; he was stationed in Virginia, Hawaii, 
Illinois, California and Japan. He served as the Commanding Officer of 
Force Reconnaissance at Camp Pendleton. He also served in Vietnam as 
part of the top-secret Studies and Observation Group, SOG. Along with 
the team, Mac served with Marine Reconnaissance, Navy SEALS, and the 
Green Berets.
  After Vietnam, Mac was transferred to Marine Headquarters in 
Washington, DC, where he became a military aide for Secretary of 
Housing and Urban Development, George Romney. Mac's military background 
provided Secretary Romney with important insight for policy decisions. 
Following his service with the Secretary, Mac moved to Toronto, Canada, 
where he was an instructor at the Canadian Forces Command and Staff 
College. He returned to the United States in 1976, and retired from the 
military in 1978. Upon retirement, he had earned a total of 24 ribbons, 
five of which were personal decorations, in addition to Presidential 
Unit Citations from the U.S. Army and U.S. Marine Corps.
  For Mac, retirement meant a chance to follow a new dream. His 
compassion for children brought him to the classroom, where he became a 
teacher. From 1978-1985, Mac taught in the Salem School District in 
Oregon, where he worked with troubled teenagers. He became the 
principal of the Woodburn Gervais alternative high school and retired 
in 1999.
  Mac continues to serve veterans today as an advocate for Oregon 
veterans' organizations. He is also the curator of the Oregon Military 
Educational Display, a collection of uniforms, medals, and artifacts 
from various wars throughout history. The items are put on a display 
for a month each year at the Oregon State Capitol.
  Mac has lived in West Salem since 1978 and is proud to call himself 
an Oregonian. He's been marred to his wife Vi for 46 years and has two 
grown children, and two grandsons.
  For his selfless service to others, and to the United States in times 
of war, I salute Herman A. ``Mac'' MacDonald as an Oregon Veteran 
Hero.

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