[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 44 (Thursday, April 1, 2004)]
[Senate]
[Page S3564]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      CAPT JOHN LAWRENCE FROM, JR.

  Mr. LEAHY. Mr. President, recently I heard about CAPT John Lawrence 
From, Jr. in McLean, VA, a retired Navy nuclear submarine captain, who 
lived next door to Jim Rosser and his wife, Nicki Watts. They told me 
that he had died of pneumonia at Arlington Hospital at the age of 82. 
Retired Air Force Colonel Watts sent me material about him, and I would 
like to include it in the Record. Sometimes obituaries are so cold and 
give so little about somebody's life that I wanted the Senate to pause 
and think of Captain From.
  Captain From not only served in the Pacific during World War II, but 
also commanded the first Polaris missile nuclear submarine. The Pacific 
Theater tours were dangerous, extraordinarily uncomfortable, and 
extremely necessary to our efforts to win World War II.
  People get mentioned on this floor for many things, but I agree with 
Colonel Watts that Captain From should receive recognition here.
  I ask unanimous consent to have printed in the Record some material I 
have about him.
  There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in 
the Record, as follows:

       John Lawrence From, Jr. (Larry), 82, a retired Navy nuclear 
     submarine captain, died March 19, 2004, of pneumonia at 
     Arlington Hospital. He had lived in McLean, VA, since 1972.
       Captain From, a native of Norfolk, VA, was a 1943 graduate 
     (class of 1944) of the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, MD.
       He served in the Pacific Theater during WWII, making six 
     submarine war patrols. After the war, he commanded a diesel-
     electric submarine, and in the 1960s commanded the first 
     Polaris missile nuclear submarine, the USS George Washington 
     III (SSBN 598), and later the Ulysses S. Grant. (Larry was 
     pictured on the cover of LIFE magazine's March 22, 1963 issue 
     as the first Polaris captain.) He retired in late 1972 at the 
     conclusion of his last assignment as Commanding Officer, 
     Naval Submarine Base, Pearl Harbor.
       Captain From was a graduate of the Naval War College in 
     Newport, RI, and the National War College in Washington, DC. 
     He received a master's degree in international affairs from 
     George Washington University.
       His service awards included the Legion of Merit with Gold 
     Star (second award), the Joint Service Commendation Medal, 
     and the Navy Commendation Medal with Combat ``V''. 
     Submarines, while he served in them, were awarded the 
     Presidential Unit Citation and Navy Unit Commendation.
       In the late 1960s, he was instrumental in establishing, 
     developing, and maintaining a Boy Scout Troop in the 
     Chesterbrook Woods community of McLean.
       After retiring from the Navy, Larry worked for nearly 12 
     years at Science Applications International Corporation as 
     Vice President of research and development, and provided the 
     Navy with state-of-the-art underwater tracking systems based 
     on advanced signal processing techniques.
       Larry was a parishioner of St. John's Catholic Church in 
     McLean, and his faith was like the submarines he served: 
     silent but deep. He was committed to serving the Lord and his 
     lovely wife, Mary Jane, whom he loved so devoutly and cared 
     for for so many years. Through it all, he remained a tower of 
     strength, always to be commended and remembered.
       Survivors include his wife of 58 years, Mary Jane; three 
     children, Deborah J. Fletcher of Mill Valley, CA, Tina L. 
     Egge of Fredericksburg, VA, and Michael E. From of Seattle, 
     WA; and three grandsons, Kyle Egge, and Christopher and 
     Patrick From. He is also survived by his brother, William 
     From, and sister, Mary Elizabeth Troxell.
       Larry was interred at Arlington Cemetery on March 30th.

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