[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 86 (Monday, June 21, 2004)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1191]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




            A SALUTE TO MEDAL OF HONOR RECIPIENT WESLEY FOX

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. FRANK R. WOLF

                              of virginia

                    in the house of representatives

                         Monday, June 21, 2004

  Mr. WOLF. Mr. Speaker, it is my pleasure today to recognize the 
outstanding service of Colonel Wesley Fox, USMC (retired), of Front 
Royal, Virginia. Colonel Fox was one of only five Marines to receive 
the Medal of Honor for their valiant heroism during Operation Dewey 
Canyon in Vietnam and he was the only one who survived to wear it. A 
bronze plaque will be placed in the Warren County Courthouse on July 7 
honoring Colonel Fox.
  Raised in Front Royal with ambitions toward farming, Colonel Fox 
followed his cousins into the armed services at the onset of the Korean 
War. At the age of 18 he was thrust into intense fighting after only 
five months in the U.S. Marine Corps. Just nine months later, he was 
carried off the field of battle due to wounds that would alter his life 
plan. He would remain in the Marine Corps and over the following 16 
years he worked his way through all the enlisted ranks to first 
sergeant.
  Instead of taking the more conventional path of retirement, Colonel 
Fox chose to begin the climb through the officers' ranks. His tour of 
duty took him again to the battlefield of Vietnam as a first 
lieutenant. In Operation Dewey Canyon he led his 1st Battalion 9th 
Marines, called the ``Walking Dead.'' Despite losing three quarters of 
his men and receiving several wounds, Colonel Fox continued to 
valiantly lead his troops. By the end of the war he would be awarded 
the Medal of Honor by President Nixon and would rise to the rank of 
captain.
  Forced to retire at age 62 after an unprecedented 43 years of 
service, Colonel Fox continued to serve his country working with the 
Corps of Cadets at Virginia Polytechnic Institute. He had the unique 
distinction of working his way through every rank from private to 
colonel. Colonel Fox is a member of the United States Marine Corps Hall 
of Heroes.
  Front Royal has the distinction of being the only town in the United 
States that has produced two Medal of Honor recipients. It is my honor 
and privilege to salute Colonel Fox and extend gratitude and 
congratulations to him as our country did 33 years ago with our 
Nation's highest award for military heroism. We say to him, ``Semper 
Fi!''

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