[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 88 (Tuesday, June 28, 2005)]
[House]
[Pages H5358-H5359]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




    HONORING THE LIFE AND FRIENDSHIP OF STAFF SERGEANT JOSEPH BEYERS

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Gingrey) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. GINGREY. Mr. Speaker, last Tuesday, June 21, the gentleman from 
New Jersey (Mr. Saxton), our distinguished subcommittee chairman of our 
great Committee on Armed Services, introduced H.R. 256 in remembrance 
of the brave servicemen who perished in the disastrous April 24, 1980 
rescue attempt of the American hostages in Iran. That was called 
Operation Eagle Claw.
  I appreciate the gentleman for bringing this legislation to the 
Floor, mainly because it is such an important resolution, but also, Mr. 
Speaker, because it prompted me to call an old friend.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise tonight to pay tribute to the selfless service of 
that old friend from my childhood and a true American hero, Air Force 
Staff Sergeant Joseph J.J. Beyers.

                              {time}  2300

  I was reminded of my friend JJ because he was part of that rescue 
attempt, and he was one of the fortunate few who lived to tell about 
it. I had pretty much lost track of JJ after high school, although I 
knew, Mr. Speaker, that he was part of that rescue operation and I knew 
that he had been injured severely, burned severely, in critical 
condition for months, but that, thank God, he survived, and he 
recovered. But we had really lost track of each other for these many 
years until last week, after Mr. Saxton introduced his resolution. I 
had an opportunity to track JJ down and to give him a call and to spend 
about 45 minutes talking to him about that operation and his life and 
what it meant to him and what it has meant to this country.
  I want to share, Mr. Speaker, a little bit of JJ's life, our life as 
kids together growing up in North Augusta, South Carolina. We were both 
altar boys at Our Lady of Peace Catholic Church. JJ and I went to 
school together from the first grade.
  Back in those days, Mr. Speaker, there was no pre-K or kindergarten. 
Everybody just showed up when they were 6 years old in the first grade. 
That is how long I have known that great American hero.

[[Page H5359]]

  And a little bit later on, Mr. Speaker, and my colleagues, JJ Beyers 
and myself actually played in the same pony league baseball 
organization. He was a great athlete. He was a wonderful baseball 
player, an all-star in that pony league. We had some great athletes, 
and I would be remiss if I did not mention one who, like JJ Beyers, is 
another American hero, our age, our contemporary who gave his life for 
our country in another conflict, Vietnam.
  But JJ Beyers and I went on to high school together to St. Thomas 
Aquinas High School in Augusta, Georgia where again we were both 
playing baseball and football. But after that, I went off to college. I 
went to Georgia Tech to college; and JJ joined the Air Force and was in 
the process of spending his entire adult life in the Air Force. He was 
a C-130 radio operator and had been assigned to Eglin Air Force Base in 
1980, when Operation Eagle Claw was planned.
  JJ volunteered for that duty, Mr. Speaker, to take the place of 
someone who had to drop out because of a sick parent. And JJ Beyers at 
that time was a single parent who had custody of his five children. And 
yet he stepped up to the plate and volunteered to fill in the gap to go 
on this dangerous mission, telling his commander at Eglin that his 
neighbors would take care of his children; that he wanted to go and do 
what was necessary to rescue these hostages in Iran. That is the kind 
of guy JJ Beyers is, and this opportunity tonight to share that with my 
colleagues, I think, is of tremendous importance.
  Mr. Speaker, JJ, as I say, lived through that infamous collision 
between a Navy helicopter and that C-130 cargo plane. But he was 
trapped in that fuselage by raging flames after the crash and pulled to 
safety by two Delta Force pilots. And JJ has severe burns today and 
little use of both hands. He has been totally disabled. But here is 
what he says: ``There is no doubt in my mind everybody involved would 
have gone again.''
  JJ is remarried now. He lives in Niceville, Florida. I just want to 
say one thing, Mr. Speaker, in conclusion. Something that happened in 
high school, I was a snapper for punts. I rolled that snap back to JJ 
Beyers in the biggest game of the year, the punt was blocked. The coach 
chewed my good friend JJ Beyers out. He never said a word. He took it 
like a man. I did not own up to the fact that it was my fault. JJ was a 
true hero then. He was a true hero in 1980, he is a true hero as we 
speak today, and I want to take this chance to thank him for his 
friendship and sacrifice.

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