[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 82 (Thursday, June 22, 2006)]
[House]
[Page H4503]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       HONORING MYLDRED E. JONES

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from California (Mr. Royce) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. ROYCE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to an exceptional 
woman from my district, Myldred E. Jones, a resident of Los Alamitos, 
California, for 38 years, a retired Navy lieutenant commander, and 
founder of Casa Youth Shelter, and she passed away at the age of 96 on 
Monday, June 19.
  She was a consultant for Youth Affairs for former Governor Ronald 
Reagan, and during that time, she recognized the desperate need to 
shelter runaway and throwaway teens who faced danger on the streets. So 
she cofounded the first adolescent hotline, which quickly spread across 
the Nation and is now international in scope. She founded We Care and 
Hotline of Southern California, dedicated to youth in crisis.

                              {time}  1915

  At the age of 69, when most people are settled into retirement, 
Myldred sold her home to finance another nonprofit corporation, Casa 
Youth Shelter. Her vision and dream of helping children in need became 
a reality, and the woman who began by sacrificing marriage and children 
for service to country, dedicated 29 years to accepting and loving and 
sheltering at-risk youth.
  She was born in Philadelphia, the second of four children. She earned 
her B.A. at Wittenberg College in Springfield, Ohio. She did her 
graduate studies at UCLA. In 1942, the wartime call to service led her 
into the Navy as part of the first contingent of California WAVES to be 
called to active duty. She served with distinction during World War II 
and the Korean War, rising to the rank of lieutenant commander, and she 
was the first female faculty member in the Armed Forces Graduate School 
of Information. She served as assistant director of the Department of 
Welfare-Navy Relief Society and as the naval liaison to both the United 
Nations and the American Red Cross. After her military discharge, she 
was active in the civil rights movement, marching with Martin Luther 
King from Selma to Montgomery. She also joined with Cesar Chavez on his 
marches for the United Farm Workers.
  Myldred's military and humanitarian accomplishments were recognized 
by five of our United States Presidents, and I am very honored to stand 
before you today to remember the life of such a caring and 
compassionate social-entrepreneur citizen and patriot. She will be 
remembered and truly missed for her lifelong dedication and service.


           In Honor and Remembrance of Colonel Young Oak Kim

  Mr. Speaker, this month marks the 56th anniversary of the outbreak of 
the Korean War, and I am saddened to report that Colonel Young Oak Kim, 
an American hero in the Korean struggle, passed away on December 29, 
2005.
  Colonel Kim served admirably in the United States Army since January 
of 1941, during World War II. He was assigned to the 100th Infantry 
Battalion, a segregated unit of Japanese Americans. When asked by his 
commanding officer if he would like to transfer, knowing the historical 
conflicts between Koreans and Japanese, Kim stated they were all 
Americans and they would fight together.
  Kim is remembered for the Battle of Anzio, in which he volunteered to 
capture German soldiers for intelligence information. He crawled over 
600 yards under German observation posts with no cover. He captured two 
prisoners and obtained information that contributed to the fall of 
Rome. Consequently, he was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross. He 
reenlisted in the Army in 1950 and entered the Korean conflict with 
poise and bravery. He took part in the U.N. Forces drive into the 
north, leading a battalion, and was awarded a second Silver Star and a 
Bronze Star for his relentless efforts in a series of battles which 
pushed the final DMZ north.
  Colonel Kim's successes on the battlefield came with a price. Both of 
his legs were seriously injured, but retiring from the Army only 
energized his continuous dedication to walk on the path of democracy 
and freedom. He dedicated the rest of his life to founding many Asian 
American civic organizations and serving on the board of the Go For 
Broke Educational Foundation which keeps alive the American values of 
courage, honor, determination, loyalty, and justice for all.
  Colonel Kim was the recipient of three Purple Hearts, the National 
Order of the Legion of Honor, the highest military honor in France, for 
his efforts in taking French towns, and the Knight Grand Cross Military 
Order of Italy, the highest military honor there, recognitions that 
underscore the courage Colonel Kim embodied that eventually contributed 
to the defeat of fascism in Europe and the containment of communism in 
East Asia.
  There is no doubt that his courage and sacrifice is to be treasured, 
and sometimes it is through bitter conflicts that the best of our 
country shine bright amidst the seeming darkness and despair that this 
56th anniversary may remind us of. It is through times like these that 
we reflect on the unity, the unity of our countrymen and the unity 
between the United States and South Korea, that will lead to better 
global cooperation and peace in the years to come.
  Mr. Speaker, in conclusion, I would like to join our united country 
in saluting Colonel Young Oak Kim, a genuine American hero.

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