[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 113 (Monday, July 16, 2007)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1529]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         TRIBUTE TO JACK CARTER

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. MARILYN N. MUSGRAVE

                              of colorado

                    in the house of representatives

                         Monday, July 16, 2007

  Mrs. MUSGRAVE. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor a true American 
hero, Jack Carter, who proudly served our country in both the Navy and 
the Army during both World War II and the Korean war. He then returned 
home to be a leader in Morgan County, Colorado.
  Jack Carter was born in 1925 and joined the Navy in January of 1943, 
at the age of 17. One of Jack's first assignments was to the fleet 
Marine Corps as a medic. He made 3 beach landings before he was hit in 
the stomach with a 25 mm round during the infamous invasion of Guam on 
February 25, 1944. After 45 days of rest and recuperation he was 
reassigned to the aircraft carrier USS Ranger, where he remained until 
his discharge in November 1945.
  Jack and his friend Murl Ring re-enlisted 3 years later, this time in 
the U.S. Army. The two friends managed to stay together and were 
assigned to the 34th Regiment of the 24th Infantry when the Korean war 
broke out. The two friends survived when most of the 34th was lost in 
battle, hiding for 3 days before being rescued. Both men were medics 
and they were involved in numerous firefights.
  Jack received a long list of awards and honors for his incredible 
service, including the Silver Star, Purple Heart, and 2 Bronze Stars, 
one with a V for valor, and another for meritorious unit actions 
against an enemy. Jack was on active duty for 13 years altogether and 
spent 10 years in the National Guard.
  Following his heroic service, Mr. Carter and his wife Dorothy moved 
to Brush, Colorado, in 1961 with their children Jerald, Paul, Jack and 
Carol. He has been married to his second wife Alyce for 43 years and 
they have a wonderful daughter Lauralyn. Four of Jack's 5 children 
served in the military; Jerold was an Army pilot who lost his life in 
Vietnam.
  Jack worked at the Brush Hospital in both the lab and the x-ray 
department. Jack is well known in Morgan County for organizing the 
Morgan County Ambulance Service in 1967. He organized the meetings, 
trainings and helped establish bylaws and procedures. This volunteer 
system has been in place until fairly recently. Jack was honored as the 
Optimist Citizen of the Year in 1969 and later became the first Brush 
Optimist Club President.

  Madam Speaker, we are so fortunate to live in this great country 
where freedom is something that we rarely have to think about and often 
take for granted. It is simply a way of life for us, and we are truly 
blessed to live in a country whose citizens willingly volunteer to put 
themselves in harm's way to defend and protect our great Nation.
  I am proud to honor Jack for his dedicated service to our Nation. 
Jack is a hero who left his home to defend our Nation, and then 
returned home to be a valued member of his community, showing his 
children and grandchildren how to live meaningful lives of service. 
Jack truly is the embodiment of all the values that have molded America 
into the great nation it is today. May God bless Jack and his family, 
may God bless our precious veterans, and may God bless America.

                          ____________________