[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 147 (Tuesday, September 16, 2008)]
[Senate]
[Page S8838]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




         TRIBUTE TO SECOND LIEUTENANT HOWARD CLIFTON ENOCH, JR.

  Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I rise today because after more than 60 
years, a Kentucky family has been reunited with a father and 
grandfather they never knew. And an American hero is coming home.
  Second Lieutenant Howard Clifton Enoch, Jr., U.S. Army Air Forces, 
was last seen on March 19, 1945, when he took off in his P-51D Mustang 
single-seat fighter plane for a mission over Germany. He crashed while 
engaging enemy aircraft near the city of Leipzig.
  His remains could not be immediately recovered, and once Soviet 
forces took over the part of that country that would become East 
Germany--including the area around Leipzig recovery became impossible 
for decades.
  Howard Enoch III was born 3 months after his father's plane crashed. 
He grew up in Marion, KY, never knowing his namesake. Now, thanks to 
the work of some dedicated men and women in the Department of Defense, 
his father's remains have been identified.
  A German researcher originally identified the crash site, and 
notified our Government. The Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command, the arm 
of the Department of Defense charged with recovering the remains of our 
lost heroes, sent a recovery crew to Germany. They used mitochondrial 
DNA analysis to identify the remains, and in 2007 they contacted Howard 
Enoch III with the astonishing news.
  Howard Enoch III's two young daughters gained new insight into their 
grandfather. And the discovery brought Howard in touch with a cousin he 
never knew, who had served alongside Second Lieutenant Enoch in Europe 
in World War II.
  Now Second Lieutenant Enoch will be buried at Arlington National 
Cemetery, alongside America's greatest heroes. And the Enoch family can 
know that after valiant service to his country, six decades later, a 
soldier will finally rest in peace. I wish to offer my deepest 
appreciation to Howard Enoch III for his father's service and his 
family's sacrifice on behalf of our country.
  Earlier this month, the Bluegrass Chapter of Honor Flight paid 
special tribute to Second Lieutenant Enoch at the World War II Memorial 
in our Nation's Capital. Honor Flight is a nonprofit organization which 
transports World War II veterans from anywhere in the country to see 
the memorial, free of charge.
  Honor Flight and its volunteers, many of whom are veterans 
themselves, are doing a great service for our Nation by allowing these 
veterans to make this important trip. Second Lieutenant Enoch never got 
a chance to visit the World War II Memorial. But it was built for him, 
and his thousands of fellow soldiers. So I am glad that 63 years later, 
Honor Flight has recognized his service.
  For a long time, the Enoch family has felt not only the loss of 
Second Lieutenant Enoch, but also doubt about his final fate. I am 
pleased for them that that doubt is over. They can take comfort that 
2LT Howard Clifton Enoch, Jr. will lie among Arlington's heroes. And 
they can take pride that this U.S. Senate honors his service and his 
sacrifice.

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