[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 54 (Tuesday, March 31, 2009)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E828]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         HONORING DON GWARTNEY

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. GEORGE RADANOVICH

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, March 31, 2009

  Mr. RADANOVICH. Madam Speaker, I rise today to congratulate Don 
Gwartney upon being named as a ``Distinguished Life Member'' by the 
Veterans of Foreign Wars, Post 9896. Mr. Gwartney was honored on 
Saturday, January 31, 2009.
  Don Gwartney was born in Clinton, Oklahoma during the Great 
Depression. As a young man his family moved to Chowchilla, California 
where he attended Chowchilla High School. He graduated from Chowchilla 
High School in 1956 at the age of seventeen. Upon graduation he wanted 
to join the United States Navy to ``see the world,'' but at seventeen 
he had to convince his mother to sign the enlistment form. She agreed, 
and Mr. Gwartney completed Navy Boot Camp at San Diego and was sent to 
fire fighting school. He was ordered to Washington and aboard the USS 
Princeton, an aircraft carrier with a crew of 3,448 officers and men. 
The ship had completed a conversion to conduct anti-submarine 
operations in the eastern Pacific and was sent to its home port in Long 
Beach, California. In July 1957 the USS Princeton completed a seven 
month mission, making port in Hawaii, Yokasuka, Sasebo, Okinawa, Tokyo, 
Hong Kong, and the Philippines. In January 1958, they stopped briefly 
in Singapore and were sent to Ceylon on a humanitarian mission to 
assist flood victims. The ship returned from a successful mission in 
February 1958.
  With increasing tension between Communist China and the Nationalist 
Chinese, the United States government began positioning more ships in 
the region and in July 1959 the USS Princeton sailed to join the fleet 
of four other battle groups off of the coast of Taiwan. The ship was 
responsible for launching planes to search for Chinese submarines in 
the area and crew members were working a stressful six hours on, six 
hours off schedule throughout the crisis. After several weeks, 
Communist China suddenly stopped all military operations and the USS 
Princeton traveled to Subic Bay in the Philippines. From there they 
sailed to the Bering Sea in pursuit of a Soviet nuclear submarine, 
which they obtained intelligence on.
  In March 1959, the Princeton underwent a new configuration and was 
designed to serve as an amphibious assault ship for Marines. In 
September 1959, Mr. Gwartney was released from active duty, but was 
called back just fifteen months later and was assigned to Naval Air 
Station Alameda. He was released in October of the same year. Mr. 
Gwartney has been awarded the Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal, the 
Good Conduct Medal, National Defense Service Medal, he received 823 
Badge of Honor Medals, a commendation from the Republic of China and a 
letter of appreciation from the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office.
  Upon retiring from the Navy, Mr. Gwartney attended college classes; 
he worked at Yosemite National Park and at Valley Feed and Fuel in 
Chowchilla. He was employed in the maintenance department at Chowchilla 
Union High School in March 1970, and was soon after promoted to 
Supervisor of Custodians, a position he held until retiring in December 
2000. He served as a volunteer fire fighter for five years. He is a 
member of the Cathedral of Faith, where he was a Royal Ranger Leader 
for five years and a Sunday school teacher for ten years. He is a life 
member of the Chowchilla Veterans of Foreign Wars, Post 9896. He is 
married to Betty Edwards and they have made their home in Chowchilla 
for forty-three years.
  Madam Speaker, I rise today to commend and congratulate Don Gwartney 
upon being named as a ``Distinguished Life Member'' by the Veterans of 
Foreign Wars, Post 9896. I invite my colleagues to join me in wishing 
Mr. Gwartney many years of continued success.

                          ____________________