[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 143 (Friday, September 23, 2011)]
[Senate]
[Pages S5937-S5938]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                  REMEMBERING CORPORAL LORENZA GAYLES

  Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I rise to honor a brave member of the 
U.S. Marine Corps and a fellow Kentuckian who was lost to his family 
and friends 45 years ago when he was killed in action in Vietnam. A 
very moving article in tribute to this man, CPL Lorenza Gayles, 
appeared in the Middlesboro Daily News recently, and I wanted to give 
this article and this fine young man's story the attention it deserves.
  Born in Lynch, KY, on December 28, 1946, as the fourth child of David 
and Virginia Gayles, Lorenza moved with his family to Middlesboro as a 
baby and grew up with many friends. He was a good student, was popular 
with his schoolmates, and known for his sense of humor. His sister 
Lelia remembers young Lorenza was ``just a charming little boy.''
  Lorenza, called ``Rennie'' by his friends, attended the Lincoln 
School, the only school in Middlesboro for African-American children in 
those days of segregation. He was a talented athlete who played 
football, baseball, and had an exceptional gift for basketball. Bill 
Smith, a longtime friend of the Gayles family, remembers Rennie as ``a 
solid guy with a good head on his shoulders.'' When segregation in the 
area ended, Lorenza went to Middlesboro High School, where he graduated 
in 1964.
  Knoxville College offered Rennie a scholarship to play basketball 
after high school, but Rennie turned them down and chose to enlist with 
the Marine Corps instead. His older brother David was serving in the 
U.S. Air Force, and his brother Bobby was already in Vietnam with the 
Army. Within 2 years Rennie had risen to the rank of corporal and took 
his duties as a marine very seriously.
  Alvin Simpson, a fellow Marine recruit who went through basic 
training with Rennie and later wrote a memoir about his experiences, 
said this: ``There was no question who could outfight whom; I knew, he 
knew, and the entire platoon knew Lorenza was the real deal.''
  Corporal Lorenza Gayles was deployed to Vietnam on June 21, 1966. On 
September 3 of that year, while on reconnaissance patrol, he was on 
point with his squad when they walked into an ambush. Corporal Gayles 
was killed instantly. He was 19 years old.
  Several weeks later his parents were presented with Corporal Gayles's 
posthumously awarded Purple Heart Medal. Corporal Gayles is buried in 
the Lynch Cemetery in Middlesboro.
  ``When Rennie was killed in action in Vietnam,'' the author of this 
article writes, Mr. President, ``I remember my mother saying, `that 
poor little Gayles boy.' This is something that I have carried with me 
my entire life.''
  That is the author of this article speaking. Forty-five years later, 
this author's memories still affect him, and I think anyone who reads 
this piece will be affected too. CPL Lorenza Gayles's life may not have 
been long, but he made an indelible mark on the people who love and 
remember him.
  I ask unanimous consent that the entire article remembering CPL 
Lorenza Gayles, a proud marine and a brave Kentucky hero who deserves 
all of our respect, be printed in the Record.
  There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in 
the Record, as follows:

       [From the Middlesboro Daily News, Sept. 2, 2011]

                            Forgotten Marine

       (Editor's Note: This article was written by a Daily News 
     reader who wishes to honor the memory of one of Middlesboro's 
     finest--Lorenza Gayles--yet remain anonymous.)
       ``Once upon a time in America, when I was colored, two 
     adventurous, young boys, both black, but from very different 
     backgrounds; one boy was from Ky., the other boy hailed from 
     Northern Ohio. The kid from Ky. was killed September 3, 1966, 
     in South Vietnam. His name was Lorenza Gayles, he was twenty 
     years old when he was killed, he was my friend. I loved him 
     then--and I love him more today.''
       --From ``Together We Served'' By Alvin L. Simpson.

       To most, Rennie Gayles is a public housing development in 
     Middlesboro. To others, he was a son, a brother and a friend; 
     but most importantly to me, he was Corporal Lorenza Gayles, 
     United States Marine. Though I didn't know him, and was only 
     five years old at the time of his death, his life and death 
     have always held a special meaning to me.
       Born in Lynch, Ky., on December 28, 1946, he was the fourth 
     child of David and Virginia Gayles. Soon after his birth, the 
     Gayles family moved to Middlesboro where he and his

[[Page S5938]]

     older brothers and sister were raised in a loving home by 
     parents that worked very hard to provide for their children. 
     Rennie, as he was affectionately known, grew up like most of 
     us. He had many friends, loved playing basketball, just a 
     normal childhood growing up. He is described by his sister 
     Lelia as ``just a charming little boy.''
       Rennie attended school at the Lincoln School in 
     Middlesboro, long since gone. In the days of segregation, it 
     was the only school in Middlesboro for black children. He was 
     a good student, very popular among his classmates and known 
     for his sense of humor. Bill Smith, a longtime friend of the 
     Gayles family, described Rennie as ``a solid guy with a good 
     head on his shoulders.''
       Rennie was also a very talented athlete who played 
     football, baseball, and was an especially gifted basketball 
     player. With the end of segregation, he then attended 
     Middlesboro High School, where he graduated in 1964.
       Offered a scholarship by Knoxville College to play 
     basketball, he declined. Instead, young Gayles enlisted in 
     the United States Marine Corps. With his older brother David 
     serving in the U.S. Air Force, and Bobby serving in Vietnam 
     in the U.S. Army, I suppose he felt he was obligated to 
     enlist. He received his basic training at Parris Island, 
     South Carolina, and upon completion was stationed at Camp 
     Lejeune, North Carolina. He later transferred to a Marine 
     base in California. He quickly rose through the ranks and 
     became a corporal in just two years. He was an attentive 
     soldier and took his obligation to the Corps very seriously. 
     He was a ``textbook'' Marine. Tough, no-nonsense and cared 
     deeply about those he served with.
       ``Everybody in our platoon knew the outstanding recruit was 
     a black kid from Middlesboro, Ky., Lorenza Gayles,'' writes 
     Alvin Simpson, author of ``Distant Shore: A Memoir,'' and 
     fellow Marine recruit in basic training with Rennie.
       ``There was no question who could outfight whom; I knew, he 
     knew, and the entire platoon knew Lorenza was the real 
     deal.''
       With the war in Vietnam escalating, Rennie was deployed on 
     June 21, 1966. Just over two months after arriving in 
     Vietnam, while on a reconnaissance patrol, Rennie was on 
     point (front man in the squad) when he and the other members 
     of his squad walked into an ambush. He was killed instantly.


                                the war

       With the war in Vietnam so many years behind us, many have 
     tried to put it out of their minds. But for those who served 
     and the family members who lost loved ones there, it haunts 
     them every day. Deemed an unpopular war, many returning 
     Vietnam veterans were scorned, cursed, called ``baby 
     killers,'' and spat upon. The truth is, no war is popular. 
     War is, sometimes, just a necessary evil. This great nation 
     has long carried the obligation to protect and defend those 
     who cannot defend themselves against oppressions that exist 
     in this world. And to the over 58,000 soldiers that died and 
     1,300 still listed as missing in action, we owe our eternal 
     gratitude.
       As a child growing up in the 1960s and early 1970s, the war 
     in Vietnam to me was sitting beside my father watching the 
     nightly news with Walter Cronkite. With the end of each 
     broadcast came the body count, the dead, the wounded and the 
     missing in action. Today, newscasts are filled with coverage 
     of brave men and women memorialized who have given their 
     lives, and those troops returning from Iraq and Afghanistan 
     as they are met at airports across the country by cheering 
     crowds and hailed as heroes and glorified as they should be. 
     They have dedicated their lives to protect and serve this 
     nation as soldiers, and are prepared to give their lives for 
     it.
       We owe the same gratitude to those who served in Vietnam. 
     We all know someone who served there and the memories of 
     these heroes are fleeting. These men and women served with 
     the same courage and dedication as do the brave soldiers of 
     today. We see them every day. Take just a moment to thank 
     them for their service and their sacrifice; just a pat on the 
     back and a thank you would mean so much. Most of all, take a 
     moment to remember, honor and mourn those who gave their 
     lives for this great nation. Our community lost too many fine 
     young men in Vietnam and it's up to us to pass on their 
     heritage so that they are not forever lost to posterity. 
     Remember that many of these men and women sacrificed their 
     ambitions so that we wouldn't have to. They died for the very 
     freedoms we enjoy every day.
       When Rennie was killed in action in Vietnam I remember my 
     mother saying ``that poor little Gayles boy.'' This is 
     something that I have carried with me my entire life. And 
     with the passing of time and generations we owe it to them to 
     carry on their memories. This tall, handsome, young Marine 
     with his broad beaming smile, with his whole life ahead of 
     him, he was one of those men.
       Rennie Gayles is not just a housing project; United States 
     Marine Corporal Lorenza Gayles was a guardian of freedom.


                              remembrance

       Forty-five years ago, on September 3, 1966, just before 
     your twentieth birthday, in a country, half a world away from 
     home, in the Quang Nam Province of South Vietnam defending 
     your nation with a profound sense of duty and exemplary 
     conduct becoming a United States Marine, you made the 
     ultimate sacrifice. Every day of my life I will thank God for 
     you, I will honor you, and I will remember you . . . Semper 
     Fi
       On October 26, 1966, Corporal Lorenza Gayles was 
     posthumously awarded the Purple Heart. It was presented to 
     his parents by Major F.C. Fisher, U.S.M.C. Corporal Gayles is 
     buried in the Lynch Cemetery in Middlesboro.
       Sincerest appreciation to those who contributed to this 
     article: Rennie's brother, Bobby Gayles of Middlesboro; Bill 
     Smith, U.S. Army (Ret.), of Middlesboro; sister Lelia Gayles-
     Cammon, Tuscaloosa, Alabama; Alvin L. Simpson of Columbus, 
     Ohio, for your friendship, encouragement, service to our 
     nation and loving tribute to your friend; and a special 
     thanks to Sgt. Timothy Moos and the United States Marine 
     Corps.

                          ____________________