[Congressional Record Volume 158, Number 52 (Thursday, March 29, 2012)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E481]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   REMEMBERING MSG CLARENCE O. LYALL

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. STENY H. HOYER

                              of maryland

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, March 29, 2012

  Mr. HOYER. Mr. Speaker, I rise to pay tribute to a man who put his 
life in harm's way for our country as a member of the iconic 101st 
Airborne Division's Easy Company during World War II. MSG Clarence 
Odell Lyall, a longtime resident of Leonardtown, Maryland, passed away 
on March 19.
  The 101st Airborne Division was created in 1942 to put American boots 
on the ground in some of the most treacherous enemy-held territory--in 
possibly the most dangerous way possible. Paratrooper tactics were 
still very new, and the risks of jumping out of an aircraft, let alone 
into a warzone, were enough to give even some of our bravest soldiers 
pause. But for the men who were formed into the Division's E Company, 
known as ``Easy Company,'' landing safely on the ground was only the 
first obstacle.
  On June 6, 1944, Clarence--``Clancy,'' to those of us who were 
fortunate to know him--jumped with Easy Company a few miles from Utah 
Beach in the opening hours of Operation Overlord, and he landed in a 
tree. He was so laden with heavy equipment that another soldier had to 
cut him down to safety. After the Normandy beachhead was secured, 
Clancy fought in France, the Netherlands, Belgium, and Germany in 
Operations Market Garden and the Battle of the Bulge. The exploits of 
Easy Company were highlighted in the book Band of Brothers and the 
television miniseries of the same name.
  Clancy's service to our country continued long after the Second World 
War came to a close. After the war, Clancy was honorably discharged. 
But he re-enlisted and went on to a military career that took him from 
occupation duty in West Germany to service in the Korean War and even a 
stint as an observer at the Battle of Dien Bien Phu in Vietnam in 1954, 
escaping the besieged town just two weeks before the fall of its French 
garrison. Over the course of his career, Clancy made an astounding four 
combat jumps, earned twenty-five decorations and citations, and retired 
as a Master Sergeant.
  Since leaving the Army, Clancy continued to serve his country and 
community as a VFW Commander, President of the Veterans of the Battle 
of the Bulge, and President of the American Legion Vice Commander Lions 
Club. He served on the Southern Maryland Veterans Advisory Board and 
was a member of the Order of the Purple Heart in support of our wounded 
veterans.
  I was proud to represent Clancy in Congress for so many years, and I 
continue to be in awe of what he and others in Easy Company and across 
the Armed Forces achieved during World War II. Their sacrifices, their 
courage, their bonds of brotherhood through unspeakable difficulty have 
ensured the lasting triumph of democracy.
  Clancy Lyall was my dear friend, and I join in thanking Clancy for 
his service to this nation and to our community in Southern Maryland, 
and I offer my condolences to his wife, Liz, their five children, eight 
grandchildren, and one great-grandchild.

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