[Congressional Record Volume 158, Number 154 (Tuesday, December 4, 2012)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1868]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


                        HONORING NATHAN WILONDEK

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. ROBERT E. LATTA

                                of ohio

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, December 4, 2012

  Mr. LATTA. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize Mr. Nathan 
Wilondek, of Defiance Ohio. Mr. Wilondek was awarded the Distinguished 
Flying Cross on Monday, November 12 during a Veterans Day program at 
Tinora High School
  The Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC) is a military decoration awarded 
to any officer or enlisted member of the United States Armed Forces who 
distinguishes himself or herself in support of operations by ``heroism 
or extraordinary achievement while participating in an aerial flight, 
subsequent to November 11, 1918.''
  Wilondek was a Warrant Office 1 helicopter pilot serving in the 
Republic of Vietnam. On August 18, 1969, WO1 Wilondek volunteered along 
with his crew to fly a resupply mission to an infantry company that had 
become completely surrounded by the NVA. Without gunship cover WO1 
Wilondek and his crew (Wallace Honda, Stewart Brooks, and Terry Paxton) 
flew nap of the earth down a hillside and hovered the UH-1 Huey low 
enough to drop ammo and supplies to the embattled infantrymen.
  The entire time the re-supply was happening the NVA were hitting the 
helicopter with accurate small arms fire, and WO1 Wilondek's door 
gunner was unable to return fire because the US troops were too closely 
intermingled with NVA in close combat. It was determined that without 
the re-supply effort of WO1 Wilondek and his crew, the infantry unit 
would have been completely overrun by NVA, instead they survived. Mr. 
Wilondek is awarded this DFC for his heroism that day.
  Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in the acknowledgment of 
Nathan Wilondek's heroism and recognize his service and dedication to 
our country.

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