[Congressional Record Volume 159, Number 82 (Tuesday, June 11, 2013)]
[Senate]
[Pages S4209-S4210]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




       REMEMBERING MASTER SERGEANT WILLIAM SEYMOUR ``BULL'' EVANS

Mr. CARDIN. Madam President, today I would like to pay tribute 
to U.S. Marine Corps MSgt William Seymour ``Bull'' Evans of Cresaptown, 
MD. ``Bull'' Evans was a member of the legendary Marine Corps Raiders 
and fought valiantly in some of the most pivotal battles of the South 
Pacific during World War II and the Korean war. ``Bull'' Evans remains 
one of the most decorated military servicemen in western Maryland. He 
amassed an impressive number of medals and awards, including the Purple 
Heart with four clusters; two Presidential citations; the Bronze Star; 
Silver Star; Navy Cross; and many others over the course of a 15-year 
military career.
  Evans' strength as a swimmer was recognized early in his youth in 
Cresaptown, where he could frequently be found swimming in the Potomac 
River even during the winter months. When Evans was 18, he enlisted in 
the Marine Corps, where he eventually became an expert in amphibious 
assault techniques and was selected to serve with the elite 2nd 
Battalion, First Marine Raiders. Evans was on his first furlough, in 
Honolulu, when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor in 1941. He was among 
the first volunteers for the newly-organized Second Battalion, First 
Marine Raiders, a special operations force formed in response to the 
attack. Evans' heroic acts have made him a legend among Marines--36 
hours of continuous action on Midway Island, a solitary advance to stop 
an assault on his unit while pinned down by the enemy on Tulagi, and 
singlehandedly stringing barbed wire to prevent an attack on his unit's 
position near Guadalcanal. His penchant for rapidly advancing into 
enemy territory by himself established his reputation as the ``One Man 
Army'' and earned him the nickname ``Bull'' among his brothers in arms.
  Following Evans' service in World War II and as the conflict grew in 
Korea, he volunteered to join the 1st Marine Division and, in spite of 
injuries sustained in earlier campaigns, signed a waiver allowing him 
to fight. After being seriously wounded by machine-gun fire and 
shrapnel, Evans returned to the battlefield to assist in

[[Page S4210]]

training South Korean troops and was later assigned to a military 
police unit in Japan where he reunited with his wife and children.
  ``Bull'' Evans also earned a unique distinction when, in 1952, he 
became the only Marine authorized to wear a beard, despite military 
regulations against it. During the Korean war, when Maj. Gen. John T. 
Selden instructed all Marines to be clean shaven, he issued an edict 
that ``For honor and distinction, Sgt Evans will be exempt from this 
order and permission to let his beard grow is granted.''
  After serving with distinction in two wars, MSgt ``Bull'' Evans died 
suddenly and unexpectedly of cardiac failure in 1954. High-ranking 
officials from both the United States and Japan, standing side-by-side 
with thousands of Marines, attended his funeral.
  I am pleased that because of the advocacy of local veterans, 
historians, and political leaders in western Maryland, the legacy of 
this true American hero will be preserved by dedicating a portion of 
U.S. Route 220 through his hometown of Cresaptown, MD to USMC MSgt 
William ``Bull'' Evans on June 29, 2013. I commend the efforts of Ron 
Miller, Jim Stakem, Pete Martz, and Terry Evans to share the story of 
``Bull'' Evans and to establish a permanent and lasting memorial in his 
honor, and I appreciate the leadership of State Senator George Edwards 
and the Maryland State Highway Administration in making this memorial a 
reality. I don't think we can ever be reminded too frequently of the 
extraordinary valor of our men and women in uniform so I am grateful we 
are establishing a fitting tribute to an exemplary member of what Tom 
Brokaw so appropriately called the ``Greatest Generation.''

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