[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 56 (Monday, April 7, 2014)]
[Senate]
[Pages S2190-S2191]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                TRIBUTE TO SERGEANT JESSE T. WETHINGTON

  Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, this past Saturday, April 5, I was 
extremely pleased and honored to be a part of the awarding of the 
Purple Heart Medal to a brave soldier Kentucky is proud to call one of 
its own. SGT Jesse T. Wethington of Liberty, KY, received his Purple 
Heart for wounds suffered while serving our country in Iraq. I want to 
share the honor and majesty of this event with my colleagues and so 
therefore ask unanimous consent that the full text of my remarks at the 
ceremony to award SGT Jesse T. Wethington his Purple Heart, as well as 
the text of the proclamation for the Purple Heart be printed in the 
Record following my remarks.
  There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in 
the Record, as follows:

  Senator McConnell's Remarks at Awarding of Purple Heart to Sergeant 
                   Jesse T. Wethington, April 5, 2014

       Thank you for that kind introduction. Thank you, General 
     Dolan, for the invocation. It is my great honor to be here 
     for the presentation of the Purple Heart Medal to Sergeant 
     Jesse T. Wethington of Liberty, Kentucky, for wounds received 
     in action while in service to our country in Iraq. It is an 
     honor that is long overdue.
       Because we are here to recognize the service of a brave 
     soldier, it is fitting to be at VFW Post 1170. I want to 
     thank our hosts, led by VFW Post Commander Dwight Riggle. I 
     also want to thank VFW State Commander Joe Schnitterbaum and 
     VFW leaders Brian Duffy and Carl Kaelin for all they have 
     done in support of America's veterans.
       It's a pleasure to have Chris Smrt and the Kentucky chapter 
     of the Military Order of the Purple Heart here today to 
     welcome Sergeant Wethington into their ranks. Chris and the 
     Military Order of the Purple Heart, like the VFW, are strong 
     advocates for our veterans.
       And on this day when we're honoring a Kentucky Guardsman, 
     it's wonderful to see so many Kentucky Guard soldiers and 
     airmen here today, including our outstanding Adjutant 
     General, Ed Tonini.
       Finally, I'd like to welcome the folks who came here from 
     Jesse's hometown of Liberty, including Jesse's wife, Ashley; 
     his daughter, Hannah; his mother, Gayle; Jesse's brother, 
     Chris, and Chris's wife, Dorothy; Jesse's mother-in-law, Mrs. 
     Hope Metz; and Liberty VFW Post Commander and former State 
     VFW Commander Claude Wyatt. Welcome to VFW Post 1170.
       The original Purple Heart, also known as the Badge of 
     Military Merit, was established by George Washington himself, 
     and as such, the Purple Heart is the oldest existing military 
     award that is still given to servicemembers.
       I think the commander of the Continental Army and our first 
     president can speak better than I to the courage and bravery 
     which this award represents. In July of 1776, at the outbreak 
     of the War for Independence, General Washington wrote in his 
     own hand the weight of the task that had befallen him and his 
     army. He said:
       ``The fate of unborn millions will now depend, under God, 
     on the courage and conduct of this Army . . . we have 
     therefore to resolve to conquer or die. . . . Let us 
     therefore rely upon the goodness of the cause, and the aid of 
     the Supreme Being, in whose hands victory is, to animate and 
     encourage us to great and noble actions. The eyes of all our 
     countrymen are now upon us.''
       That same patriotism--that same Spirit of '76--which was 
     embodied by the leader of the Revolutionary Army lives on 
     today in those in uniform such as Jesse. Perhaps that is 
     inevitable in Jesse's case, given that he hails from a place 
     called Liberty, a town founded by Revolutionary War veterans 
     in 1806.
       Although warfare has changed dramatically since the 
     Revolutionary Era, the valor of our warfighters, such as 
     Jesse, remains the same. That valor would have been instantly 
     recognizable to George Washington.
       It is the same valor that propelled Americans to victory 
     against the mighty British Empire. The same valor that 
     propelled Americans to die for other men's freedoms in the 
     Civil War. The same valor we remember in the Greatest 
     Generation, men and women who sacrificed halfway around the 
     globe to save democracy. The same valor displayed in Cold War 
     conflicts in Korea and Vietnam.
       Sergeant Wethington's service is simply the latest chapter 
     in a long and unbroken line of heroism and sacrifice, a line 
     that is as old as our country.
       The story of Jesse Wethington, the soldier from Liberty, is 
     like that of those who served in the Revolutionary War--it is 
     the story of a volunteer. Jesse could have chosen any number 
     of paths, paths that would not have involved protecting ``the 
     fate of unborn millions,'' paths that would not have placed 
     him in imminent danger.
       Instead, Jesse volunteered to serve in the Kentucky Army 
     National Guard. He volunteered to go on the road in a Humvee 
     that would be targeted by the enemy in Iraq. He volunteered 
     to sit in the gunner's turret. And even after his injury in 
     combat, Jesse volunteered again to sit right back in that 
     gunner's turret through the end of his tour of duty.
       Jesse was mobilized with Battery B, First Battalion, 623rd 
     Field Artillery of the Kentucky Army National Guard in late 
     2004, and he deployed to Iraq in January 2005. He served as a 
     communications specialist and worked in the tactical 
     operations center at the forward operating base.
       In his communications role, Jesse had a view of his entire 
     unit's activities. He saw the gun trucks and Humvees that 
     deployed every day, and how often they were targeted by the 
     enemy's IEDs. He saw good men, friends of his, injured. He 
     saw the deaths of three soldiers in his unit, Kentuckians 
     all.
       Knowing these things, knowing all the risks involved, Jesse 
     still volunteered. And when a spot opened up in a gun truck, 
     Jesse stepped forward and said, ``Send me.'' Jesse 
     volunteered yet again to serve as a gunner. He encountered 
     several IEDs on the road, but always came away uninjured. 
     Until the fateful day of September 30, 2005.
       On that day, Jesse's Humvee was moving slowly through 
     congested traffic as part of a convoy. It stopped, and Jesse 
     stood up in the gunner's hatch to direct traffic. Suddenly, 
     an IED struck the right side of the truck with devastating 
     force. The impact from the blast was so great it sent 
     shrapnel hurdling through the back window, just missing 
     Jesse's right leg and embedding itself into a storage bin 
     within the Humvee.
       Jesse suffered injury to his throat and the back of his 
     head. After the explosion, he could not hear, and his vision 
     and thoughts were blurred. Yet, amazingly, he continued his 
     mission. Upon returning to the base, Jesse received medical 
     care, and after a few days of light duty returned to the 
     gunner's turret. He finished out his tour of duty through the 
     end of the year and returned from Iraq in January 2006.
       Unfortunately, Jesse's departure from the battlefield 
     didn't end his struggles. He suffered traumatic brain injury, 
     hearing loss, and post-traumatic stress disorder, and he is 
     continually confronted by the effects of his injuries.
       Through all these difficulties, I know Jesse's greatest 
     source of strength and support is his family, especially, 
     Ashley and Hannah.
       Coincidentally, the very same day Jesse found out he would 
     be receiving this Purple Heart, he and Ashley also discovered 
     they would be having a baby boy. It is entirely fitting that 
     news of both events arrived on the same day, given Jesse's 
     valor in defending the ``fate of unborn millions.''
       Before the presentation of the Purple Heart Medal, I want 
     to note that there is another hero in this story. It's 
     Jesse's friend and fellow soldier, retired Staff Sergeant 
     Glen Phillips, who we heard from earlier this morning.
       It was Staff Sergeant Phillips who gathered the facts in 
     order for Jesse to receive his Purple Heart today. Glen, who 
     is also from Liberty, has helped look out for Jesse and many 
     other veterans over the years.
       When Jesse told Glen he didn't think anyone would care that 
     he had yet to receive his Purple Heart, this is what Glen had 
     to say: ``Jesse, I care, the VA cares, the U.S. Army cares, 
     and people you don't even know care across this great land.''
       I couldn't agree more. I think the witnesses here today for 
     this solemn occasion are proof positive that Kentucky does 
     indeed care and cares deeply about you, Jesse, and your 
     bravery in uniform. And we are grateful for all you have done 
     and continue to do to make us proud.
       And I believe that many people who are not present today--
     including, one day, your son--will see how you served in Iraq 
     with dignity and honor, will see that you continue to carry 
     yourself with dignity and honor here at home, and will see 
     the Purple Heart proclamation of your heroism. And they too 
     will be moved by your service and your sacrifice.
       The presentation of this Purple Heart Medal is just a small 
     recognition of the wealth of respect you deserve for your 
     service to our country. Your service in protecting all of us. 
     And your service to the values that make America the greatest 
     nation on earth--values expressed by General Washington and 
     the men who founded a place called Liberty more than two 
     centuries ago.
       Now, the solemn moment we're gathered here today for has 
     arrived. Sergeant Jesse T. Wethington, Ashley, and Hannah--
     please join me for the reading of the proclamation and the 
     presentation of the Purple Heart Medal.

                Text of Purple Heart Medal Proclamation

     THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
     To All Who Shall See These Presents, Greeting:
     This is to Certify That the President of the United States of 
         America Has Awarded the PURPLE HEART
     Established by General George Washington
     At Newburgh, New York, August 7, 1782 to:
     Specialist Jesse T. Wethington
     United States Army
     For Wounds Received in Action
     On 30 September 2005 in Iraq
     Given Under my Hand in the City of Washington

[[Page S2191]]

     This 5th Day of March 2014

     David K. MacEwen
     THE ADJUTANT GENERAL
     Permanent Order 064-08, 5 March 2014
     United States Army Human Resources Command
     Fort Knox, Kentucky 40122-5408

     John M. McHugh
     SECRETARY OF THE ARMY

                          ____________________