[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 116 (Wednesday, July 23, 2014)]
[Senate]
[Page S4757]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       TRIBUTE TO BARRY E. OWENS

  Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I rise today to pay tribute to one of 
Kentucky's proud military veterans--Barry E. Owens. Owens hails from 
Magoffin County, and served his country with honor in the Vietnam war.
  Although millions of young Americans were drafted into service during 
this time, Barry decided to leave nothing to chance and volunteer. He 
served in the U.S. Army from 1968 until 1970, achieving the rank of 
specialist 4.
  In 1969, he was deployed to Vietnam with the 2nd and 35th Regiments 
of the 4th Infantry Division. In a time when the war became 
increasingly unpopular, Owens always retained his sense of duty. ``I 
served my country with pride and honor,'' he said.
  Owens is a member of Veterans of Foreign Wars and the Salyersville 
chapter of the Disabled American Veterans. His commitment to this 
country is worthy of praise from this body. Therefore, I ask that my 
Senate colleagues join me in honoring Barry Owens.
  The Salyersville Independent recently published an article detailing 
Specialist Owens's service in Vietnam. I ask unanimous consent that the 
full article be printed in the Record.
  There being no objection, the article was ordered to be printed in 
the Record as follows:

           [From the Salyersville Independent, July 3, 2014]

              Owens Volunteers for Draft, Goes to Vietnam

                           (By Heather Oney)

       Barry E. Owens, born and raised in Royalton, Magoffin 
     County, volunteered for the draft during the Vietnam War in 
     1968 with the U.S. Army, climbing to the rank of Specialist 4 
     by the time he was discharged in 1970.
       He attended basic training at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, 
     then advanced training for supply specialist and armory 
     school at Fort Lee, Virginia.
       From 1969 until discharged, Owens served in Vietnam with 
     the 2nd and 35th Regiment 4th Infantry Division.
       After a few days upon reporting, Owens's company commander 
     decided that for the next year he would be a better fit as an 
     11 Bravo Infantry soldier, working ``out in the boonies,'' as 
     opposed to sitting around an office in a base camp.
       Owens said he can remember the soldiers lining up in a 
     field to get their hair cut by Vietnamese civilians. Since 
     there was no electricity, they had to use the hand clippers 
     where you have to squeeze them to make them work. His 
     sergeant was in line and getting impatient.
       ``I told him I was a barber before going into the 
     military,'' Owens laughed. ``So I started at the back of his 
     head and came out with a half moon, and that's where I 
     stopped. I threw the clippers and ran. The next time I saw 
     him his head was shaven, I think that's when they started 
     shaving heads.''
       Owens was stationed in the Central Highlands of Vietnam, 
     including areas around Pleiku, Kon Tum City, Buon Me Thuot, 
     and many firebases in this region, including VC Valley and 
     areas on the border of Cambodia and Laos.
       ``The Vietnam veterans returning home from this country 
     were not greeted and welcomed home with parades or such 
     fanfare,'' Owens remembers. ``Many of us were met at airports 
     with degrading slurs, cursed and spat upon.''
       It would be another 20 years before the Veterans 
     Administration would acknowledge Post-Traumatic Stress 
     Disorder (PTSD) and other disabilities and afford medical 
     care to this era of veterans. Many Vietnam veterans fell into 
     drug and alcohol abuse, often even resulting in homelessness, 
     with many committing suicide and dying at an early age.
       ``I served my country with pride and honor,'' Owens said.
       He is a life member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW), 
     and the Disabled American Veterans (DAV) Chapter 15 
     Salyersville. He has been married to his wife, Shirley, for 
     over 20 years and has three daughters, Melissa, Misty, and 
     Jennifer.

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