[Congressional Record Volume 161, Number 19 (Wednesday, February 4, 2015)]
[Senate]
[Page S767]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         ADDITIONAL STATEMENTS

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             REMEMBERING MASTER SERGEANT JAMES WILLIAM HOLT

 Mr. BOOZMAN. Mr. President, this Saturday, February 7, 2015, 
members of the Hempstead County community will gather for a memorial 
service for MSG James William Holt of Hope, AR, who was killed in 
action in Vietnam in 1968.
  The service will take place on the 47th anniversary of Master 
Sergeant Holt's heroic actions and will coincide with the return of his 
remains for proper burial.
  In the early morning hours of February 7, 1968, the North Vietnamese 
Army launched a massive, coordinated tank and infantry assault on the 
Special Forces Camp at Lang Vei that created numerous casualties among 
the troops defending the base.
  As a Special Forces medic, Master Sergeant Holt raced around the 
compound, while under heavy fire, to administer aid to the wounded and 
move them to safety. His valiant actions during the assault did not end 
there.
  While not a weapons specialist, Master Sergeant Holt nonetheless was 
a professional Special Operations soldier who knew how to fire every 
weapon in that camp accurately and effectively. He was also a decisive 
leader who took charge of a silent 106 mm recoilless rifle and brought 
it to life, destroying three enemy tanks before running out of 
ammunition.
  Master Sergeant Holt then supplied himself with light anti-tank 
weapons and charged into the face of the enemy, single-handedly 
attacking the tank formation, and allowing time for his brothers-in-
arms to fight their way to safety. When two enemy tanks broke through 
the perimeter, Master Sergeant Holt delivered deadly fire on them, 
scoring a direct hit on one of the armored vehicles.
  The Battle of Lang Vei was a short, but costly battle that could have 
even worse for American forces if it were not for Master Sergeant 
Holt's heroics. For his acts of bravery, Master Sergeant Holt was 
posthumously awarded the Silver Star for gallantry in action and the 
Purple Heart.
  I was at the ceremony in 2013 when Master Sergeant Holt was 
posthumously inducted into the Arkansas Military Veterans Hall of Fame 
and I wish I could be onhand when the community honors him this 
weekend. These tributes will help ensure Master Sergeant Holt's 
remarkable story of bravery and selfless sacrifice forever lives 
on.

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