[Congressional Record Volume 162, Number 16 (Wednesday, January 27, 2016)]
[Senate]
[Page S253]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      REMEMBERING RALPH EUGENE NIX

 Mr. SULLIVAN. Mr. President, today I wish to remember Ralph 
Eugene Nix, a beloved father and grandfather, a kind-hearted veteran, 
and a great Alaskan.
  Mr. Nix served as a corporal in the Marine Corps during the Korean 
war, where he served as a gunner. The Korean war is often forgotten in 
our Nation's history. Because it was sandwiched between World War II 
and the Vietnam war, many in our country don't know much about the 
sacrifices made by so many--including Mr. Nix--during the war.
  When I joined the Marine Corps, from officer candidate school on, I 
studied the war with great interest. Some call it the Forgotten War. I 
call it the Noble War. Tens of thousands of lives were lost, and the 
sacrifices were many in their effort to save the cause of freedom.
  As the Korean War Memorial says, ``Our nation honors her sons and 
daughters who answered the call to defend a country they never knew and 
a people they never met.'' Mr. Nix was one of those sons.
  He answered that call as a young man and continued his patriotism by 
serving his country after the war. In 1976, he moved to Anchorage. He 
married and had children. He became active in his church and devoted 
much of his life to helping other veterans. As a member of the board of 
directors for the Alaska veteran support group, he worked to help 
veterans and their families with warm meals, clothing, household goods, 
and food.
  His devotion to his country was recognized by his participation in an 
honor flight to Washington, DC, in April of 2015--an experience that I 
know meant very much to him.
  For me, greeting his honor flight in DC was one of the highlights of 
my career, as was the trip that we made to the Veterans Administration 
together in Anchorage.
  Last year, after Mr. Nix received a medal from Korean officials for 
his efforts during the war, Mr. Nix wrote, ``To serve with you men and 
women is one of life's greater blessings. In some way--in some capacity 
we all are giving our lives for our fellow man.''
  Mr. Nix lived up to that statement. He also embodied another 
statement etched into the marble of the Korean War Memorial: ``Freedom 
is not free.'' The defense of freedom comes with sacrifice. Ralph Nix 
knew this. Ralph Nix acted on this. Ralph Nix protected the freedom of 
America and our allies. His service to our country will not be 
forgotten.
  I express condolences to his wife, Carol Nix; his son, Johnny Nix, 
and wife, Dawn; his grandson, Jacob Moser; his daughter, Jamie Nix, and 
husband, Aron Aguilar.
  We lost a great American, an Alaskan treasure, and a marine. Semper 
fidelis, Ralph.

                          ____________________