[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 173 (Thursday, October 26, 2017)]
[Senate]
[Page S6845]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       HONORING OUR ARMED FORCES


                       Sergeant Philip J. Iyotte

  Mr. ROUNDS. Madam President, today I wish to recognize the courage 
and bravery of a fallen soldier, SGT Philip J. Iyotte of the Rosebud 
Sioux Tribe. After 66 long years of waiting, Sergeant Iyotte's remains 
are finally being laid to rest this week in his hometown of White 
River, SD.
  Sergeant Iyotte was born in White River on December 22, 1929. At just 
18 years of age, Iyotte enlisted in the U.S. Army and was assigned to 
Company E, 2nd Battalion, 21st Infantry Regiment, 24th Infantry 
Division, during the Korean war.
  Upon being deployed overseas to Korea, Sergeant Iyotte's battalion 
was one of the first sent into battle in 1950. During combat, Sergeant 
Iyotte was wounded, but returned to the battlefield in just 3 weeks.
  Months later, Sergeant Iyotte was detailed to Operation Thunderbolt 
on February 9, 1951. During this assignment, Sergeant Iyotte was 
captured and ultimately held at a prisoner-of-war camp in Changsong, 
where he passed away in 1951. However, his remains never made it home.
  Due to his many heroic efforts, Sergeant Iyotte was awarded the 
Purple Heart Medal, the Combat Infantryman's Badge, the Prisoner of War 
Medal, the United Nations Service Medal, the National Defense Service 
Medal, and the Korean War Service Medal.
  Through the combined effort of Sergeant Iyotte's family, the U.S. 
Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency and the Department of Veterans 
Affairs, Sergeant Iyotte's remains were positively identified earlier 
this year. This week, they return to his family so he can finally be 
laid to rest near his home in South Dakota.
  With this, I welcome the opportunity to recognize the life of a 
fallen hero, SGT Philip James Iyotte, and commemorate his return to 
White River, SD. He is finally home.

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