[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 176 (Tuesday, October 31, 2017)]
[Senate]
[Pages S6918-S6919]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       TRIBUTE TO JIM McCLOUGHAN

  Mr. PETERS. Mr. President, today I wish to honor the distinguished 
service of SPC5 James McCloughan, who was recently awarded the Medal of 
Honor for his heroic actions as a combat medic during the Vietnam war. 
From May 13 to 15, 1969, then-PFC McCloughan repeatedly put himself in 
the line of fire to extract and treat his fellow soldiers.
  Specialist 5 McCloughan was born in South Haven, MI, in 1946 and 
spent his childhood in Bangor, MI. He became a four-sport varsity 
athlete at Bangor High School and would go on to play football, 
baseball, and to wrestle at Olivet College. Three months after 
accepting a teaching and coaching position with South Haven Public 
Schools, McCloughan was drafted into the U.S. Army in 1968.
  McCloughan's superiors took notice of his knowledge of sports 
medicine, and he was assigned to Fort Sam Houston, TX, to report for 
advanced training as a medical specialist. Upon his completion of 
training, McCloughan was assigned as a combat medic with Company C, 3rd 
Battalion, 21st Infantry Regiment, 196th Light Infantry Brigade, 
American Division, and was deployed to Vietnam.
  On the morning of May 13, 1969, two American helicopters were shot 
down near Tam KY, and one crashed 100 meters from McCloughan and 
Charlie Company. A squad was sent to rescue the downed crew and found a 
wounded soldier too injured to move. McCloughan ran 100 meters through 
an open field, dodging crossfire between Charlie Company and the NVA, 
reached the wounded soldier, and carried him back to the company and 
successfully saved his fellow soldier from being captured or killed.
  Later that same day, McCloughan displayed another act of heroism in 
the midst of an American airstrike against nearby NVA targets. While in 
a trench, he saw two U.S. soldiers huddled together without weapons in 
the midst of an ambush. McCloughan dropped his weapon and rushed into 
the ambush to check on his comrades. While inspecting them for wounds, 
he was hit with shrapnel when a rocket-propelled grenade exploded 
nearby. McCloughan pulled the two soldiers back to the trench and would 
go back into the ambush zone four more times to extract wounded 
comrades. Wounded and bleeding himself, McCloughan refused to evacuate 
and remained on the battlefield to treat the wounded and prepare them 
for extraction.
  The next day, Charlie Company engaged NVA forces near Nui Yon Hill. 
Similar to the day before, McCloughan again went into the crossfire 
zone numerous times to treat and extract wounded soldiers. He was 
wounded again by RPG shrapnel and small arms fire. McCloughan again 
showed his heroism when he volunteered to hold a blinking light in the 
open while bullets and RPGs hit around him so his company could be 
resupplied.

[[Page S6919]]

  McCloughan continued to fight throughout the night and into the 
morning, knocking out the RPG position and treating numerous soldiers. 
He kept two critically wounded soldiers alive during the night and is 
credited with saving the lives of 10 members of Charlie Company in the 
48-hour timespan.
  Upon returning home, McCloughan would resume his job as a teacher and 
coach at South Haven High School. He taught sociology and psychology 
and coached football, baseball, and wrestling until his retirement in 
2008.
  SPC5 James McCloughan is an American hero who consistently put his 
life on the line to save the lives of his fellow Americans. He has 
always inspired others, whether by his actions on the battlefield or 
for his students in the classroom. I urge my colleagues to join me 
today in congratulating and thanking Specialist 5 McCloughan for his 
continued dedication and service to our Nation.

                          ____________________