[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 22 (Monday, February 5, 2018)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E135-E136]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




     HONORING THE 101ST BIRTHDAY OF ADMIRAL LLOYD R. ``JOE'' VASEY

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. COLLEEN HANABUSA

                               of hawaii-

                    in the house of representatives

                        Monday, February 5, 2018

  Ms. HANABUSA. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to send my warmest aloha to 
Admiral Lloyd R. ``Joe'' Vasey who turned 101 years old on January 31, 
2018.
  Admiral Vasey was born on January 31, 1917 to Commander R.C. Vasey, 
USN, and Mabel Anderson Vasey in Vallejo, California. A graduate of 
Belmont High School in Los Angeles, California, he was an Apprentice 
Seaman in the U.S. Naval Reserves in Los Angeles when he secured an 
appointment to the U.S. Naval Academy, where he earned a Bachelor of 
Science degree. Admiral Vasey subsequently received a Master of Arts 
from Stanford University and an honorary Doctorate from the University 
of Hawaii.
  After graduating from the U.S. Naval Academy, Vasey joined the Navy's 
submarine service. During World War II, he served aboard the USS Gunnel 
where, in his own words:

       After successfully attacking a convoy of enemy ships in 
     theYellow Sea between Korea and Japan, the American submarine 
     USS Gunnel was worked over by Japanese anti-submarine 
     warships during a 36-hour ordeal, with explosions from depth 
     bombs periodically jolting the submarine severely.
       After surfacing at midpoint during darkness to replenish 
     the foul air, Gunnel was sighted and attacked by gunfire from 
     the three warships. While submerging again, Gunnel torpedoed 
     one of the three warships which was rapidly closing at close 
     range. Several hours later with depleted air and battery 
     power and no other option but to surface, the Commanding 
     Officer, Lieut. Commander John S. McCain, Jr., USN, called 
     his officers together and all agreed to fight it out in a 
     surface gun battle with the enemy warships rather than 
     surrender.
       While climbing the 22 foot vertical ladder to the bridge 
     hatch while surfacing, Vasey thought to himself ``there has 
     to be better ways to resolve international disputes'' and he 
     vowed that if he survived, he would one day strive to do 
     something about it.

  In 1972, Admiral Vasey retired from the U.S. Navy after serving as 
chief strategist (J-5) under Admiral John S. McCain, Jr., then 
Commander of the U.S. Pacific Command. In 1975, in support of his 
initiative to identify better ways to resolve international disputes, 
Admiral Vasey sought to establish a forum in the Pacific under the 
auspices of the private sector for a continuing trans-Pacific dialogue 
and consultation among the developing and developed countries of the 
Pacific area. Later that year, the ``Pacific Forum'' was formally 
incorporated as a non-profit think tank and Admiral Vasey toured the 
Pacific seeking support for the forum. Over the next 14 years, Pacific 
Forum was instrumental in proactively identifying emerging issues and 
facilitating dialogue between and among U.S. officials and Asian 
leaders. In 1989, Pacific Forum merged with the Center for Strategic 
and International Studies (CSIS), one of the nation's most influential 
foreign policy think tanks.
  Admiral Vasey retired from Pacific Forum CSIS in 1990, and today he 
still serves as a Senior Adviser for Policy and Vice Chairman

[[Page E136]]

of the Pacific Forum. Admiral Vasey is truly a shining example of''the 
greatest generation.''
  Although Admiral Vasey accomplished more than most in life, his work 
to remind us of our past in order to inform our future remains 
unfulfilled. For years, Admiral Vasey has advocated for the 
establishment of a memorial at Pearl Harbor to honor service members 
who lost their lives throughout the Pacific during World War II. In his 
words:

       There is no recognition of the brave Americans who were 
     lost in the Pacific War . . . They are resting on the bottom 
     of the Pacific Ocean somewhere, or their remains are 
     scattered across the South Pacific islands. We need to honor 
     them, and their families need a place to mourn.
       From 1941, following the bombing of Pearl Harbor, through 
     1945, our nation suffered over 150,000 casualties in the 
     Pacific.

  Last year, Congressman Rob Bishop and I introduced H.R. 4300, the 
Admiral Lloyd ``Joe'' Vasey Pacific War Commemorative Display Act, 
which would realize Admiral Vasey's vision. This bill would establish a 
Pacific War memorial at Pearl Harbor, nearby the USS Arizona Memorial 
and USS Missouri. H.R. 4300 passed the House a few weeks after 
introduction by unanimous consent with 89 bipartisan cosponsors. It is 
my hope the Senate passes H.R. 4300 very soon.
  Admiral Vasey's endless patriotism, devotion to duty, and desire to 
promote peace continue to be an example for us all. Happy 101st 
birthday, Admiral Vasey, and may you continue to have fair winds and 
following seas.

                          ____________________