[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 97 (Tuesday, June 12, 2018)]
[House]
[Page H5027]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




            HONORING THE LIFE OF SERGEANT JULIUS E. McKINNEY

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
Mississippi (Mr. Kelly) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. KELLY of Mississippi. Mr. Speaker, it is an honor today to rise 
in memory of Army Sergeant Julius E. McKinney, who paid the ultimate 
sacrifice while defending our Nation during the Korean war.
  Sergeant McKinney was a member of the Heavy Mortar Company, 32nd 
Infantry Regiment, 7th Infantry Division. While engaged in heavy battle 
at the Chosin Reservoir in North Korea on December 2, 1950, Sergeant 
McKinney became unaccounted for and was later declared missing in 
action.
  Many years after the Korean war, permission to excavate burial sites 
in the areas where fighting occurred around Chosin Reservoir led to the 
recovery of human remains. More years would pass before the use of DNA 
technology would help unite families with their loved ones. Eight years 
ago, retired Mississippi State Guard Colonel Bill Huff, Sergeant 
McKinney's nephew, submitted DNA samples along with two relatives to 
the United States Army.
  In March 2018, Sergeant McKinney's remains were identified. ``For 67 
years, we waited for answers,'' Mr. Huff said. ``It has been so hard 
for all of us in the family. It was hardest on our uncle's youngest 
sister, Effie. For years, she would not eat much for fear her brother 
was starving. She would remove the bed cover at night because she 
worried that her brother was shivering somewhere.''
  On Wednesday, June 6, 2018, members of the Patriot Guard Riders 
escorted members of the family to the Memphis International Airport to 
bring Sergeant McKinney's remains to Corinth, Mississippi. Friends and 
loved ones attended the funeral. Interment was held at the Corinth 
National Cemetery. Sergeant McKinney was buried with full military 
honors.
  ``We are so grateful that DNA technology helped us find Uncle 
Julius,'' Mr. Huff said. ``We will share our story with the public 
every chance we get in hopes that others will not give up on the search 
for their loved ones.''
  Joyce Tanner, Sergeant McKinney's niece, expressed her gratitude in a 
written tribute to her uncle. ``We are thankful the U.S. Army did not 
abandon their search for you until they were able to find and identify 
portions of your body after 67 years,'' Mrs. Tanner wrote. ``They have 
pieced together records and information that has brought a sense of 
rest and peace to our hearts, minds, and souls, and to them, we are 
forever grateful for their diligent efforts.''
  Sergeant McKinney's awards include: the Purple Heart; National 
Defense Service Medal, Korean Service Medal, United Nations Medal, and 
the Combat Infantryman's Badge.
  Sergeant's McKinney's service will always be remembered. It is 
through the blood of our patriots that we are free. We will never quit 
searching for our warriors. We encourage families with MIAs to go 
through the process and give DNA, or whatever else that we ask, so that 
we can find your warrior and bring them home when possible.
  On the eve of the historic meeting in North Korea, I also want to 
recognize all of our brave men who died at the Chosin Reservoir and in 
the breakout to fight back to the 38th parallel from there. Heavily 
outnumbered and outgunned, these brave men fought in the most extreme 
of weather conditions, and against a numerically superior enemy. They 
never gave up on America, and we will never give up on America and 
never give up on this world.


              Honoring the Life of Judge Charles D. Thomas

  Mr. KELLY of Mississippi. Mr. Speaker, today I want to rise and 
recognize my friend Judge Charles D. Thomas, who died recently and who 
was a great mentor and friend to me.
  Judge Thomas was a former military member and served as a company 
commander in the Mississippi Army National Guard. He was a graduate of 
Marion Military Institute, the University of Alabama, and he also 
graduated from the University of Mississippi School of Law, or Ole Miss 
Law.
  Judge Thomas was the judge that swore me in when I started practicing 
law. But he was more than just a judge. He was a mentor and a friend, 
and I want to acknowledge all that he did to help me become successful.


               Honoring the Life of Billy ``Dog'' Brewer

  Mr. KELLY of Mississippi. Mr. Speaker, I rise to recognize a former 
Ole Miss football coach, Billy ``Dog'' Brewer, who also passed away 
recently and was great friends with Judge Thomas.
  Coach Brewer was always loved by his players. He was a fighter and he 
got the best out of all of his players all the time. He took Ole Miss 
back to a bowl that they won for the first time in 13 years in 1986, 
and took them to multiple other bowl games, including a Gator Bowl in 
1990.
  On this day, I would just like to recognize the contributions that 
Coach Billy ``Dog'' Brewer made to the University of Mississippi, and 
the great State of Mississippi.

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