[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 85 (Tuesday, May 21, 2019)]
[House]
[Pages H4017-H4018]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                  HONORING MAJOR JOHN E. CLECKNER, SR.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
California (Mr. LaMalfa) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. LaMALFA. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the life of a great 
man and a great patriot from Redding, California, in my district. His 
commitment to his fellow veterans is certainly unparalleled. Major John 
Cleckner, Sr. passed away on May 11, but he leaves behind a tremendous 
legacy of service.
  During a 22-year military career that began in 1957 in the 82nd 
Airborne Division and later the U.S. Army Special Forces, John received 
far too many awards and honors to list in this time. During his time as 
a veteran of the Vietnam war, he was wounded multiple times and 
received three Purple Hearts and two Bronze Stars.
  In 1969, he was assigned to the 5th Special Forces Group. Upon 
arriving, he initiated a massive rebuilding of their camp's defenses 
and intelligence gathering when he heard of increased activity by North 
Vietnamese units in the area. Not long afterward, a North Vietnamese 
heavy weapons regiment laid siege to their camp for 5 months, but, 
thanks to John's efforts, the camp held.
  After receiving his third Purple Heart, John was medically retired in 
1979.
  As impressive as his military service record is, it might even pale 
in comparison to his 35 years of dedicated

[[Page H4018]]

service to his fellow veterans, both in northern California and across 
the United States. Much like his military career, his accomplishments 
as an advocate for veterans are too numerous to properly list in this 
format.
  He has worked closely with me and my office and others previous to me 
over the years as an adviser on all things veterans related and as a 
tireless partner and champion of programs and legislation that can make 
a real impact to help our veterans thrive.
  He was a leader in every sense of the word. John was instrumental in 
getting a new VA clinic in Redding, whose groundbreaking will be very 
soon, and started the quest for a veterans' cemetery in Shasta County, 
both of which have now come to fruition, thanks to his relentless 
efforts.
  John even collaborated with country music legend Merle Haggard, who 
is a Redding resident, to coordinate a national fishing tournament for 
combat-disabled veterans to have a chance to get out and relax and 
enjoy the outdoors with people who they can relate to. For him, it was 
all part of making the lives of veterans better in any way that he 
could.
  When John discovered that many veterans struggled to obtain legal 
help, he went back to college at the age of 62 to get a degree that 
would allow him to serve as a legal assistant to in-need veterans at no 
charge to the veteran. That is amazing service. That is the kind of 
person John Cleckner was.
  For his impressive track record, both on the battlefield and in 
civilian life, the Special Operations Center of Excellence at the U.S. 
Army John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center and School inducted John 
into the Distinguished Members of Special Operations Regiment in 2010.

                              {time}  1045

  I know this: Major John Cleckner was an American hero, on and off the 
battlefield. He devoted his life to his country, and when he could no 
longer serve his country, he devoted himself to improving the lives of 
his fellow veterans.
  I have seen it firsthand. I consider myself fortunate to have known 
him as a friend, and I am grateful for the things he helped us--in my 
office and others--do to accomplish things for veterans in northern 
California.
  John was tough, even a little scary, especially if he thought you 
weren't being true to what you were saying you would do. But if you 
were, you wouldn't have a stronger ally than Major John Cleckner in 
what we pursue to help our veterans, to help our Nation be strong, to 
be true.
  His commitment has only strengthened my own resolve to further some 
of the initiatives he started and we have helped with and to never stop 
fighting for our veterans who deserve it.
  I thank John for his service, his sacrifice, his dedication. We will 
miss him in northern California but will ensure his legacy lives on 
through our efforts--all of us--to help our veterans, to help our 
Nation remain strong.
  God bless Major John Cleckner, his faithful wife, Doris, his amazing 
family, and all that he has ever had touch with during his life of 
service to his nation and to his brothers.

                          ____________________