[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 106 (Monday, June 24, 2019)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E821]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         IN HONOR OF PAUL SEARS

                                 ______
                                 

                             HON. ANDY BARR

                              of kentucky

                    in the house of representatives

                         Monday, June 24, 2019

  Mr. BARR. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the life of a special 
man, Paul Sears, of Lexington, Kentucky. Born in 1924, Dr. Sears 
enlisted in the Army Air Corps on October 25, 1942. He was assigned to 
the 100th Bomb Group, also known as the ``Bloody Hundredth'', in the 
8th Air Force. Sears was a tailgunner on a B-17. On his very first 
mission, half of his 6 plane squadron was lost.
  On his tenth and final mission, Dr. Sears' aircraft, ``Salvo Sal'', 
was hit over Germany on October 8, 1943. Sears bailed out over the 
Netherlands and was captured by the Germans. He was held in solitary 
confinement for 17 days in Frankfurt, Germany. After a 3-day ride in a 
cattle car, he was taken to Stalag 17b where he spent the next 19 
months just trying to survive. Conditions were brutal, with prisoners 
living on small portions of black bread and cabbage soup that included 
worms. Sears lost 65 pounds, contracted a severe respiratory infection, 
and almost died. In April of 1944, Sears and around 4,500 other POWs 
were forced to march over 200 miles west, away from the Russian Army 
and towards the American lines. The prisoners were liberated by General 
Patton's 3rd Army on May 3, 1945.
  Dr. Sears returned home and married Juanita Reed Sears. Together they 
raised 2 girls, Anne and Elizabeth ``Lizzy'' Sears Brown. Under the 
G.I. Bill, Paul Sears entered the University of Kentucky where he 
earned a B.S. in 1950 and a Ph.D. in 1953. He spent most of his 
professional career at the University of Kentucky as a chemistry 
professor. He was recognized with two Outstanding Teacher Awards, 
recognized internationally for his research, and held several 
leadership positions at the University of Kentucky. He retired in 1990.
  Dr. Sears and his fellow veterans are true heroes. As members of the 
``Greatest Generation'', they willingly served to protect and defend 
the freedoms that we enjoy today. I am humbled to honor the service of 
Dr. Paul Sears before the United States Congress.

                          ____________________