[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 143 (Monday, September 9, 2019)]
[Senate]
[Page S5354]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




              TRIBUTE TO BRIGADIER GENERAL RON VAN STOCKUM

  Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, recently my home State of Kentucky had 
the opportunity to celebrate the 103rd birthday of a truly remarkable 
individual. Brigadier General Ron Van Stockum marked the occasion by 
sharing his lifetime full of rich memories in Shelbyville's ``Sentinel-
News.'' I would like to take a moment today to pay tribute to my friend 
and join Ron's admirers across Kentucky in thanking him for his 
service.
  Ron was born in England in the midst of the First World War. His 
father, a sergeant in the British forces, was tragically killed in the 
Battle of the Somme a week before the birth of his son. While her heart 
may have been broken, Ron's mother Florence felt determined to continue 
serving their Nation in uniform. Before his second birthday, Florence 
placed Ron in the care of their relatives and joined the Women's Royal 
Air Force.
  Through her service in the war effort, Florence first met Anton Van 
Stockum, an immigrant to the United States who volunteered to serve his 
adoptive homeland in the U.S. Army Air Corps. Florence and Anton 
quickly developed an affection for one another, sharing a letter-
writing correspondence that lasted beyond the war's conclusion.
  Returning home, Anton settled in Seattle, WA, and worked at a lumber 
mill. Florence decided to travel with Ron, now nearly four, to visit 
her pen pal. It was a journey that would forever change their lives and 
set Ron on a previously unimagined path.
  After traveling thousands of miles, Florence and Ron finally reunited 
with Anton in British Columbia. They married and settled in the United 
States to start a new family. Interestingly, no record was made of 
Ron's entry into our country. That oversight would prove challenging in 
the coming years when Ron, like his father, mother, and stepfather 
before him, chose to serve in uniform.
  While studying at the University of Washington, Ron sought to enter 
the Advanced Reserve Officers' Training Corps. It would be his first 
step in a distinguished career of service. Without an official proof of 
citizenship, however, he almost wasn't allowed in at all. Ron and his 
family were forced to gather multiple testimonials documenting his life 
in the United States and attesting to his story. He was permitted to 
join the ROTC and was later commissioned as a second lieutenant in the 
U.S. Marine Corps. The experience led Ron to value the high honor of 
calling himself an American.
  For the next three decades, Ron honorably served as a marine. During 
World War II, he was part of the amphibious assaults in the Pacific. 
Ron also served at sea with the Navy aboard a battleship and an 
aircraft carrier. Because of his diligent service and remarkable merit, 
he eventually achieved the rank of brigadier general.
  When Ron retired from active duty, he and his wife Susanne moved to 
her family's historic farm in Shelby County, KY. Since 1970, our 
Commonwealth has been made better because of Ron's many contributions 
to the State. Here, he began his second career in education. Spending 
11 years at my alma mater, the University of Louisville, Ron served as 
the assistant dean for administration at the school of medicine and 
later as the assistant to the president of Uof L.
  In 1981, Ron began what he calls his second retirement, but his 
friends knew there was no chance he would slow down. Since then, he has 
written six books chronicling the history of our Commonwealth and his 
own family lineage. He has also taken to writing for the ``Sentinel-
News,'' and he has published more than 250 columns on a wide variety of 
interests.
  Over the years, it is been a privilege to call this great American a 
dear friend, and I've enjoyed reading his reflections. As he celebrates 
his 103rd birthday, I share my sincere congratulations and best wishes. 
We are so proud of his contributions to our Commonwealth and his 
service to this Nation. I urge my Senate colleagues to join me in 
wishing a happy birthday and many future successes to Brigadier General 
Ron Van Stockum.

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