[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 163 (Wednesday, October 16, 2019)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1292]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       IN MEMORY OF JACK VAN LOAN

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. JOE WILSON

                           of south carolina

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, October 16, 2019

  Mr. WILSON of South Carolina. Madam Speaker, America and South 
Carolina have lost a True Hero and Patriot in the passing of Col. Jack 
Van Loan. Roxanne and I offer our deepest sympathies to his wife Linda 
and his family. The fitting tribute is from The State of Columbia, 
South Carolina:

       Jack Van Loan, an Oregon native and fighter pilot who spent 
     six years in the infamous Hanoi Hilton as a prisoner of war 
     in Vietnam and then served for 20 years as executive director 
     of the Five Points Association in Columbia, has died. He was 
     87.
       ``He was a mentor, a colleague, a co-chair and a friend to 
     me,'' former Five Points Association executive director 
     Merritt McNeely posted on Facebook. ``More than that, he was 
     a true American hero and he loved and fought for Five Points 
     like no one else. Rest In Peace my friend, Jack.''
       Mayor Steve Benjamin said city flags will be flown at half-
     staff this week in Van Loan's honor.
       ``He was a gentleman, stern, loving and a leader,'' the 
     mayor said. ``These men served our country in some of the 
     most challenging situations, never lost their spirit and 
     continued to serve. Jack led the charge in Five Points. When 
     Jack calls you come. He was unique. He was special.''
       Van Loan received his undergraduate degree from Oregon 
     State in 1954. He spent 30 years in the Air Force. He was a 
     POW for six years, held in the same prison as the late Sen. 
     John McCain.
       Van Loan was shot down over North Vietnam on May 20, 1967. 
     He injured his knee when he parachuted, and his captors made 
     the injury worse through torture.
       The torture, which became more horrifying, continued for 
     most of his six years of captivity.
       Van Loan published a book about his experience in 
     captivity, ``Chained Eagles, The Story of Col. Jack Van Loan 
     and the Vietnam POWs in North Vietnam.''
       He wrote the book because he thought what the POWs 
     experienced needed to be remembered.
       ``I kept being asked questions about it and realized I 
     needed to write it up,'' he told The State. ``It was a very 
     difficult thing for me to do, to write it out.''
       Van Loan quickly learned his captors had no intention of 
     adhering to the Geneva Convention, a treaty adopted to 
     protect prisoners of war from the atrocities he suffered. The 
     North Vietnamese torturers unsuccessfully tried to beat 
     information from him.
       He wrote in his book, ``I wasn't going to tell them about 
     those targets, but I was going to have to come up with 
     something. I tried to knock myself out by beating my head on 
     the floor but that didn't work out. All I was doing was 
     bloodying up my forehead and getting blood in my eyes.
       ``I just was a total mess. . . . I had just never, ever 
     experienced any pain like that. I just didn't think that it 
     was possible.''
       Van Loan was released on March 4, 1973, with the second 
     large group of POWs to be freed after the Paris Peace Accords 
     ended America's involvement in the war. He had been held for 
     70 months.
       Van Loan, a colonel, settled in Columbia after retiring 
     from duty at Shaw Air Force Base in Sumter. He served for 20 
     years as executive director of the Five Points Association, 
     and is credited with being the force behind the success of 
     the urban village's annual St. Patrick's Day celebration.
       He is honored with a statue in Five Points that portrays 
     him emerging from captivity.
       At the time the statue was dedicated, Van Loan was honored 
     by the like of U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-SC.
       ``Jack sacrificed for his country in a way few have ever 
     done,'' Graham said at the time. ``As a POW he stayed true to 
     the traditions of an American fighting man held in captivity. 
     He's an inspiration, a role model, and a credit to South 
     Carolina in every way.''

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