[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 81 (Tuesday, May 11, 2021)]
[Senate]
[Page S2444]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                          TRIBUTE TO KEN POTTS

 Mr. LEE. Mr. President, today I offer my recognition of Mr. 
Ken Potts for his heroic service to our country and congratulate him on 
his 100th birthday.
  Ken was born on April 15, 1921, in Honey Bend, IL. His childhood was 
spent on the family farm during the difficult years of the Great 
Depression. Despite the difficulty of the times, the Potts family 
worked earnestly and happily to make ends meet. In fact, Ken has fond 
memories of time in his boyhood spent hunting small game with his 
slingshot.
  At the onset of WWII, when Ken was just 18 years of age, he enlisted 
in the U.S. Navy. Two short years later, he was stationed in the South 
Pacific working as a crane operator on the largest ship in the Navy's 
fleet, the USS Arizona. The work ethic he learned as a child, on the 
family farm, earned him great success during his military service.
  On December 7, 1941, the Pennsylvania-class battleship was docked at 
Pearl Harbor along with the rest of the U.S. Pacific Fleet. Ken was 
working that morning shuttling supplies to the Arizona when Japanese 
torpedo bombers descended from the sky. One of the 797-kilogram armor-
piercing bombs dropped by the bombers exploded through the decks of 
near a supply staging area at the front the ship. Thinking quickly, Ken 
risked his life in a small boat to pick up dozens of sailors stranded 
in the burning water, dropping them off at nearby Ford Island. His 
heroism saved many. Of the survivors of the attack on Pearl Harbor, Ken 
is one of two still alive today.
  Ken was undeterred by the harrowing experiences of the attack on 
Pearl Harbor. He remained in the Navy and served his country honorably 
until 1945. After the war, Ken returned to the States and moved to 
Provo, UT, here he has lived with his wife for 54 years.
  Ken Potts embodies the very best attributes of the ``greatest 
generation''. He is a living testament to American bravery, honor, and 
dignity in defense of the American way. I wish him a very happy 100th 
birthday. It is my humble privilege to honor him today.

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