[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 149 (Monday, August 23, 2021)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E913-E914]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




   HONORING THE LIFE AND SERVICE OF NAVY FIREMAN FIRST CLASS PAUL E. 
                                 SAYLOR

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. DIANA HARSHBARGER

                              of tennessee

                    in the house of representatives

                        Monday, August 23, 2021

  Mrs. HARSHBARGER. Madam Speaker, I rise to recognize Navy Fireman 
First Class Paul E. Saylor, who, as a 21-year-old, was assigned to 
serve on the USS Oklahoma. The Oklahoma was moored at Ford Island in 
berth Fox 5 on Battleship Row of Pearl Harbor on the morning of Dec. 7, 
1941, when it was attacked by Japanese aircraft. The ship sustained 
multiple torpedo hits, which caused it to quickly capsize and resulted 
in the death of 429 crewman, including Saylor. His remains were 
recovered, but not identified and accounted for until Nov. 24, 2020.
  Saylor was born in 1920 in the First District of Tennessee in Bluff 
City to the Reverend

[[Page E914]]

Samuel and Mary Saylor. Reverend Saylor was a Free Will Baptist 
minister whose ministry took the family to both Unicoi and Carter 
Counties in Tennessee as well as Mitchell County, North Carolina before 
they settled in Johnson City, Tennessee. Paul was the third of four 
sons born to the Saylors.
  Saylor's legacy included not only service to his country but his 
admirable character, as well. Letters that he wrote to his family 
during his year in the United States Navy revealed his intelligence, 
his strong work ethic, and his generous spirit.
  Growing up the son of a Free Will Baptist minister during the Great 
Depression gave Paul a deeply personal understanding of the financial 
burden his family faced. Lower enlisted men received very little pay 
during the early 1940s however, Paul's letters indicated that he was 
sending money home to his parents showing a strong sense of 
responsibility. He also was driven to succeed as his writings revealed 
that he figured out early that if he studied hard and passed his exams 
he could be promoted. His time of service was just over a year, but he 
was quickly promoted to Fireman First Class.
  Paul Saylor's remains were unidentified, like many others, until 
modem analysis revealed his identity, allowing him to be brought home 
for a proper burial on August 20, 2021. Although his life was 
tragically cut short, his memory will continue to live and generations 
to come will see his name recorded on the Walls of the Missing at the 
Punchbowl, along with the others who are missing from WWII. A rosette 
will be placed next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for.
  Madam Speaker, please join me in honoring Navy Fireman First Class 
Paul E. Saylor's legacy and ultimate sacrifice to our Nation. He 
represents the spirit and sacrifice that has made the First District of 
Tennessee as well as these United States, great.

                          ____________________