[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 128 (Monday, August 1, 2022)]
[Senate]
[Pages S3803-S3804]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




            REMEMBERING LIEUTENANT COLONEL ETHYLE E. O'NEAL

  Mr. WYDEN. Madam President, Oregonians will soon gather to honor an 
American hero, Ethyle O'Neal. Ethyle will be posthumously awarded the 
Congressional Gold Medal next month in McMinnville, OR. When the Senate 
voted to award the medal to Ethyle and her fellow Civil Air Patrol 
volunteers from WWII, it was with the heroism and devotion to service 
she embodied in mind. Since I won't be able to attend the ceremony, I 
want to spend a few minutes today to honor her outstanding legacy, her 
service, the communities she bettered, and the family she has left 
behind.
  Born and raised in my hometown, Portland, 14-year-old Ethyle E. 
Kremers was the first from her high school to volunteer for the Civil 
Air Patrol, or CAP. With the U.S. military tied up in WWII, the CAP was 
tasked with patrolling America's borders to detect threats, deter 
submarine attacks, and protect vital shipping lanes. Ethyle trained as 
a radio-communicator and support person, as well as taking on the 
responsibilities of cadet training at dozens of CAP camps across the 
country. Six years after joining the CAP, Ethyle used her training to 
single-handedly save the life of a young child and assist in the rescue 
of four more during the Vanport Flood disaster. For the rescues, she 
became the first CAP cadet to receive the program's highest honor, the 
Distinguished Service Award. Soon after, Ethyle joined the U.S. Air 
Force and trained as a medical laboratory assistant at Edwards Air 
Force Base, where she met her future husband Theodore O'Neal. The two 
went on to have four wonderful children: Timothy, Ken, Kathy, and 
Susie.
  After years traveling with her family to Air Force bases around the 
world, Ethyle returned to Portland. She shortly resumed work with the 
CAP as commander of the Milwaukie and then Beaverton Cadet Squadrons. 
Tasked with training new recruits, Ethyle's dedication to the role was 
matched only by the compassion she showed to her cadets. Her family 
still remembers Ethyle inviting cadets over to her house to study and 
practice maneuvers around the dining room. For her service, Ethyle was 
awarded the CAP's highest award for adult officers, the Gill Robb 
Wilson Award, and the grade of lieutenant colonel. In addition to 
training new cadets, Ethyle began flying search and rescue sorties as a 
mission observer, took the role of director of cadet programs, earning 
numerous commendations for her work.
  Ethyle was also an active member of her community outside of the CAP. 
For 13 years, she worked as a bus driver for children with special 
needs, ensuring education remained accessible for the most vulnerable 
in society. She also loved teaching local children to fly model 
rockets.
  A model of selflessness, Ethyle's accomplishments survive her, 
reminding us that the efforts of a determined few can raise, or even 
save, the lives of many. Ethyle's success as a woman in the Armed 
Forces and work with children with special needs inspire me to continue 
my own work for these underrepresented groups. It is an honor to 
remember her achievements, and I can think of nobody more deserving of 
the Congressional Gold Medal. It is my sincere hope that her story 
continues to inspire the best in all who hear it, in Oregon and across 
the Nation.

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