[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 143 (Wednesday, September 7, 2022)]
[Senate]
[Pages S4470-S4471]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   HONORING PRIVATE JOHN SHAUGHNESSY

  Mr. TESTER. Madam President, I would like to share a few words today 
to honor the life and service of Private John Shaughnessy, a first-
class Montanan and World War I veteran.
  A native son of the Treasure State, John was born and raised in 
Missoula. His father, John A. Shaughnessy, was one of Missoula's 
pioneer builders who constructed a portion of the original buildings at 
Fort Missoula.
  Never one to shy away from service or sacrifice, John answered the 
call to duty at the outbreak of World War I by enlisting in the U.S. 
Army. He was a member of the 339th Infantry and served in the American 
North Russia Expeditionary force, more commonly known as the Polar Bear 
Expedition.
  During that expedition, Private Shaughnessy sadly contracted and died

[[Page S4471]]

of pneumonia in Archangel, Russia, on September 15, 1918. He was buried 
in the American cemetery in the town until his body was able to be 
removed and returned to Missoula in 1929.
  While Private Shaughnessy was finally laid to rest in his native 
land, he never received the proper military headstone he deserved and 
earned.
  It is my honor to say today, 104 years after his passing, Private 
Shaughnessy will at last receive his long-overdue military headstone in 
Missoula.
  While our debt of gratitude to him can never be fully repaid, this 
military honor rightly ensures his sacrifices in service to our Nation 
will never be forgotten.
  He is an American hero who has made Montana proud, and our country 
would not be what it is today without him and others in uniform who put 
their life on the line in return for our freedoms.
  On behalf of myself and a grateful nation, I extend our deepest 
appreciation to him and his family.

                          ____________________