[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 19 (Monday, January 30, 2023)]
[Senate]
[Page S142]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                  HONORING SERGEANT JOHN O'NEAL RUCKER

  Mr. CORNYN. Mr. President, on February 4, 2023, the tight-knit 
community in Cass County, TX, will gather to solemnly honor the 50th 
annual remembrance of the end of the Vietnam war and pay tribute to one 
of its heroes, U.S. Air Force Sergeant John O'Neal Rucker.
  Sergeant Rucker grew up in Linden, a town nestled deep in the heart 
of the piney woods of east Texas. After graduating high school, he 
answered the call to serve in the Armed Forces and volunteered for the 
U.S. Air Force.
  During his basic training at Lackland Air Force Base, Sergeant Rucker 
volunteered for assignment in Southeast Asia. According to the AC-119 
Gunship Association, Sergeant Rucker was initially directed to Nakhon 
Phanom, Thailand, in April 1972. In July of that year, he took a 
temporary duty assignment to Da Nang, Vietnam, with the 18th Special 
Operations Squadron.
  After spending leave at home in Linden over Christmas 1972, Sergeant 
Rucker returned to Vietnam with the anticipation that his time on the 
battlefield would soon come to an end, as the war appeared to be 
winding down. On January 27, 1973, the 21-year-old Sergeant Rucker was 
off-duty and asleep in his barracks when rockets struck Da Nang Air 
Base, instantly taking his life just hours before the Paris Peace 
Accords took effect, finally ending the Vietnam war. Sergeant Rucker is 
remembered as one of the last American servicemembers who paid the 
ultimate sacrifice in Vietnam.
  Shortly after his death, a marble plaque to honor Sergeant John 
O'Neal Rucker was unveiled at Da Nang Air Base in March 1973. Thousands 
of miles away, his hometown of Linden dedicated a monument to him in 
November 1973 outside of the Cass County courthouse. Today, Sergeant 
Rucker's life and legacy remain forever engraved in the hearts and 
minds of his family, friends, and community.
  Texas is home to generations of servicemembers and veterans who have 
defended our freedoms at home and abroad. Our Nation's rich history has 
been strengthened by the dutiful service and sacrifice of our 
courageous military women and men, and we owe them our deepest respect 
and greatest appreciation. May God bless Sergeant John O'Neal Rucker, 
all of our fallen servicemembers, and their families.

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