[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 28 (Tuesday, February 13, 2024)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E137]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      HONORING ADMIRAL BUDDY YATES

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. GUS M. BILIRAKIS

                               of florida

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, February 13, 2024

  Mr. BILIRAKIS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor a great American, 
Rear Admiral Earl ``Buddy'' Yates, Jr., who passed away peacefully on 
September 13, 2021, at the age of 97. A graduate of Reynolds High 
School in Winston-Salem, NC, Admiral Yates was admitted to the United 
States Naval Academy at the outset of World War II. He was commissioned 
from the Academy in 1943 at the age of 19 and was immediately assigned 
to the USS Dyson where his squadron received a Presidential Unit 
Citation for their actions during the Solomon Islands campaign in the 
Pacific Theater. After the war and throughout the 1950s, Admiral Yates 
served as a Naval Aviator in Executive Officer roles before being 
assigned to the Department of the Navy in Washington. In 1965, he was 
selected for his first command of the USS Raleigh where he was awarded 
a Legion of Merit for his service. In 1967, Admiral Yates assumed what 
would become a lifelong duty for him when he was named Prospective 
Commanding Officer of USS John F. Kennedy (CVA-67) while the aircraft 
carrier was completed at Newport News Shipyard in Virginia. He served 
as the ship's first commander upon commissioning, leading her through 
assignments with the Sixth Fleet in the Mediterranean until 1969. 
Before his retirement in 1974, Admiral Yates served in more senior 
roles with the Navy including Assistant Chief of Staff for the Pacific 
Fleet. While taking on other assignments with the Navy before his 
retirement, Admiral Yates was never far from the crew of CVA-67. As new 
commanding officers took the helm of the ship before it was 
decommissioned in 2007, Buddy was always available to support them. To 
the crew who served with him and the many who sailed on CVA-67 after 
his time in command, Admiral Yates was a friend and mentor who worked 
hard to unify them all behind a common mission. Throughout the 
construction of the new USS John F. Kennedy, CVN-79 that is expected to 
begin operations in 2025, Admiral Yates was quick to work closely with 
the new prospective commanders in building continuity between the two 
ships. He attended both the keel laying of CVN-79 in 2015 and the 
ship's christening in 2019. Together with the veterans of CVN-67, they 
formed a motto to carry CVN-79 around the world: ``Two Ships, One JFK 
Family''. Throughout his life, Buddy was never far from friends and was 
blessed with a beautiful family. After he passed away in 2021, he 
joined his wife of 63 years, Lucy, in burial at the United Slates Naval 
Academy Cemetery. Buddy and Lucy had 5 children together, and many 
grandchildren whom they cherished. On December 23, 2023, his family, 
the retired crew of CVA-67, and the sailors of CVN-79 honored the 
centennial birthday of Admiral Yates. Admiral Yates leaves behind a 
legacy of service to others and of unwavering patriotism to our great 
Nation. May the memory of this distinguished American and his many 
years of service to our Nation be eternal.

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