[Congressional Record Volume 171, Number 126 (Wednesday, July 23, 2025)]
[House]
[Page H3560]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




            HONORING THE SERVICE OF RICHARD ``DOC'' BORCICKY

  (Mr. DAVIS of North Carolina was recognized to address the House for 
5 minutes.)
  Mr. DAVIS of North Carolina. Madam Speaker, I rise to honor the 
service of Richard ``Doc'' Borcicky, a Vietnam war veteran and 
constituent of North Carolina's First Congressional District.
  A native of Rocky Mount, North Carolina, Doc has dedicated his life 
to selfless sacrifice. After enlisting in the Marine Corps as a 
hospital corpsman 3rd class, Doc flew into the heart of danger to 
execute medevac helicopter support missions.
  Flown by an exceptionally skilled and resilient crew consisting of a 
pilot, copilot, crew chief, two gunners, and a skilled, combat-trained 
Navy corpsman, medevac helicopter support personnel volunteered to fly 
these missions anywhere, anytime, 7 days a week.
  In August of 1969, Doc, a 19-year-old, deployed to Da Nang. Almost 
instantly, marines stationed there came under heavy artillery and 
rocket fire, but Doc stood tall, going on to fly 250 combat support 
missions over 12 months outside the wire.
  Amidst the fog of war, Doc and his fellow marines sought refuge where 
they could. At the Sacred Heart Orphanage in Da Nang, Doc spent time 
with forgotten children, many of whom had fathers who had served 
alongside him.
  Doc captured one such kid on camera. His name was Kirk Kellerhals. 
After being adopted by a U.S. Army veteran, Kirk came to America. In 
2017, when he learned of his past, he met the man who had volunteered 
at his orphanage to escape the tragedy of war.
  Through it all, Doc touched the lives of not only these children but 
of countless servicemembers wounded in battle who never knew his name.
  His story shines a light on the forgotten heroes of one of the most 
consequential conflicts in world history, and it reminds us that all 
those who have served are deserving of our everlasting gratitude.
  When they returned home, Vietnam veterans did not receive a hero's 
welcome as their parents and grandparents had following the world wars. 
Instead, their service went unnoticed, unappreciated, and unknown.
  By taking the time to honor their patriotism and sacrifice, 
especially of those whose responsibility it was to save the lives of 
servicemembers wounded in battle, we are taking one step toward 
righting that wrong.

  In the end, it was former Marine Corps Commandant General Chapman who 
best summarized what helicopter support meant to marines on the ground 
in Vietnam proclaiming: ``When a marine in Vietnam is wounded, 
surrounded, hungry, low on ammunition or water, he looks to the sky. He 
knows the choppers are coming . . . `'

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