[Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 106 (Wednesday, June 24, 2026)]
[Senate]
[Page S3197]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         ADDITIONAL STATEMENTS

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         TRIBUTE TO COMMANDER JOHN ``JACK'' HOLLAND, USN (RET.)

 Mr. BUDD. Mr. President, I rise today to recognize a patriot 
and veteran, retired U.S. Navy Commander John ``Jack'' Holland.
  Mr. Holland's passion for flying came from joining the naval aviation 
program following his last semester of college. He received his Navy 
wings a year and a half later and began an illustrious career as a 
pilot at Naval Air Station Miramar just outside of San Diego. His first 
orders were to join an attack squadron flying a Douglas AD Skyraider.
  Over the next 23 years, Mr. Holland transitioned to jets and 
completed eight aircraft carrier deployments to the Western Pacific, 
including five deployments to Vietnam. A notable position of honor was 
serving as the Navy Seventh Fleet Liaison Officer with the U.S. Air 
Force at Tan Son Nhut Air Base in Saigon. Mr. Holland last served as 
the commanding officer of a Navy Fighter Aggressor Squadron at Naval 
Air Station Oceana in Virginia Beach.
  After retirement from the U.S. Navy in 1978, Mr. Holland's 
contributions and passion for flying continued with his service as an 
engineering consultant for a Navy contractor at the Naval Weapons 
Center in China Lake, CA. During his service, he was responsible for 
developing the software management plan for the Navy's F/A-18 Hornet 
aircraft and other strategic missile programs.
  On July 8, 2026, at 91, Mr. Holland is returning to First Flight 
Airport and the Wright Brothers National Memorial to commemorate his 
years of service as a Navy pilot. He will arrive as a passenger, scale 
Big Kill Devil Hill, walk to the First Flight Boulder, and recall the 
views from the aircraft that flew over the same ground revered by this 
great Nation. Join me in saluting Mr. Holland, not only for his 
faithful service to this country, but for his return visit to First 
Flight.

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