[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 148 (2002), Part 11]
[Senate]
[Page 15359]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




            AMERICA MEMORIALIZES TWO MORE VIETNAM WAR HEROES

  Mr. LOTT. Mr. President, I rise today in remembrance of a fellow 
Mississippian, Fred C. Cutrer Jr. and his navigator Leonard L. Kaster, 
who died serving their country during the Vietnam War. Captain Fred C. 
Cutrer Jr. was a pilot on a B57 Canberra Bomber, and during his service 
for his country, he became instantly known around his base as a loving 
husband and an immensely proud father of two sons. He would often be 
found showing pictures of his family to his friends and squadron. Fred 
was also courteous and friendly, exemplifying the character of a true 
southern gentleman. Jimmy Speed, a child-hood buddy described his 
charming character by stating,

       I used to call him good-humor man. He was a very smart man, 
     and people liked him immediately. I always felt that if he 
     had gotten to the ground alive, those people wouldn't have 
     hurt him because he was so likeable and friendly that he 
     would have fit into any crowd.

  On August 6, 1964 Cutrer and 1st Lt. Leonard L. Kaster, unknowingly 
flew the skies for their last time. They were flying over South 
Vietnam, North East of Tan Son Nhut, and according to Defense 
Intelligence data, their airplane came under heavy fire from Viet Cong 
forces, causing them to crash and explode near the Sang Dong Nai River 
in Long Khan Province. Both men were classified ``Killed in Action, 
Body Not Recovered,'' and Cutrer was promoted to the rank of Major.
  In the spring of 1997, the Department of Defense, with the help of a 
Vietnamese native, helped bring closure to Cutrer's family by finding 
Cutrer's dog tag and aircraft identification plate that had been buried 
one meter beneath the surface of a jungle bog. This discovery led to 
the declaration of these men's ceremonial burial for June 6, 2002, with 
full military honors. I am thankful to say that both of these men, 
nearly forty years following their patriotic death for their country, 
now lay buried in Arlington National Cemetery.
  Both the Cutrer and Kaster families flew from Mississippi to attend 
the ceremony, and Air Force General Frank Faykes presented flags to the 
families of both men. Buried alongside Cutrer is his wife, Shirley, who 
was killed in an automobile accident four years ago. The children were 
pleased to see their father properly honored as a hero and their mother 
rightfully buried beside him.
  American troops have a slogan stating, ``We leave no man behind.'' I 
believe this manifests the pride and patriotism of our troops. Cutrer's 
sister, Lillie Cutrer Gould, promised her younger brother that if 
anything were to happen to him in Vietnam, then she would bring him 
back home. Not too many days ago, Mrs. Gould successfully achieved her 
promise to her brother, and America again exercised its duty and 
commitment to its soldiers.
  I salute John C. Cutrer Jr. and Leonard L. Kaster for serving their 
country and helping make America a better and safer place to live. I am 
thankful that I reside in a country where we take pride in our 
soldiers, and we carry a strong commitment never to forget their 
courageous acts nor to leave anyone behind. I want to thank God for 
allowing John and Shirley Cutrer to eternally lay side-by-side in 
Arlington's National Cemetery, and I want to thank America for again 
making me proud of our citizens. I know my colleagues will join me in 
memorializing and commending the lives of John C. Cutrer Jr. and 
Leonard L. Kaster, two American heroes.

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