[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 154 (2008), Part 18]
[Senate]
[Pages 24313-24314]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                   TRIBUTE TO MAJOR JOHN LEE McELROY

  Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, it is never too late to honor great 
heroism and sacrifice. That is why I am proud to say that after 40 
years, a brave Kentuckian lost in battle will finally return home with 
honor to American soil.
  On May 12, 1968, MAJ John Lee McElroy of the U.S. Air Force undertook 
what would be his final mission. Stationed in the Quang Tin province of 
the Republic of Vietnam, he was the navigator on a C-130 Hercules 
aircraft when his plane was struck by intense enemy fire and crashed. 
There were no survivors.
  ``On this particular day [Major McElroy] was flying a most important 
mission of aerial evacuation for American and allied personnel,'' wrote 
COL Marion F. Garuthers, the major's commander, in a letter to his 
parents. ``His example of Christian living significantly influenced all 
persons with whom he associated.''
  Sadly, while the family of Major McElroy knew his final fate, they 
did not get to say their final goodbyes. For four decades, his remains 
went unrecovered. His wife, Regina M. McElroy, and his parents, Oscar 
L. and Gladys V. McElroy, passed away never knowing if their loved 
one's remains would be found and brought back to the United States.

[[Page 24314]]

  Now, thanks to the work of some dedicated men and women in the 
Department of Defense, Major McElroy's remains have been identified. 
Along with the rest of his flight crew, Major McElroy will return from 
Vietnam and join the honored few who rest in Arlington National 
Cemetery.
  Born in Eminence, KY, in 1932, Major McElroy served his country in 
the Armed Forces for 12 years. Several months after his tragic death, 
he was posthumously awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross, the Air 
Medal and the Purple Heart for his valor in uniform.
  At that medal ceremony were Major McElroy's three children--Russell 
Lee McElroy, Mary McElroy Tucker, and Linda Anne McElroy Starnes. 
Russell, the oldest, was just 14 years old at the time.
  Now every one of them is older than their father ever was. And now 
it's their turn to take care of the father who cared for them, by 
seeing him laid to rest this December 18 in a hero's grave.
  Our Nation and the Commonwealth of Kentucky cannot be grateful enough 
for MAJ John Lee McElroy's service and immense sacrifice. We owe the 
McElroy family a debt that cannot be repaid, because he died defending 
all of us and our freedoms.
  I know the entire U.S. Senate joins me in expressing comfort and 
pride that this courageous airman has finally returned home. It is 
never too late to honor our heroes. And it is never too late for one 
Kentucky family to say their farewells and see a hero rest in peace.

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