[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 154 (2008), Part 6]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages 8079-8080]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




         HONORING THOMAS S. CONELY, SR., OF DADE CITY, FLORIDA

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. GINNY BROWN-WAITE

                               of florida

                    in the house of representatives

                         Wednesday, May 7, 2008

  Ms. GINNY BROWN-WAITE of Florida. Madam Speaker, I rise today to 
honor an American soldier who was wounded in service to our Nation 
during the conflict in Vietnam. Mr. Thomas S. Conely, Sr., is a Marine 
who served with honor and distinction on the battlefield. It is truly 
an honor to present this brave patriot with his long overdue Purple 
Heart medal.
  Born in Wheeling, West Virginia, Mr. Conely's family moved to 
Pittsburgh when he was in ninth grade. Enlisting in the Marine Corps at 
the age of eighteen, Mr. Conely was one of about 78 enlistees dubbed 
the ``Pittsburgh Pirate Platoon'' when, all gathered around home plate 
for the ceremony, they were sworn into the Marines in the 7th inning of 
a baseball game at Forbes Field.
  After completing his basic training at Parris Island, South Carolina, 
Mr. Conely went on to attend radio operator school in California and 
then served as the 2531 Field Radio Operator with the 9th Marines in 
Vietnam. Near the end of his tour of duty, his unit was near the Rock 
Pile in the Northern Eye Core of Vietnam when a mortar round landed 
between Mr. Conely and another soldier. The other man was thrown 23 
feet and killed, while Mr. Conely ended up with shrapnel throughout his 
body.
  A third generation soldier whose grandfather served in World War I 
and his father in World War II, Mr. Conely's wounds sadly forced him to 
leave the military. He had planned to make a career in the Marines, but 
after the blast injured him in Vietnam he returned to Bethesda Naval 
Hospital where he remained for 13 months prior to being discharged. 
Continuing the tradition of military service, Mr. Conely's three sons 
have all served in the Marine Corps, and one has had four tours of duty 
in Iraq.
  Madam Speaker, it is soldiers like Thomas S. Conely, Sr., who joined 
the military to protect the freedoms that all Americans hold dear. 
While brave men like Mr. Conely were wounded fighting for freedom and 
liberty, his family, friends and loved ones know that this Congress 
will always remember his bravery and commitment in battle.

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