[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 154 (2008), Part 9] [Extensions of Remarks] [Pages 12854-12855] [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]IN HONOR OF BRIGADIER GENERAL WALTER J. ``BUD'' BACON ______ HON. JOHN J. DUNCAN, JR. of tennessee in the house of representatives Wednesday, June 18, 2008 Mr. DUNCAN. Madam Speaker, I wish to honor a man whose professional accomplishments and personal character have brought great distinction to Tennessee and this Nation. Retired U.S. Air Force BG Walter J. ``Bud'' Bacon passed away on Monday, June 2, 2008. General Bacon was always very kind to me and is a man for whom I have the greatest respect. As a Vietnam and Korean War Veteran, General Bacon earned many decorations and awards, including the Legion of Merit with oak leaf cluster, Distinguished Flying Cross with two oak leaf clusters, Bronze Star Medal, Meritorious Service Medal, Air Medal with 11 oak leaf clusters and Air Force Commendation Medal with oak leaf cluster. For a man of many remarkable military achievements, it would have been easy for General Bacon to lose touch with his roots. This was never the case. After his retirement, General Bacon was a vocal, active presence at Knoxville area Veterans meetings and a founding member of the East Tennessee Veterans Memorial Association. Memories of his humor, humility, and devotion to East Tennessee will endure for many, many years. General Bacon's life is a truly America story of Patriotic determination. He had always wanted to attend West Point but was turned down twice for not meeting the height requirement. As the story goes, he came up with a plan to have his friends carry him lying flat early in the morning to the physical. The reason--he heard you were tallest when you first wake up. Whether the doctor was impressed with his determination or the tactic truly put his height over the top, General Bacon went on to have one of the greatest careers in the Air Force of any man ever. It was an American dream come true. General Bacon loved God, family, and his Country, and never stopped serving them all. Right up until his death, the highly-decorated General greeted wounded soldiers returning home from Iraq. Madam Speaker, in closing, I offer my condolences to General Bacon's family, and call to the attention of my colleagues and other leaders of the Record the eulogy of General Bacon, given by his friend Retired United States Air Force COL Joseph E. Sutter, which is reprinted below. Eulogy for Brigadier General Walter J. ``Bud'' Bacon, USAF (Retired) Friday, June 6, 2008, First Presbyterian Church, Knoxville, TN (Delivered by Joseph E. Sutter, Colonel, USAF (Retired)) Joyce, Betsey, Katy, and all of your families--let me thank you for the honor and high privilege to say a few words about my friend, Bud Bacon. I knew him as ``Bud,'' and for some reason he called me ``Josephine.'' I can't say that I ever knew why. Some of you knew him as ``Buddy.'' Some as ``General.'' Others as ``Pa,'' and some of you knew him as ``Grand Buddy.'' No matter--we all felt the same about him. I first met him some 14 years ago, and I certainly wish I had known him longer. Within a few weeks of meeting Bud, I remember coming home and telling my wife Geri: ``When I grow up, I want to be like Bud Bacon.'' Allow me to share with you a few of the reasons why. Bud had a great attitude about life. One of the entries in the blogs in the Knoxville News Sentinel said that Bud Bacon had the attitude that the ``glass is half full.'' He was always happy, and had an infectious laugh. As his daughter Betsey relates, her father was fond of saying: ``If I die tonight, I will die a happy man.'' He had the love of his family--actually two families. He loved to travel. He loved his country, and made serving his country his profession. I'll say more about this a little later. And he loved his God. Love of Community Bud loved his community. He came home after a distinguished Air Force career and immediately began to ``give back'' by supporting so many worthwhile activities, including the Ramsay House Plantation, the Military Order of the World Wars (MOWW) Youth Leadership Forum, the University of Tennessee Center for the Study of War and Society, the Knoxville Veterans Day Luncheon, Memorial Day Services, Pearl Harbor Day Ceremonies, Flag Day Ceremonies, the Air Force Association, and so many others too numerous to mention. Love of Friends Bud had the love of so many friends, and he would go ``the extra mile'' for any of them. Allow me to tell you a short story of how he went not only the extra mile for me, but the extra 6,000 miles! Geri and I were visiting Vienna, Austria, a number of years ago and were window shopping on a Saturday afternoon. There was a unique terry cloth robe in one of the stores that I wanted to get for Geri, but she said that we could wait until tomorrow so we would not have to carry it the rest of the day. What we did not realize is that most of the shops are closed on Sunday, and we were returning home the following day. I casually mentioned this story to Bud a few weeks later, and he said that he and Joyce were visiting Vienna soon, and he would look for the robe. Sure enough, when they returned they brought the robe over, and it remains a prized possession today mainly because of the extra effort that Bud put forth to get it. He was always looking to do good thing for others. He nominated me for a community service award, and I nominated him for a similar award. As it turns out, he was a better writer than me! (I won and he did not). On Wednesday, May 21st, Bud came to the Knoxville airport early in the morning to wish a safe trip to more than 100 World War II veterans heading to Washington, DC, to see the WW II and other Memorials as part of HonorAir Knoxville. We were looking at the pictures of the sendoff the other day and there wasBud with a big smile on his face wishing the ``old timers'' a great trip. When I talked to him that morning, he said he was heading off to Green Meadow Country Club to play golf after we left. Love of Golf And while Bud certainly had a love of golf, he freely would admit that he was not the greatest golfer in the world, but he always had fun. When I would ask him how he did, his usual answer was ``lousy!'' Bud and I had the same barber, Curry Whittaker of Volunteer Barber Shop. Both Bud and Curry were left-handed golfers, and Curry offered to let Bud use a new driver that should help improve his game. Bud was excited, but the next time he came into the shop he tossed the driver back to Curry and said: ``This thing didn't help a bit!'' And he enjoyed golf with his brother, John. My brother Frank and I were on a golf trip together last week and we thought of Bud often. This helped us cherish our time together even more. And one final golf story. Shortly after I met Bud, we were together at an Air Force Association (AFA) meeting and agreed that [[Page 12855]] it would be fun for the local AFA chapter to sponsor a golf tournament. After trying for more than a year to find someone to come forward and organize the tourney, Bud and I agreed that we would hold one in the fall, even if it was only the two of us playing together at Green Meadow. The annual event is now in its tenth year, and with the approval of Joyce, the tourney will now be named in his honor: ``The Air Force Association General Bud Bacon Memorial Golf Classic.'' Bud would want all of you golfers to join us this fall for fun, and what a great way to honor his legacy. Love of Country And perhaps his love was most on display in how he felt about his country. I'm sure many of you know how he got admitted to West Point, but let me share with you one of the versions of that wonderful story. Bud was too short--he did not meet the minimum height to be admitted so he enrolled at the University of Tennessee. After being turned down at West Point for the second time, he heard that you are a little bit taller in the morning when you first get up, as compared to later in the day when your body has time to compress or shrink. He hatched a plan to have some of his friends carry him to be measured first thing in the morning, without standing up. Depending on whose version of the story you believe, he either just made the height, or the doctor was impressed by his dogged determination and signed off on the physical. In either case, the rest is history--he went on to a very distinguished career in the US Air Force. He used this story to make the point that ``. . . if you want something bad enough, you can achieve it.'' Who would have thought that someone could actually make himself taller? He may have been short in stature, but he was very tall on determination and character! In the Air Force, he was tested in combat in two wars: Korea and Vietnam. His unit in Vietnam was known as the ``Misty FACs,'' or forward air controllers. According to Bud's friend and fellow fighter pilot, retired Air Force Colonel Charlie Harr: ``The Misty FACs were among the first to perform a very dangerous mission. They were widely known for their daring and bravery.'' Bud had command of the 31st Tactical Fighter Wing at Homestead AFB, FL, later in his career. I spoke to one of his pilots that I know, retired Air Force Lt. General Don Peterson. Here is what Don had to say: ``His leadership at Homestead was splendid. He knew how to lead and get the job done, but just as importantly, he knew how to take care of the people who served under him. He was a role model for us all. Our morale was higher than ever, which made us all--and our Air Force--better.'' Bud was an active member of virtually every local military organization, including the Air Force Association, the East Tennessee Military Affairs Council, the East Tennessee Veterans Memorial Association, and he was the driving force behind the renovation of the Doughboy Statue and Plaza at Knoxville High School, his alma mater. He was the Grand Marshall of the 2004 Knoxville Veterans Day Parade. I know you all remember the wonderful picture of Bud that appeared in the News Sentinel--proudly in uniform, saluting, smiling, and with several flags in his hand. I have a copy of that picture with me today. It's clear that he deeply loved our country's flag and proudly and properly displayed it at his home. He always had it lighted at night and would take it down when he and Joyce traveled. Joyce would say that he might forget a few things from time to time, but would never forget to take down the flag. And he planned the music for this service. Is there any doubt that he loved his country? Finally, Bud sent an e-mail to his grandson Schuyler, a proud Marine who had recently returned from Iraq. Bud wrote the e-mail on Friday, May 23rd, the day before he took ill. What a summary of Bud's feelings. This is what Bud had to say--his own words: Subject: ``Words of Encouragement'' If I may quote you, Schuyler, you said: ``I believe strongly in what we're doing. . . .'' Those are, again in your words, words of encouragement to me. Those of us in uniform are obedient to our leaders and commanders, and we believe in the rights and privileges we have inherited--from those who went before us, in uniform and not in uniform. We are not automatons; we do have hearts and souls and minds of our own. But we recognize we are chosen to do the tough work--when tough work has to be done. The pictures of you in uniform and in combat are treasures; you look as sturdy as the truck. You have made the Bacon family proud. Keep us informed of your progress toward special operations. Love, Grand Bud Faith Finally, we know that faith was large part of his life. Bud taught Sunday school and was a Deacon at this church. The words of Saint Matthew, Chapter 25, seem appropriate to sum things up: ``Well done, good and faithful servant.'' I know we all believe that Bud is in heaven with our God in Paradise. It doesn't get any better than that. That is why, ``When I grow up, I want to be like Bud Bacon.'' ____________________