[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 156 (2010), Part 11]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages 15867-15868]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                         TRIBUTE TO JOHN MILES

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. TOM LATHAM

                                of iowa

                    in the house of representatives

                     Wednesday, September 15, 2010

  Mr. LATHAM. Madam Speaker, I rise to recognize John Miles, a Korean 
War Army Veteran from Boone County, Iowa, and to express my 
appreciation for his dedication and commitment to his country.
  The Boone News Republican is currently running a series of articles 
that honors one Boone County veteran every Tuesday from Memorial Day to 
Veterans Day. John Miles was recognized on Tuesday, June 15. Below is 
the article in its entirety:

[[Page 15868]]



            [From The Boone News Republican, June 15, 2010]

                   Boone County Veterans: John Miles

                        (By Alexander Hutchins)

       ``That was a cold place over there. Cold, cold, cold,'' 
     John Miles, 82, said of his time in the Korean War.
       Miles has lived in Boone his entire life and worked for 36 
     years as a railroad dispatcher. He graduated from Boone High 
     School and the local junior college, and a history of 
     participating in warfare was in his family. Miles had four 
     older brothers, each of whom served in World War II and 
     returned home safely. Miles joined the Army in 1950, and 
     returned from the Korean War with a Purple Heart and a Bronze 
     Star to eventually married and have two sons.
       ``The Miles'' lucked out,'' he joked.
       When Miles enlisted in 1950, he was trained at Fort 
     Leonardwood, in Missouri, and was assigned to the 40th 
     division of the 160th infantry. He became a combat medic, and 
     routinely entered the field to tend to wounded soldiers while 
     under fire.
       ``The Chinese could put artillery shells in your back 
     pocket,'' Miles said. No matter the enemy resistance Miles 
     tended to the wounded, and resistance varied greatly from day 
     to day. ``When you're a medic, you go no matter what. When 
     guys are getting shot at, that's why you're there,'' he said.
       Miles described living in bunkers while in Korea--large 
     holes excavated in the earth that were lined with timber 
     posts. Miles knew all the men he served with and said he 
     always loved the camaraderie with his fellow soldiers.
       ``War is hell to be in, but it was a good experience,'' 
     Miles said. ``I'd do it again if I had to.''
       He said the thing he appreciated the most was the 
     friendship he had with the men he served with, despite the 
     frigid and deadly conditions. He spoke of one friend who 
     never returned--a soldier who the army failed to find after a 
     search and is still listed as missing.
       After being in the country for six months, Miles was in the 
     field tending to two wounded soldiers when a shell exploded 
     nearby. Miles was hit with shrapnel and wounded. He was 
     rescued from the field by jeep and then flown by helicopter 
     to the USS Consolation hospital ship. He stayed on the ship 
     for six months until he was able to walk again and returned 
     home. He was awarded his Purple Heart and Bronze Star for his 
     service.
       Miles returned to Boone and the railroad. Despite the 
     hardship of the war, Miles said he eventually returned to an 
     ordinary life.
       ``When I first got home, I couldn't go to a movie because I 
     was too jittery,'' he said of films with gunfire or war 
     movies. Later his tension abated and he was able to pursue 
     all his social activities. Miles is an avid fan of sports who 
     often swam at the public pool and played tennis and baseball 
     in an adult league at the city park.
       At 35, Miles married school classmate Lois Huffman, who has 
     since passed away, and the couple had two sons, Lane and 
     Lynn. Miles says he responds to the conflicts in the world 
     today as anyone else probably would. ``It works out of your 
     system,'' Miles said of the trauma he felt in the war. ``I 
     lived a regular life when I got home. It was different for a 
     while, but you get used to it again.''
       Miles said that many veterans returning home aren't 
     respected as they should be. He said he supports providing 
     higher education to veterans to help them get professional 
     jobs. ``I'm a veteran, but there are veterans who come home 
     who aren't treated the way they should be,'' Miles said.


  I commend John Miles for his many years of loyalty and service to our 
great nation. It is an immense honor to represent him in the United 
States Congress, and I wish him all the best in his future endeavors.

                          ____________________