[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 157 (2011), Part 11]
[Senate]
[Pages 15007-15008]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                       TRIBUTE TO JOHN W. DEARMON

  Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I rise today to pay tribute to a 
respectable and courageous Kentucky veteran, Mr. John W. Dearmon of 
Somerset, KY. John served his country for 28 years, from 1943 to 1971, 
as one of our country's very first Navy SEALs.
  John moved to Burnside, KY with his family when he was a boy in 1936. 
During World War II John was chosen to be part of a class of 141 that 
produced the first 27 Navy SEALs from underwater demolition teams. 
During the war, John was in command of a 45-foot intercoastal patrol 
boat that navigated the harbor and coast of Guam in the Western 
Pacific.
  SEAL training for John consisted of 16 weeks of basic training, with 
6 weeks of underwater swimming school. In addition, John recalls 
parachuting from 30,000 feet during jump school--his team was capable 
of jumping from up to 43,000 feet but he never had to jump from that 
altitude.
  John is very proud of his service to his country and claims the Navy 
made him tough. Being a Navy SEAL instilled in John the courage to feel 
like he can accomplish anything, a trait he takes great pride in. 
John's formal education ended after he finished the 8th grade, however, 
he believes he received a real education about how to succeed in life 
from the Navy.
  John W. Dearmon is a true American hero and patriot who is an 
inspiration to the great people of Kentucky. In fact, when asked if he 
ever thought about quitting during his arduous assignment, he 
responded, ``No! Absolutely not! I'm an old Kentucky farm boy. I'm 
gung-ho. I never thought about quitting.''
  John devoted his life to protecting the liberty and freedom our great 
country was founded upon, and I commend him for his bravery and honor. 
The Pulaski County Commonwealth Journal recently published an article 
to honor John's life and accomplishments. I ask unanimous consent that 
the full article be printed in the Record.
  There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in 
the Record, as follows:

     [From the Pulaski County Commonwealth Journal, Aug. 13, 2011]

    Life of a SEAL: John Dearmon Was One of Original 27 Elite Forces

                            (By Bill Mardis)

       ``It felt great! I would love to have been with them . . . 
     I started and they finished it for me!''
       A Pulaski County man can feel heartbeats of the U.S. Navy 
     SEALs as they moved in and killed terrorist mastermind Osama 
     Bin Laden in a firefight. John W. Dearmon knows their 
     thoughts, their toughness and resolve. He was one of the 
     original SEALs. In his mind, he will always be a SEAL.
       Dearmon was in a class of 141 during early World War II 
     that produced the first 27 SEALs. ``In my class, we ended up 
     with 27 SEALs, originating from underwater demolition teams. 
     The class was too tough for 114. They didn't make it. They 
     dropped out.''
       ``I didn't join, I was picked. They picked the best men . . 
     . I was one of them. I was proud to be a part,'' Dearmon 
     said.
       Dearmon cringed in sorrow a few days ago when a helicopter 
     crashed in eastern Afghanistan and killed 22 Navy SEALs who 
     were being flown in to assist an Army Rangers unit pinned 
     down by enemy fire. The United States Navy's Sea, Air and 
     Land Teams, commonly known as Navy SEALs, are the U.S. Navy's 
     principal operation force and a part of the Naval Warfare 
     Command.
       SEALs are tough hombres. Few there are who can qualify.
       ``It just doesn't get any tougher. It's really tough. You 
     don't make it if you don't have endurance,'' said Dearmon. 
     ``Basic underwater demolition training . . . that's the hard 
     part, getting through that.'' ``Basic training lasts 16 
     weeks, and there are six weeks in underwater swimming 
     school.''
       ``Did you ever think about quitting?''

[[Page 15008]]

       ``No! Absolutely not! I'm an old Kentucky farm boy. I'm 
     gung ho. I never thought about quitting.''
       ``Were you ever scared?''
       ``Well, I really don't know how to answer that. I was 
     anxious a few times.''
       Dearmon was in command of a 45-foot intercoastal patrol 
     boat, patrolling the harbor and intercoastal areas around 
     Guam in the western Pacific. The boat carried eight depth 
     charges, anti-submarine warfare weapons intended to destroy 
     or cripple a target submarine by the shock of exploding near 
     it.
       ``We dropped depth charges,'' recalled Dearmon. ``I never 
     knowingly got results, but more than likely we did (get 
     results),'' he mused. Dearmon was quick to point out that he 
     never engaged in hand-to-hand combat as did the SEALs who 
     killed Bin Laden.
       Dearmon parachuted from 30,000 feet. ``We could jump from 
     up to 43,000 feet, but I never jumped that high.'' Dearmon 
     pointed out that equipment available to his first unit of 
     SEALs is ``like a caveman'' to what they have today. ``The 
     electronic equipment, it's so advanced.''
       ``You're still tough,'' a reporter suggested to the young-
     looking 87-year-old.
       ``I still think I'm tough . . . at least for a little 
     while,'' he grinned. Despite his age, Dearmon said he is in 
     relatively good health and ``. . . I can take care of 
     myself.''
       His wife, the former Margaret Louise Bray, died July 21. 
     They were married 57 years. ``I was devastated (when she 
     died) but I'm getting so I can get along. I'm able to get 
     around.''
       He goes out for coffee with a group of friends every 
     Thursday morning. It was a friend, Jim Cundiff, who called 
     the Commonwealth Journal and asked: ``Do you know that one of 
     the original Navy SEALs lives in Pulaski County?''
       The suggestion led to a meeting with Dearmon and a story 
     appropriate for the times, when Navy SEALs are again in the 
     news.
       Dearmon, a native of Tennessee, moved to Burnside with his 
     family in 1936. He left in 1940, working with the Civilian 
     Conservation Corps (CCC). He joined the Navy in June 1943 and 
     served 28 years, retiring in 1971.
       ``Would he do it all over again?''
       I loved every minute I was in the Navy. I'm proud of my 
     life. I didn't have much (formal) education. I finished the 
     8th grade . . . but in the Navy I got a real education. I 
     feel like I can do anything. I built this house (at 125 East 
     Summit Drive, Somerset) in 1972. I had never built anything 
     before, but I got a `How To' manual and went to work.''

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