[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 157 (2011), Part 7]
[Senate]
[Pages 9874-9875]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                      TRIBUTE TO MARVIN CLEVINGER

  Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I rise today to honor the heroic 
efforts of an honored Kentuckian. Known for his service and his 
allegiance to his country, PFC Marvin Clevinger is a true World War II 
hero in Pike County, KY.

[[Page 9875]]

  Born March 18, 1922, to James and Dollie May Clevinger, Marvin was 
the eldest of eight. Growing up on a farm in eastern Kentucky, Mr. 
Clevinger, also known as ``Garl'' around his family, was an intelligent 
young man who dropped out of the 7th grade to help provide for his 
family. Working as a timber man and a farmer before his days as a 
soldier, ``Garl'' did all he could to help his family as well as his 
community.
  After enrolling in the war, Private First Class Clevinger, also known 
as ``Zeke'' to his platoon, fought in numerous battles, putting his 
life on the line for his country. Clevinger was said to be amongst the 
strongest and most agile of the soldiers and was honored with the 
privilege of being a scout for his platoon. In one battle, when his 
platoon found itself pinned by German machine gun fire, Private First 
Class Clevinger advanced 150 yards under intense fire and threw several 
grenades to silence the enemy. He received a Bronze Star for his heroic 
actions.
  Private First Class Clevinger spent a month in the hospital in Paris 
after receiving multiple wounds in his legs during battle. He received 
numerous medals, awards, and decorations, including the Bronze Star 
with Three Oak Leaf Clusters, the Purple Heart, the Good Conduct Medal, 
the Rifle Sharpshooter Badge, the Combat Infantryman Badge, the 
American Campaign Ribbon, the World War II Victory Medal Ribbon, and 
the European/African/Middle Eastern Theatre Campaign Ribbon.
  Marvin Clevinger returned to Belcher, KY, after the war and worked 
for the Russell Fork Coal Company Preparation Plant for 32 years. 
Currently, Marvin is an active member of Ferrell's Creek Church of 
Christ, and he serves as an inspiration to his family. Because of his 
hard work and all he has achieved and overcome in his 89 years, Marvin 
Clevinger is a hero to us all.
  Mr. President, the Appalachian News Express recently published an 
article highlighting Marvin Clevinger's life and service. I ask 
unanimous consent that the full article be printed in the Record.
  There being no objection, the article was ordered to be printed in 
the Record, as follows:

           [From the Appalachian News Express, May 28, 2011]

                 Marvin Clevinger: A World War II Hero

                           (By Nancy M. Goss)

       Belcher.--Over 66 years ago 89-year-old Marvin ``Garl'' 
     Clevinger of Belcher fought in the European Campaign during 
     World War II.
       Because he suffered a stroke 10 years ago that affected his 
     ability to converse fluently, Marvin allowed family members 
     to tell his story, adding comments from time to time. His 
     nephew, Phillip Ratliff, is an authority on his uncle's role 
     in World War II and provided most of this information.
       ``I fought in Germany,'' Marvin said. Then added, ``I was 
     shot three times.''
       ``Marvin never really talked about his war time experiences 
     when I was young, but I'm familiar with the battles he was 
     in,'' Phillip said. ``I was always fascinated by soldiers and 
     military stuff so I just read a lot and later on, I had the 
     little campaign book Garl brought back from the war and I 
     read it a couple times.''
       Marvin is mentioned in the book by the nickname his platoon 
     gave him, ``Zeke'' Clevinger.
       Phillip said there were probably only about 200 copies of 
     the campaign booklet of Marvin's company's actions during the 
     war; they were given to the men at the end of the fighting.
       Marvin's rank and unit: PFC Marvin Clevinger, 1st Rifle 
     Squad, 2nd Platoon, Company B, 61st Armored Infantry 
     Battalion, 10th Armored Division, 3rd Army, USA.
       He was also a scout for his platoon.
       ``Only a couple men in a platoon were scouts,'' Phillip 
     explained. ``Back then, if there was a man like Marvin, who 
     was agile and able to move through heavy woods and rough 
     terrain, he was pretty much sought out.''
       Many of the men were city boys and not used to tramping 
     through woods as was Marvin, who grew up in the mountains of 
     Eastern Kentucky.
       ``Garl was a deadly shot when he was a young man and came 
     back from the war,'' Phillip said. ``I feel sorry for any 
     human that got in front of his rifle sight because you're 
     talking about a man who could shoot squirrels out of a tree 
     with a 22 rifle. And in the army, those men were pretty 
     valuable, I'd say.''
       ``He got the medal for sharp shooter,'' added Marvin's 
     brother Paul. ``And the Purple Heart and Bronze Star.''
       According to a paper accompanying his Bronze Star:
       ``Private First Class Marvin Clevinger, Company B, Armored 
     Infantry Battalion, United States Army. For heroic 
     achievement in connection with military operations against an 
     enemy of the United States in Germany on March 26, 1945. 
     During an attack on Schoden, Germany, an infantry platoon was 
     suddenly pinned down by machine gun and sniper fire from a 
     well-concealed pillbox. Private First Class Clevinger, scout, 
     advanced 150 yards under the intense fire to within five 
     yards of the enemy position from where he threw grenades 
     through an embrasure in the pillbox, silencing the enemy 
     fire. PFC Clevinger's intrepid action reflects great credit 
     upon himself and the military forces of the United States. 
     Entered the military service from Belcher, Kentucky.''
       Marvin was shot twice in one leg and once in the other, but 
     still managed to walk and crawl about three miles to an aid 
     station that was back down the side of the mountain. He spent 
     a month and a half in Paris at the hospital and then went 
     straight back to the front lines and saw heavy action again.
       Phillip said the winter of '44, during the Battle of the 
     Bulge, was the coldest winter of the 20th century and Marvin 
     got frostbit, as did most of the men in his unit.
       Besides the battle at Schoden and the Battle of the Bulge, 
     Martin also fought in the Battle of Bastogne, and at the 
     Saar-Moselle Triangle, Trier, Berdorf, Consdorf, Echtemach, 
     Landau, Oehringer, Heilbronn, Ulm, Inst, Oberammergau and 
     countless other sites.
       Marvin was born March 18, 1922, the son of the late James 
     and Dollie May Clevinger. He was raised at Belcher, close to 
     where he lives now, and according to Paul, attended Belcher 
     Grade School up to seventh grade. He had to quit to help on 
     the family's farm. He is the oldest of eight children. He, 
     his sister Faye Potter, and Paul, are the only ones living.
       Before Marvin went to war, he timbered and farmed. After 
     the war, he was employed in the preparation plant at the 
     Russell Fork Coal Company, owned by A.T. Massey, where he 
     worked for 32 years. He was a member of United Mine Workers 
     of America, Local 8338, at Beaver, which closed many years 
     ago.
       Marvin said he remembers working at the coal company.
       ``He would come home from work at the tipple and hoe corn 
     until dark,'' Phillip said. ``For his size, Garl was the 
     strongest guy and the hardest working man I ever saw.''
       ``He had been out pulling brush and trees down on the road 
     on the day he had the stroke,'' said Gloria Sweeney, Marvin's 
     cousin and caretaker.
       ``And he knew the woods,'' Phillip said. ``If you went into 
     the woods any time of the year with him, whether there were 
     leaves on the trees or not, he could look at the tree and 
     tell you, ``that's a black oak, that's a chestnut oak, that's 
     a red oak . . .''.
       ``He was an expert on ginseng, too,'' added his nephew 
     Jason Clevinger. ``Every time we went into the woods--and he 
     was much older than I--he could find much more than I 
     could.''
       Marvin was an active member of DAV Chapter 140, Elkhorn 
     City, until he had the stroke and is a member of the Ferrells 
     Creek Church of Christ.
       ``You'll never find a more humble man than this one right 
     here,'' Gloria said. ``Best man in the world.''
       ``He was always my hero,'' Phillip said.
       Then he added, ``There's a much larger story here really, 
     even than Garl. He deserves to be the centerpiece because of 
     what he did, but Garl had two first cousins and they all grew 
     up in this holler here. One of his cousins was named Clyde 
     Clevinger and he was killed in action during the first Allied 
     landings in North Africa. His other first cousin's name was 
     Gordon ``Bennett'' Clevinger. Bennett enlisted in the Navy 
     and was on an American submarine right after Pearl Harbor and 
     was captured by the Japanese. He spent about three and a half 
     years in a Japanese prisoner of war camp. But he did survive 
     and came home.
       ``Of those three boys who grew up in this little narrow 
     holler here, all of them were heroes. You can't find men like 
     that anymore,'' Phillip said.

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