[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 159 (2013), Part 5]
[Senate]
[Page 6637]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




           REMEMBERING CHIEF MASTER SERGEANT ARDEN HASSENGER

  Mr. MERKLEY. Mr. President, I rise today to remember an Oregon hero. 
CMSgt Arden Hassenger was a 29-year-old from Lebanon, OR, when he and 
five other airmen set out on Christmas Eve 1965 on a reconnaissance 
trip over the Ho Chi Minh Trail. Tragically, they never returned. What 
was even more tragic for Hassenger's friends and family, though, was 
that the plane could not be found. His wife and children lived in 
uncertainty for decades, not knowing whether Arden had been killed that 
day or whether he was alive in Laos.
  Finally, the crash site was located, and in 2010 and 2011, remains of 
the missing men were at last recovered. Last year, they were buried 
with full honors in Arlington National Cemetery. This Sunday, Arden's 
ultimate sacrifice for our Nation will be honored once again at the 
Vietnam Memorial. The cross next to his name, which signified his 
status as missing in action, will be changed to a diamond, representing 
that he has returned home to rest after these many years. I hope that 
this final act of remembrance will help to bring closure to his family 
and all who loved him.
  We honor Chief Master Sergeant Hassenger, and we thank him and his 
family for the tremendous sacrifice and service they have given to our 
Nation.

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