[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 160 (2014), Part 6]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages 9058-9059]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




   HONORING THE LIFE AND DEDICATED SERVICE OF COMMANDER ROBERT JAMES 
                           FLYNN, USN RETIRED

                                  _____
                                 

                            HON. JEFF MILLER

                               of florida

                    in the house of representatives

                         Thursday, May 22, 2014

  Mr. MILLER of Florida. Mr. Speaker, on May 15, 2014, Northwest 
Florida and our Nation lost a warrior--Commander Robert James Flynn, 
United States Navy, Retired. Commander Flynn honorably served our 
country as a member of the Armed Forces for twenty-seven years, and I 
am humbled to rise and pay tribute to his life and his unwavering 
devotion to God and country.
  Hailing from La Crosse, Wisconsin, Commander Flynn studied pre-law at 
the University of Minnesota until 1958 when he entered the Naval 
Aviation Cadet Program. Within two years, he became a Naval Flight 
Officer and then trained as a bombardier/navigator. On August 21, 1967, 
his life took a tragic turn when his A-6 aircraft, which launched from 
the USS Constellation, was shot down over North Vietnam. Commander 
Flynn spent the next five and a half years of his life in a Chinese 
prison. According to the POW Network, his unimaginable 2,030 days in 
solitary confinement makes it the longest amount of time a member of 
the U.S. Armed Forces served in solitary confinement. Commander Flynn 
was released on March 15, 1973.
  Commander Flynn was proud to say that his captors called him ``one of 
the most reactionary prisoners in their history.'' His relentless 
strength and courage were hallmarks of

[[Page 9059]]

both his life and career, and it was his strong faith in God, his love 
for his family, and his commitment to duty, honor, and country that 
even in the darkest of times he held on and survived. His final 
assignment as Director of Aviation Warfare Training with Chief of Naval 
Education and Training at Naval Air Station Pensacola brought Commander 
Flynn back home to his beloved Northwest Florida. In 1985, he retired 
from the Navy after 71 missions. Throughout his distinguished Naval 
Career, Commander Flynn earned and was bestowed multiple honors 
including the Legion of Merit, Distinguished Flying Cross, Bronze Star, 
and Prisoner of War Medal.
  Mr. Speaker, on behalf of the United States Congress, it gives me 
great pride to honor the life and service of an American hero and 
decorated warrior. Our Nation, the Northwest Florida community, and 
countless others will miss Commander Flynn's unwavering perseverance 
and optimism, but his legacy will endure for years to come. My wife 
Vicki joins me in extending our most sincere condolences to his wife, 
Kathy; their two children, Elizabeth and Robert; and the entire Flynn 
family.

                          ____________________