[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 162 (2016), Part 6]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 8071]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                    HONORING MR. GARY HARRISON FREER

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. JEB HENSARLING

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, June 7, 2016

  Mr. HENSARLING. Mr. Speaker, it is an honor to recognize Mr. Gary 
Harrison Freer for his courageous service to our country. Commander 
Gary Harrison Freer joined the United States Navy on March 12, 1967 
after graduating from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville.
  After completing Aviation Officer Candidate School and earning the 
Navy ``Wings of Gold,'' Commander Freer was designated a naval aviator 
and qualified pilot of military aircraft. He requested training in the 
A-4 Skyhawk and in August of 1969 joined the attack squadron, VA-22, 
also known as the Fighting Redcocks aboard the aircraft carrier USS 
Bonhomme Richard. Commander Freer had an impressive flight record that 
logged 2,397 hours of military flight, carried out 103 missions in 
Vietnam and recorded 212 day and night carrier takeoffs and landings. 
Commander Freer finished his active duty in April of 1972, but served 
fifteen more years in the Reserves before transferring to Retired 
Reserves in December of 1989. Commander Freer was awarded the National 
Defense Service Medal, Meritorious Unit Commendation, Vietnam Service 
Medal, Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal (Korea) and the Vietnam 
Campaign Air Medal S/F-9.
  Humbly, I echo the words of President Ronald Reagan, ``We will always 
remember. We will always be proud. We will always be prepared, so we 
will always be free.'' And humbly, I offer my sincere gratitude to 
Commander Gary Harrison Freer for his service and acts of bravery that 
allow us the freedoms we enjoy today.

                          ____________________