[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 162 (2016), Part 7]
[Senate]
[Pages 9893-9894]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                          TRIBUTE TO CORPORAL
                              DUANE DEWEY

  Mr. PETERS. Mr. President, today I wish to recognize CPL Duane Dewey, 
of Baldwin, MI, for conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk 
of his life above and beyond the call of duty while serving as a gunner 
in a machine-gun platoon of Company E, Second Battalion, Fifth Marines, 
First Marine Division, Reinforced, in action against enemy aggressor 
forces near Panmunjom, Korea, on April 16, 1952.
  Dewey was born on November 16, 1931, in Grand Rapids, MI. He attended 
school in Muskegon until 1947. He then worked for 6 months on a farm in 
South Haven and for a year as a foundry worker at National Motors, Inc.
  Dewey signed with the Marine Corps Reserve on March 7, 1951, for an 
``indefinite'' enlistment--the duration of the war, plus 6 months. He 
completed recruit training at the Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris 
Island in South Carolina and underwent intensive combat training at 
Camp Pendleton, CA.
  When an enemy grenade landed close to his position while he and his 
assistant gunner were receiving medical attention for their wounds 
during a fierce night attack by numerically superior hostile forces, 
Corporal Dewey, although suffering intense pain, immediately pulled the 
corpsman to the ground and shouted a warning to the other marines 
around him. He bravely smothered the deadly missile with his body, 
personally absorbing the full force of the explosion to save his 
comrades from possible injury or death.
  After treatment of his wounds in Korea, Dewey was evacuated to the 
U.S. Naval Hospital in Yokosuka, Japan, and then to the U.S. Naval 
Hospital in Mare Island, CA, before being transported to the Great 
Lakes, IL hospital. Following his recuperation at Great Lakes, he was 
released from active duty on August 19, 1952.
  On March 12, 1953, Dewey was the first person to receive the Medal of 
Honor from President Dwight D. Eisenhower. After presenting the medal 
to Dewey during the ceremony at the White House, Eisenhower said to 
him, ``You must have a body of steel.'' Dewey's military awards include 
the Purple Heart Medal, the Navy Presidential Unit Citation, the 
National Defense Service Medal, the Korean Service Medal with two 
bronze service stars, and the United Nations Service Medal.
  I am honored to ask my colleagues to join me today in recognizing CPL 
Duane Dewey for his service to the United States of America. His 
indomitable courage, outstanding initiative, and valiant efforts on 
behalf of others in the face of almost certain death reflect the 
highest credit upon Corporal Dewey and enhance the finest traditions of 
the U.S. naval service.

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