[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 162 (2016), Part 9]
[Senate]
[Page 12647]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




            REMEMBERING LIEUTENANT GENERAL JOHN BRUCE BLOUNT

 Mr. GRAHAM. Mr. President, today I wish to honor the memory of 
LTG John Bruce Blount, United States Army, Retired, who passed away 
peacefully on August 23, 2016, surrounded by his loving family. He was 
88.
  Lieutenant General Blount was born in Pawtucket, RI, on April 22, 
1928, the son of Joseph Hagen Blount and Loretta Moody Blount. He 
played basketball in high school and set a school record that still 
stands today, scoring 66 points in a single game. During his collegiate 
years at the University of Rhode Island, John excelled in sports, 
scoring more than 1,000 points in basketball and serving as captain of 
both the basketball and baseball teams. He was selected for the All 
Yanks Conference and the All East Team and was named ROTC cadet colonel 
in his senior year.
  As a distinguished military graduate, in June of 1950, John was 
commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the U. S. Army Infantry. On June 
17, 1950, he married Joan Adele Garrett of Belmont, MA.
  Lieutenant General Blount's long career was distinguished as he rose 
through the ranks of the U.S. Army, with distinguished combat tours in 
Korea and Vietnam. Among the many highlights of his career were his 
testimony at the Army-McCarthy hearings and his command of Fort 
Jackson, SC, one of the U. S. Army's most important and strategic 
training centers.
  John was promoted to brigadier general on September 1, 1974. He was 
promoted to major general in October of 1977, and on June 30, 1983, 
John was promoted to lieutenant general and became chief of staff of 
the Allied Forces South, a large NATO command consisting of units from 
five countries, including Greece, Italy, Turkey, the United Kingdom and 
the United States.
  Upon completion of this appointment, John retired from active service 
in Columbia, SC, near Fort Jackson, but did not discontinue his service 
to the Army that he loved. From 1985 to 1988, he served as director of 
defense study programs at the University of South Carolina. From 1988 
to 1994, he served as chairman of the Army Retiree Council. For many 
years, he served as national vice president of the Association of the 
U. S. Army and as the retiree representative on the board of directors 
of the Army Morale, Welfare, and Recreation Association and headed the 
National Military Retirees Golf Tournament at Myrtle Beach, SC. He also 
served as the president of the South Carolina Korean Veterans War 
Memorial Committee and was instrumental in establishing the memorial in 
downtown Columbia, SC.
  In recognition of his integrity, exemplary leadership, and 
outstanding service, the University of Rhode Island proudly conferred 
upon Lieutenant General Blount the honorary degree of doctor of laws in 
June 2000.
  Lieutenant General Blount is a highly decorated soldier whose awards 
include the Army Distinguished Service Medal, Defense Superior Service 
Medal, Silver Star and Purple Heart earned in Vietnam and Korea, Legion 
of Merit, Bronze Star Medal, Meritorious Service Medal, Army 
Commendation Medal, Korean Campaign Service Medal with Four Campaign 
Stars, Vietnam Service Medal with Four Campaign Stars, and others too 
numerous to mention. In a rare distinction, he was twice awarded the 
Order of the Palmetto, the highest civilian honor in South Carolina, 
first by Governor James Edwards and again by Governor Carroll Campbell.
  Lieutenant General Blount is survived by his wife and beloved partner 
of 66 years, Joan Adele Garrett Blount; by his children, Gail Leslie 
Blount of south Florida, Carol Linell Blount of Columbia, John Bruce 
Blount, Jr., of Washington DC, and Garrett Christopher Blount and his 
wife, Martha Ivey Blount, of Chicago; and by his grandchildren, John 
Bruce Blount III, Elizabeth Blount, Christopher Blount, Frances Blount, 
and Caroline Blount.
  Mr. President, I ask that you and our colleagues join me in saluting 
Lieutenant General Blount's many contributions and sacrifices made in 
the defense of our great Nation. A true American hero, LTG John Bruce 
Blount will be sorely missed.

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