[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 163 (2017), Part 11]
[Senate]
[Pages 16280-16281]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                       HONORING OUR ARMED FORCES


                       Sergeant Philip J. Iyotte

  Mr. THUNE. Madam President, today I wish to honor and pay tribute to 
the late Army SGT Philip J. Iyotte, a hero from South Dakota who, after 
66 years, has returned home.
  At a young age, Philip Iyotte, a member of the Rosebud Sioux Tribe, 
was given his Lakota name of Soldier Who Stands Alone. In 1948, Philip 
enlisted in the U.S. Army and was assigned to the Army's 21st Infantry 
Regiment of the 24th Infantry Division. Shortly after, he was deployed 
to the Korean conflict. On September 2, 1950, Sergeant Iyotte was 
seriously injured from fragments from an enemy missile. Nineteen days 
later, he bravely returned to the battlefield.
  On February 9, 1951, 21-year-old Sergeant Iyotte was declared Missing 
in Action after being captured by Chinese forces during Operation 
Thunderbolt. When the war ended, several returning

[[Page 16281]]

prisoners of war reported that Sergeant Iyotte passed away around 
September 10, 1951, and was buried at the main prisoner of war camp in 
Korea. Sixty-six years after being captured and killed, his remains 
have finally been returned to his family in White River, SD.
  For his bravery and service, Sergeant Iyotte was awarded the Purple 
Heart, the Combat Infantryman's Badge, the Prisoner of War Medal, the 
Korean Service Medal, the United Nations Service Medal, the National 
Defense Service Medal, and the Korean War Service Medal.
  I consider it an honor to pay tribute to SGT Philip J. Iyotte. May 
his family and his Oyate find comfort in knowing that his remains have 
now been laid to rest and the legacy of his service and sacrifice to 
our Nation lives on.

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