[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 163 (2017), Part 6]
[Senate]
[Pages 8639-8640]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                   REMEMBERING WILLIAM BARCLAY BATES

  Mr. HATCH. Mr. President, today I wish to pay tribute to William 
Barclay Bates, a father, grandfather, great-grandfather, and veteran of 
the Second World War. Bill, as he liked to be called, passed away last 
December in Jackson, WY, at the age of 91. Next week, his family will 
gather at Wyoming Veterans Cemetery in Casper, WY, to commemorate his 
life and honor his contributions to our country. I wish to add a few 
words to what they will say about this brave and stalwart man.
  Bill's life story typifies many of his generation. He was born on 
December 14, 1924, in Los Angeles, CA, to Jeffrey Otto and Clara 
Virginia Bates. His father, Jeff, served in the American Expeditionary 
Force in Russia during World War I. His mother, Clara, was a telephone 
operator. When Bill was 5, he moved with his family to McAlester, OK. 
This was during the middle of the Great Depression, and times were 
tough. Bill's father owned a radio repair shop and later ran a roller 
rink to provide for the family. As Bill said some years later, ``We 
never had much money, but neither did anyone else. We never missed any 
meals, but we ate a lot of beans, and a soup bone on Sunday was a real 
treat.''
  In September 1941, at the age of 17, Bill enlisted in the Army. It 
was 3 months before Pearl Harbor. After basic training, Bill applied 
for and was accepted to airplane gunnery school. Following completion 
of his training, a request came in for a gunner for a group headed to 
Africa. As Bill later told the story, his captain ``flipped a coin 
between two candidates, me and Bill Haygood. I lost and Bill Haygood 
went to North Africa and was killed within six weeks. A flip of a coin 
decided that I would live through the war.''
  Instead of going to Africa, Bill was sent to Europe with the Eighth 
Air Force, 446th Bomb Group. The 446th Bomb Group, which came to be 
known as the Bungay Buckaroos, led the Eighth Air Force on the first 
heavy bomber mission on D-Day, June 6, 1944, and later supported Allied 
ground forces as they moved east toward Berlin through France and 
Germany.
  Bill served as a waist gunner and flew missions in B-17s and B-24s. 
In total,

[[Page 8640]]

he flew 33 combat missions. This was very dangerous work. Of his 
original flight crew, only Bill and one other were still alive at the 
war's end. For his service, he received the Air Medal with three bronze 
oakleaf clusters and the Distinguished Flying Cross.
  After receiving an honorable discharge as a staff sergeant in 1945, 
Bill returned to Oklahoma, studied business on the G.I. bill, and 
became a certified public accountant.
  In 1951, he married Dorothy Lee Hartman in Fort Sill, OK. Like Bill, 
Dorothy grew up in Oklahoma during the Great Depression. She was 
working as a nurse in Tulsa when they met. A year after Bill and 
Dorothy married, their son Bruce was born. Seven years later, another 
son, Jeff, was born.
  In 1962, Bill and his family moved from Tulsa to Casper, WY, so Bill 
and Dorothy could pursue their love of the outdoors. During this time, 
Bill continued his work as an accountant, serving in the Casper Chamber 
of Commerce and as president of the Wyoming chapter of certified public 
accountants. He grew his firm, Bates and Hocker, into the largest 
accounting firm in the State of Wyoming.
  After Bill retired, he and Dorothy moved to California, Arizona, and 
then Utah, returning to Casper every summer to hunt, fish, and enjoy 
Wyoming's cool summers. Bill became an avid safari hunter, traveling to 
Africa 15 times to hunt game.
  After Dorothy passed away in 2012, Bill returned to Wyoming, where he 
spent many happy days in Jackson near his son Jeff and daughter-in-law 
Vickie. He passed away on December 5 of last year, surrounded by family 
and loved ones. He is survived by his sons Bruce and Jeff, daughters-
in-law Debbie and Vickie, six grandchildren, and four great-
grandchildren.
  I said at the outset that Bill's life story typifies many of his 
generation. He grew up during the Great Depression, when times were 
hard and money scarce. He served with valor in World War II, where he 
risked his life many times for his country and fellow servicemen. After 
the war, he went to college, got married, and started a family. He 
built a business and served in the community. He was a faithful husband 
and a steadfast provider for his children.
  Men like Bill Bates are the reason America and her allies prevailed 
in World War II. Men like Bill Bates are the reason we enjoy such a 
prosperous and free country today. I am grateful for this opportunity 
to add a few words in Bill's memory and wish his family the very best.
  (At the request of Mr. Schumer, the following statement was ordered 
to be printed in the Record.)

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