[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 163 (2017), Part 6]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 8743]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                        HONORING MALCOLM STOKELY

                                 ______
                                 

                             HON. ANDY BARR

                              of kentucky

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, June 6, 2017

  Mr. BARR. Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor a very special individual, Mr. 
Malcolm Stokely, of Clark County, Kentucky. Mr. Stokely, a part of the 
Greatest Generation, answered his nation's call to service during World 
War II.
  Mr. Stokely enlisted in the United States Army on March 28, 1945. 
After training in Texas, he was sent to Missouri to board a massive 
train that transported thousands of troops across the Rocky Mountains 
to Portland, Oregon. The troops then boarded a ship, which, unknown to 
them, was part of a top-secret invasion party of hundreds of ships and 
thousands of troops headed for Japan. While en route, the United States 
dropped the first atomic bomb on Japan, which was ineffective in 
stopping the war. After the second bomb was dropped and Japan 
surrendered, the troops were told they had actually been headed for 
Japan and thousands of them likely would have died in battle. After the 
surrender, the ships turned around. Mr. Stokely's ship landed in Hawaii 
where he served out the remainder of his tour in the signal corps. He 
was discharged on December 9, 1946.
  Mr. Stokely returned home to lead an active and productive life. At 
the age of 93, he is a regular on the golf course and leads an aerobics 
class. He is very active in his church, Ephesus Baptist, where he 
serves as a deacon and choir leader.
  The bravery of Mr. Stokely and his fellow men and women of the United 
States military is heroic. Because they were willing to serve our great 
nation, our freedoms have been preserved for our generation and for 
future generations. He is truly an outstanding American patriot. It is 
my honor to recognize him before the United States House of 
Representatives.

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