[Congressional Record Volume 159, Number 111 (Tuesday, July 30, 2013)]
[Senate]
[Page S6061]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
TRIBUTE TO ERNEST CARY BRACE
Mr. McCAIN. Mr. President, today I honor a man whose bravery and
sacrifice for this country have had no bounds; a fellow prisoner of war
who I am proud to call my friend. This great American hero is Ernest C.
Brace, and he was just authorized to be awarded the Purple Heart and
Prisoner of War Medal.
Mr. Brace was the longest held civilian prisoner of war in Vietnam,
held captive for nearly 8 years. He was captured while serving as a
civilian pilot for USAID and assisting Lao Special Forces United, who
were organizing the civic action teams for hospitals and supply bases.
He was captured by communist forces in Laos in 1965 and held prisoner
in the jungle under some of the most horrific conditions imaginable for
3 years until he was moved to a prison camp in North Vietnam. It was
there that Ernie and I shared neighboring cells for over a year. Amidst
the pain and cruelty of our time together, I also vividly remember our
conversations, Sunday night storytelling sessions, and how we kept each
other's spirits up during those dark days when our hope never wavered.
After his release, Mr. Brace married a nurse, Nancy, that he met at
Naval Medical Center in San Diego, moved to Klamath Falls, OR, and
resumed his career as professional aviator. Preceding the Purple Heart
and Prisoner of War Medal, Mr. Brace earned the Distinguished Flying
Cross, the Air Medal, with 3 stars, Navy Unit Commendation, a
Distinguished Public Service Medal, a National Defense Service Medal, a
Korean Service Medal, with 2 stars, a United Nations Korea Medal, and
the Korean Presidential Unit Citation.
I ask you all to join me in congratulating this incredibly brave man
and American patriot, my friend Ernie Brace, on this long overdue
recognition.
____________________