[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 156 (2010), Part 5] [Extensions of Remarks] [Pages 6062-6063] [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]HONORING CHARLES KEY ______ HON. GEORGE RADANOVICH of california in the house of representatives Wednesday, April 21, 2010 Mr. RADANOVICH. Madam Speaker, I rise today to commend and congratulate Charles [[Page 6063]] Key upon being awarded with the ``Lifetime Achievement Award'' by the Veterans of Foreign Wars, Post 9896. Mr. Key was honored on Saturday, January 30, 2010, in Chowchilla, California. Mr. Charles Key was raised in Henryetta, Oklahoma. At seventeen years old he enlisted in the United States Navy. Mr. Key completed Navy Boot Camp at the Navy Recruit Training Center at San Diego, California. After boot camp he was designated and trained as a Machinist Mate and was assigned to the USS Boxer CV-21, a twenty-seven thousand ton Essex class aircraft carrier. While on the Boxer, Mr. Key completed two deployments to the Western Pacific from 1950 to 1951. The USS Boxer was returning from the Far East in 1950 when North Korea invaded South Korea. The carrier made a rapid turn-around as it was carrying needed Air Force and Navy planes, as well as personnel, and headed to the war zone in the Pacific. During the following months, Mr. Key and his shipmates worked diligently to keep aircraft in the air by providing air support for the United Nations' fighting forces ashore. Between 1951 and 1952, while aboard the USS Boxer, Mr. Key made three additional Korean War cruises. The planes from the USS Boxer hit transportation and infrastructure targets in North Korea and gave close air support to troops on the front lines. On August 5, 1952, while engaged in combat operations, a fire broke out on the hanger deck. The fire resulted in nine deaths, several aircraft were lost and there was significant damage to the hanger deck. Mr. Key and his shipmates worked non-stop, and within two weeks the USS Boxer returned to combat duties off the Korean coast. Upon returning to the United States, Machinist Mate 3rd Class Key was honorably discharged from the Navy at the Naval District in San Francisco. For his service, Mr. Key was awarded the China Service Medal, the Navy Occupation Award, the Korean Service Medal, the United Nations Service Medal and the Good Conduct Medal. During his civilian career, Mr. Key was a California licensed electrical and air conditioning contractor. Mr. Key is a Life Member of the Chowchilla Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 9896 and a member of the First Christian Church of Madera. Mr. Key and his wife, Christine, had two sons, three grandchildren and two great-grandchildren. Madam Speaker, I rise today to commend and congratulate Charles Key upon being named as a ``Distinguished Life Member'' by the Veterans of Foreign Wars, Post 9896. I invite my colleagues to join me in wishing Mr. Key many years of continued success. ____________________