On the recordOctober 1, 2020
Last June marks the 70th anniversary of the beginning of the Korean war. I rise today to honor a selfless hero of that war, William Lane. He is a resident of Lebanon, Missouri, and a veteran of both the Korean and Vietnam conflicts. Sergeant First Class Lane was a medic in the 24th Infantry Division, among the first contingent of U.S. soldiers sent to Korea in 1950. He frequently risked his life to render medical assistance and evacuate wounded soldiers in the Battles of Chonan, Taejon, and the Pusan Perimeter. Assigned to the 3rd Infantry Regiment, his unit sustained a casualty rate of 39 percent by mid-August. By the end of the month, there were only 184 men of the original 1,898. This casualty rate is equivalent to some of the bloodiest battles of World War II. Without the efforts of men like Sergeant Lane and his fellow soldiers, the outcome of the war may have been decisively different. Sergeant Lane would later go on to serve his country for 21 years in the United States Army. From the frozen tundra of Korea to the jungles of Vietnam, Sergeant Lane went wherever his Nation called him. I commend him for his service, and I thank him for his commitment to defending our Nation and the freedom-loving people of Korea and Vietnam. Recognizing Bates County Memorial Hospital
