On the recordMay 25, 2017
today I would like to recognize the commitment to duty and personal courage of three Montanans by introducing a bill to redesignate three Department of Veterans Affairs facilities in their honor. Through their distinguished service to our Nation, the actions of these three gentlemen have earned the respect and gratitude of the Treasure State. Under this resolution, the Community Based Outpatient Clinic on Palmer Street in Missoula will be designated in honor of David J. Thatcher. Mr. Thatcher was an outstanding Montanan. The humble circumstances of his upbringing in rural, eastern Montana helped him develop a strong work ethic. In 1940, with war raging across Europe and the clouds of war on the horizon for the United States, he enlisted in the U.S. Army Air Corps. Following the attack on Pearl Harbor, he volunteered to serve as a tail gunner for a high risk mission to attack targets deep within Japanese controlled territory. This counterattack would be known to history as the Doolittle Raid. After finishing the bombing mission and running low on fuel, his aircraft crash landed near the coast of China. Mr. Thatcher was instrumental in helping the crew reach safety following the crash and for his actions during the Doolittle Raid, he was awarded the Silver Star. A few years later, the actor Robert Walker portrayed Corporal Thatcher on the silver screen in ``Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo.'' After the war, Mr. Thatcher embarked on a career with the U.S.…
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