G. K. Butterfield: “Yesterday, at World Tabernacle Church in Rocky Mount, North Carolina, I had one of the highest honors in my life, to…”

“Yesterday, at World Tabernacle Church in Rocky Mount, North Carolina, I had one of the highest honors in my life, to speak at the funeral service for Private First Class William Hoover Jones who served in the Korean war. He went missing on 26 November 1950. His remains were recently returned to U.S. soil by the North Koreans. The funeral service was handled by H.D. Pope Funeral Home, and he will be interred at Arlington National Cemetery on August 22 of this year with full military rites. Mr. Speaker, with your permission, I will read into the Record my remarks from the funeral: ``As Representative for North Carolina's First Congressional District, please allow me to extend official condolences to this family on behalf of the President and Congress of the United States of America. ``PFC William Hoover Jones gave his young life on the battlefield on foreign soil in defense of our country as part of the historic 24th Infantry Regiment, a Black Army regiment first organized in 1869 following the Civil War. ``Private First Class Jones fought on the front line for the Republic of South Korea during the Korean war. ``For his service, Private First Class Jones was promoted to private first class and posthumously awarded the Purple Heart, the Combat Infantryman Badge, the Korean Service Medal, the National Defense Service Medal, the Republic of Korean Presidential Unit Citation, and the Republic of Korea War Service Medal.…”