HONORING MASTER SERGEANT WOODROW WILSON KEEBLE

Mr. JOHNSON. Mr. President, I rise today to pay tribute to Master
Sergeant Woodrow Wilson Keeble, a South Dakota hero, who was
posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor at a White House ceremony this
afternoon.

Master Sergeant Keeble was born in Waubay, South Dakota and was a member
of the Sisseton-Wahpeton Oyate. He served in the Army in both World War
II and the Korean War, and was highly decorated for his service having
been awarded two Purple Hearts, the Bronze Star, the Silver Star, the
Combat Infantryman Badge, and the Distinguished Service Cross.

The action for which Master Sergeant Keeble was awarded the Medal of
Honor occurred in October 1951 near Kumsong, North Korea. The accounts
of his actions that day are truly worthy of a Hollywood movie. Though
wounded and having fought continually for several days in brutally cold
weather, Master Sergeant Keeble single-handedly took out three machine
gun emplacements which had pinned down U.S. troops. As a result, U.S.
troops were able to achieve their objective.

First Sergeant Joe K. Sagami described the action this way: "He worked
his way down about fifty yards from the ridgeline and flanked the
enemy's left pillbox; attacking it with grenades and rifle fire
eliminating it. He then retreated to about the point where the First
Platoon was holding the unit's first line of defense and worked down
about fifty yards from the ridgeline and proceeded to outflank the
enemy's right pillbox with grenades eliminating it. Then without
hesitation he lobbed a grenade into the back entrance of the middle
pillbox and with additional fire eliminated it. He then ordered his
First Platoon forward to eliminate what little resistance was left."

In reading the words of those who fought with Master Sergeant Keeble,
which have been collected by researcher Merry Helm, it is clear that
everyone loved and respected the man they called Chief. Joseph Marston
of George Company said, "What 'Chief' accomplished that day was common
knowledge throughout the whole battalion. He was known for his bravery."

When asked about Master Sergeant Keeble, Carl Fetzner, who served in
Second Platoon, said, "Sure I remember him. Nobody could forget him! I
had barely gotten to the company when this happened. I didn't know much
about what was going on, but I do know SGT Keeble was the finest, most
courageous person I ever knew. When we pulled back in reserve---you know
when we could go \[back from\] the lines to clean up, whatever, take a
little rest...he knew what was going on. He took care of his men, he
liked people, and he always did everything he could to help you,
especially the new men..."

After the Korean War, Master Sergeant Keeble came home and went to work
at the Wahpeton Indian School. He enjoyed making copper sculptures and
was active in his community. Like so many veterans, he was more
concerned about taking care of his family than collecting medals. At the
time, few even knew that the members of his own company had submitted a
recommendation that he be awarded a Medal of Honor for his brave action
in October 1951.

Because the recommendation paperwork had been lost twice, Master
Sergeant Keeble did not receive the honor his fellow soldiers knew he
deserved. It all might have been forgotten if the men he served with,
and later his family and friends, had not kept the issue alive for the
next five decades.

Master Sergeant Keeble's case was first brought to my attention in 2002
by his family and members of the Sisseton-Wahpeton Oyate. At that time,
I contacted the Secretary of the Army asking that Master Sergeant
Keeble's case be reconsidered based on the loss of the original
recommendation paperwork. The case was bolstered by original documents
and affidavits that had been saved by those who served with Master
Sergeant Keeble.

Though it has taken many years of work by many people, countless letters
and phone calls, and even legislation passed in May 2007 authorizing the
President to act, President Bush recently approved the recommendation
and posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor to Master Sergeant Keeble's
family this afternoon.

I never had the opportunity to meet Master Sergeant Keeble who died in
1982, but it has been an honor to get to know more about him by working
with his family over the past six years. I want to thank his family and
friends, the Sisseton-Wahpeton Oyate, and all the people of South Dakota
who have fought to secure this much-deserved honor for Master Sergeant
Keeble. I also want to say a special word about his wife, Blossom, who
died last year. I wish we could have gotten Master Sergeant Keeble this
recognition before Blossom passed away, but thankfully she knew how
close we were to getting this done.

At a time when so many young men and women are deployed in dangerous
places in defense of our country, it is important that we honor all of
those who have served our nation in uniform. While we owe them a debt of
gratitude that can never be fully repaid, I am proud that today we have
properly thanked a South Dakota hero for his service.

Mr. President, I know I join with my colleagues and all South Dakotans
in honoring Master Sergeant Keeble for his service to our nation and
congratulating his family on receiving his Medal of Honor.