August 1, 2012 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — Extensions of Remarks E1377 

HONORING SECOND LIEUTENANT 

YER VANG 

HON. JEFF DENHAM OF CALIFORNIA

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

Wednesday, August 1, 2012 

Mr. DENHAM. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to 

acknowledge and honor the life and service of 

the late Second Lieutenant Yer Vang. Second 

Lieutenant Vang served the United States of 

America honorably during the Vietnam War. 

Yer Vang was born on February 2, 1960, at 

Ban Long Xai, Muan Long Xai, in the Xieng 

Khouang province in the Kingdom of Laos. He 

attended Ban Na Elementary School. In March 

of 1972, when he reached the age of twelve, 

he was recruited to train at Muang Cha Military Training Center, located in the Xieng 

Khouang province. 

Upon completion of his military training, Yer 

Vang was assigned to work as a water supplier and a mail carrier at the 228th Battalion 

Headquarters. On January 1, 1973, he was 

transferred to the 2281st Company Infantry Division of the 228th Battalion Special Guerrilla 

Units (SGU), 1st Strike Division Infantry of the 

United States Secret Army. Yer Vang fought in 

the Vietnam War with this unit through May of 

1975. During this tenure of his service, he 

took part in many important missions advanced by the United States Secret Army and 

was promoted to the rank of Second Lieutenant. 

After the communist takeover of Laos in 

May of 1975, Yer Vang’s unit was stationed 

south of the Plains des Jarres. Unable to be 

airlifted to a U.S. Airbase in Thailand, Yer 

Vang had to flee his position and go into hiding in fear of being persecuted by the ruling 

government. He remained in hiding until June 

of 1979, when he passed through the jungles 

of Laos by moonlight and crossed the Mekong 

River to safety in Thailand. 

Yer Vang was a political refugee at Ban 

Vinai Camp in Thailand for twenty years. On 

January 31, 1990, he came to the United 

States and began his life in Fresno, California. 

Once resettled in Fresno, Yer Vang attended 

Fresno Adult School, where he graduated in 

1993. He worked at a local Pizza Hut for two 

years, before he was hired as a teacher’s aide 

for Fresno Unified School District in August of 

1995. In 1997, Yer Vang was selected to be 

a board member of the Lao Veterans of America, where he served as Treasurer from 1997 

through 2000 and Secretary from 2005 

through 2012. 

Second Lieutenant Yer Vang passed away 

on June 24, 2012. He is survived by his wife, 

whom he married while in the refugee camp in 

Thailand. The couple has thirteen children: 

three sons and ten daughters. 

For his military service, Yer Yang was 

awarded the Bronze Medal from the King of 

Laos, the United States Special Forces in 

Laos Medal, and multiple commendations and 

citations from the United States Congress. He 

was also honored by the United States Congress with the Vietnam Service Medal, Vietnam Campaign Medal, and Vietnam Veterans 

Medal. 

Mr. Speaker, please join me in posthumously honoring Second Lieutenant Yer 

Yang for his heroic service to the United 

States of America and extending our deepest 

condolences to his family. His legacy serves 

as an example of excellence, and his contributions to our country will not be forgotten. 

f 

DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA PAIN-CAPABLE UNBORN CHILD PROTECTION ACT 

SPEECH OF

HON. BOB GOODLATTE OF VIRGINIA

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

Tuesday, July 31, 2012 

Mr. GOODLATTE. Mr. Speaker, H.R. 3803 

would prevent abortions of unborn children 

who are more than 20 weeks after fertilization—the age at which scientific evidence 

shows that they can feel great pain. 

This bill will prevent brutal, late term abortion procedures, including one in which unborn 

children are mutilated and dismembered while 

they are still alive. Only the most calloused 

among us can hear the description of these 

types of procedures and not react with disgust. 

I strongly believe that life begins at conception, and that we should protect the lives of innocent unborn children. I wish this bill went 

even further, but the absolute least we can do 

is ban abortion when we know the unborn children experience great pain. I urge support of 

this important legislation. 

f 

CELEBRATING THE 50TH WEDDING 

ANNIVERSARY OF JOHN AND 

BETTY DODD 

HON. KENNY MARCHANT OF TEXAS

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

Wednesday, August 1, 2012 

Mr. MARCHANT. Mr. Speaker, it is with a 

sense of joy that I recognize and celebrate the 

50th anniversary of the wedding of John and 

Betty Dodd, two outstanding and esteemed 

citizens of Farmers Branch, Texas. 

John and Betty were married on August 19, 

1962, and have lived in Dallas County ever 

since. They have both led inspiring lives dedicated to education and our community. John 

is a Certified Financial Planner and CEO of 

Honors Academy, a nonprofit organization that 

operates charter schools. He has served as a 

member of the Dallas Independent School 

District Board, a city council member and the 

mayor of Farmers Branch, and remains active 

in many community organizations. Betty is a 

teacher and a volunteer and board member at 

several organizations including her children’s 

schools, Prestonwest Republican Women, 

Farmers Branch Civic League, and Farmers 

Branch Women’s Club. Truly, the Dodds have 

been valuable assets in the town that they call 

home. 

They have raised a family together and are 

the dedicated parents of David Dodd and Angela Dodd Miller. John and Betty are also the 

loving parents-in-law of Shannon and Jon, and 

grandparents of Justin and Caroline Dodd, 

and Matthew, Caroline, Nathan, and Andrew 

Miller. The Dodds are members of First United 

Methodist Church in Dallas, Texas. 

Mr. Speaker, on behalf of the 24th Congressional District of Texas, I ask all my distinguished colleagues to join me in congratulating John and Betty Dodd on 50 years of 

marriage, a truly noteworthy testament to their 

strong commitment to each other and to the 

beauty of marriage. 

f 

TRIBUTE TO HORACE CURLIN 

HALL III 

HON. HENRY CUELLAR OF TEXAS

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

Wednesday, August 1, 2012 

Mr. CUELLAR. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to 

honor the late Horace Curlin Hall III, an upstanding lawyer, devoted father and true friend 

to the South Texas community. Mr. Hall will be 

long remembered as a man who was dedicated to his country, his family and his profession for years after his passing. 

Mr. Hall, a third generation Laredoan, attended Martin High School where he graduated at the young age of fifteen. A lifetime 

Longhorn, he attended The University of 

Texas at Austin, where he joined the Sigma 

Chi fraternity, an organization whose fundamental purpose is to promote the core values 

of friendship, justice and learning—all virtues 

he modeled throughout his lifetime. After graduating with a Bachelor of Arts in 1950, he honorably served his country as First Lieutenant 

in the Army during the Korean Conflict. Upon 

his return from Korea, he enrolled at The University of Texas School of Law and received 

his degree in 1955. 

While attending law school, Mr. Hall met 

and married Nancy Louise Black and together 

they raised five daughters. Mr. Hall presented 

each daughter as a debutante in the Society 

of Martha Washington, a bicultural organization committed to celebrating the legacy of our 

country and chartered in part by Mr. Hall’s 

grandmother, Camila Scott Hall. An endlessly 

supportive father and an advocate of education, Mr. Hall encouraged each daughter to 

attend college. 

Regarded as a distinguished lawyer, Mr. 

Hall joined his father’s law firm in Laredo, 

Texas, and practiced until passing, advocating 

on behalf of those that shared his loyalty to 

the South Texas community. In continuation of 

his commitment to education, Mr. Hall legally 

represented Laredo Community College 

throughout most of his career. Included in the 

list of clients to the firm were banks, construction companies and the Association of Laredo 

Forwarding Agents, an organization whose 

purpose is to promote local corporations at 

both the national and international level. 

Mr. Hall was well known for his many passions outside of his profession, including a 

love of literature and poetry, which he shared 

with those close to him. He enjoyed the South 

Texas country and was considered an excellent marksman, often bringing together his 

family after a hunt for a gourmet meal. His 

sense of humor was one of his greatest characteristics, attracting friends that remained 

faithful to him until the end. 

Mr. Speaker, I am honored to have had the 

opportunity to recognize the late Horace Curlin 

Hall III. He is no longer with us, but his contributions not only to his country and family, 

but also to his profession and his beloved 

community will live on. 


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