In Memory of Vaughn P. Drake, Jr.

Floor Speech

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Mr. BARR. Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor an American hero and a true patriot, Mr. Vaughn P. Drake, Jr. of Lexington, Kentucky. Mr. Drake passed away on April 7, 2025, at the age of 106 and has been recognized as our Nation's oldest survivor of the attack on Pearl Harbor.

Mr. Drake was born in Winchester, Kentucky on November 6, 1918. He attended the University of Kentucky's College of Engineering. At the age of 23, he was serving in the Army Corps of Engineers and was in charge of a temporary power plant in Hawaii. On December 7, 1941, he became a part of history as he witnessed Japanese planes attack Pearl Harbor, and the battle ensued. He was also involved in the strategic and significant Battle of Saipan in the Marianas. For his brave service in the United States Army, he received the Congressional Medal for the Veterans of Pearl Harbor, the Army Good Conduct Medal, the American Defense Medal with Foreign Service bar, the Asiatic-Pacific Medal with two battle stars, and the World War II Victory Medal.

Following his military service, Mr. Drake returned home to Kentucky and married his wife, Lina. They were married for 65 years when she passed away in 2011. Mr. Drake is survived by his son, Sam W. Drake, as well as two grandsons and three great grandchildren.

Mr. Drake began working as a registered professional engineer and had a distinguished career for over 50 years. He was a member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers, the National Society of Professional Engineers, and was a charter member and past president of the Bluegrass Chapter of the Kentucky Society of Professional Engineers. In 1979 he received the KSPE State Award for Outstanding Engineer in Industry. He was involved with the Boy Scouts of America and was a member of the Honorable Order of Kentucky Colonels, the University of Kentucky Alumni Association, the Veterans of Foreign Wars, and a life member of the Pearl Harbor Survivors Association. He received the Mayor's Spirit of Lexington Award.

Vaughn P. Drake, Jr. was a true patriot, a great American, and an inspiration to us all. I am forever grateful to him and other members of the Greatest Generation for sacrificing and fighting to preserve the freedoms that we hold dear. It is my honor to recognize his life and his service before the United States Congress.

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