RESOLUTION
WHEREAS, Ernest Cary Brace has been called to eternal life by the wisdom of God at the age of 83; and
WHEREAS, The Chicago City Council has been informed of his passing by Alderman Edward M. Burke; and
WHEREAS, A man of great: bravery, courage and endurance, Ernest Cary Brace was the longest-held civilian POW in the Vietnam War; and
WHEREAS, Born in Detroit, Michigan, Ernest Cary Brace joined the Marine Corps at the age of 16 and trained to become a flyer; and
WHEREAS, Ernest Cary Brace rose to the rank of 2nd Lieutenant and was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross after his plane was shot down during a bombing mission in the Korean War; and
WHEREAS, As a civilian helicopter pilot delivering supplies for the Central Intelligence Agency during the Vietnam War, Ernest Cary Brace was captured in Laos; and
WHEREAS, A victim of cruelty and torture at the hands of the North Vietnamese, Ernest Cary Brace endured three-and-half years confined to a bamboo cage; and
WHEREAS, Ernest Cary Brace was incarcerated for the rest of the war in a prison outside of Hanoi and was released in 1973 after nearly eight years in captivity; and
WHEREAS, Ernest Cary Brace later met fellow POW and future U.S. Senator John McCain with whom he had communicated for years using tapping signals from an adjacent cell; and
WHEREAS, Ernest Cary Brace was a recipient of numerous medals and honors, including the Purple Heart, Air Medal with three stars, Distinguished Public Service Medal and the Prisoner of War Medal; and
WHEREAS, Ernest Cary Brace worked for Evergreen International Aviation and Sikorsky Aircraft; and
WHEREAS, Ernest Cary Brace will be dearly missed and fondly remembered by his many relatives, friends and admirers; and
WHEREAS, To his loving wife, Nancy, his three sons, Ernest, Patrick and Michael, and his eight grandchildren, Ernest Cary Brace imparts a legacy of faithfulness, service and dignity; now, therefore
BE IT RESOLVED, That we, the Mayor and the memb...
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