[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 54 (Thursday, March 23, 1995)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E667]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


                CONGRATULATING JUAN TAITANO EVANGELISTA

                                 ______


                        HON. ROBERT A. UNDERWOOD

                                of guam

                    in the house of representatives

                       Wednesday, March 22, 1995
  Mr. UNDERWOOD. Mr. Speaker, I would like to commend and congratulate 
Mr. Juan Taitano Evangelista, for having been awarded the Purple Heart 
that he so rightfully deserved for having been wounded in action while 
in the service of our Nation's military during World War II on Guam.
  Tun Juan, the son of Pedro T. and Rosalia C. Evangelista was born in 
the city of Agana on October 14, 1923. In the summer of 1944, right 
after liberation, he served as a civilian scout of the American troops. 
He joined the Guam Combat Patrol at the age of 18 in the fall of 1944 
and was wounded in the neck by Japanese sniper fire while on duty in 
the city of Agana.
  Forty years later, the Secretary of the Air Force, acting for the 
Secretary of Defense, decided to recognize the service of Guam Combat 
Patrol members as active duty military service. Tun Juan was awarded 
the World War II Victory Medal. Although the Victory Medal was 
presented under direct orders from the Commandant of the Marine Corps, 
specific details of recipients' service records were not examined. Tun 
Juan's wartime injury was not taken into account.
  Another decade passed before full recognition could finally be 
bestowed upon Tun Juan. Despite proper documentation and testimony from 
credible witnesses, several obstacles still presented themselves. 
Providing proof that he was not a foreign national was the last of 
these hurdles. This was, however, the easiest to overcome. Tun Juan has 
always been and always will be a true American.
  Sharing in this recognition is his supportive family. His wife, Tan 
Pricilla Camacho Evangelista, his 17 children, 48 grandchildren and 3 
great-grandchildren are all equally deserving of recognition because 
they have been, through the years, the source of Tun Juan's motivation. 
On behalf of the people of Guam, I commend Tun Juan Taitano Evangelista 
for the wartime service that he rendered our Nation and congratulate 
him for having been finally awarded the Purple Heart Medal that he 
deserved.


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