[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 130 (Thursday, September 25, 1997)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1854]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       TRIBUTE TO FRANK HOLMGREN

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. MICHAEL PAPPAS

                             of new jersey

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, September 25, 1997

  Mr. PAPPAS. Mr. Speaker, fifty-five years ago, we were engaged in a 
terrible conflict that cost over 250,000 American lives. The service 
and dedication of our Nation's World War II service men and women laid 
the cornerstones to the greatness our Nation experiences today.
  Today, I would like to call attention to one of the heroic Americans 
who fought in this war. On Friday, September 26, 1997, the Eatontown 
Elks Lodge No. 2402 will be holding a testimonial dinner honoring Frank 
Holmgren at Gibbs Hall at Fort Monmouth, NJ. Mr. Holmgren, retired from 
the U.S. Navy, is one of two surviving crew members of the U.S.S. 
Juneau, a light cruiser that played an integral part in the war.
  The U.S.S. Juneau was commissioned on February 14, 1942, under the 
command of Capt. Lyman K. Swanson. After a valiant effort at the Battle 
of Santa Cruz, the ship and Mr. Holmgren were then sent to protect 
transports and cargo vessels at Guadalcanal. After being struck by a 
torpedo to the port side by enemy aircraft, the U.S.S. Juneau and her 
crew continued to fight enemy planes and Japanese ships at close range. 
At 1100 hours, November 13, 1942, three torpedoes were fired from a 
Japanese submarine toward the U.S.S. Juneau. She managed to avoid the 
first two, but the third struck the hull in the same place the first 
one from the plane did. The U.S.S. Juneau, in a terrible explosion, 
broke in two and sank within 20 seconds. Of 700 heroic crew members, 
only 10 survived, and 1 of those was Frank Holmgren. I stand here today 
to honor Frank Holmgren, as well as those who did not escape the U.S.S. 
Juneau, for their unselfish, dauntless courage under fire, for which we 
are forever grateful.
  Mr. Speaker, it is sailors of the U.S.S. Juneau and specifically men 
like Mr. Holmgren that epitomize the endurance and perseverance of the 
American people. We must never forget the valiant efforts of our 
wartime veterans and those who have made the supreme sacrifice. Our 
Nation owes these veterans the greatest degree of gratitude. It is my 
great privilege to acknowledge Mr. Holmgren and the great service he 
has made to our country.

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