[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 79 (Monday, June 7, 1999)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1148]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




              TRIBUTE TO RETIRED COLONEL ALICE GRITSAVAGE

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. CLIFF STEARNS

                               of florida

                    in the house of representatives

                          Monday, June 7, 1999

  Mr. STEARNS. Mr. Speaker, I rise to take notice of a special citizen, 
Retired Colonel Alice Gritsavage. She is a one of a kind person that 
deserves special recognition.
  Ms. Gritsavage resides in my hometown of Ocala, Florida and she has 
had a remarkable life. Ms. Gritsavage served our nation as a nurse in 
both World War II and the Korean War. In fact, her outstanding record 
as an executive Army nurse in World War II influenced General Douglas 
McArthur to request that she be named to his staff as Chief Nurse of 
the Far East Command at the start of the Korean conflict.
  I would like to quote from the congratulatory letter Col. Gritsavage 
received on the date of her departure from the Korean Command on May 
28, 1953 from General Mark Clark, Commander in Chief of the United 
States Army at that time.
  General Clark wrote:

       You had been in the theatre only a short time when the 
     Communist aggressors threatened world peace by their 
     unprovoked invasion of South Korea. This event required a 
     tremendous build up of medical and hospital facilities, both 
     in Japan and Korea, to care for the wounded of the United 
     Nations. Since that time the standards of the Army Nurse 
     Corps in the Command have reached a level unparalleled in the 
     Corps. Your untiring efforts, outstanding leadership and 
     devotion to duty have set a brilliant example and have been 
     directly responsible for the excellent services performed by 
     our gallant Army Nurses in this, the United Nations first 
     armed bid for world peace.

  Col. Gritsavage's dedicated service to our nation led our local 
chapter of Korean War Veterans to name their chapter after Ms. 
Gritsavage. At the time of this dedication in 1995, the Ocala chapter 
was the only one in the nation to be named after a woman--reflecting 
the importance of Col. Gritsavage to our community.
  I thank Colonel Gritsavage on behalf of my district and on behalf of 
our nation for her wonderful service in her remarkable life.

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