[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 73 (Thursday, May 24, 2001)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E938]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




              TRIBUTE TO WORLD WAR II VETERAN MIKE LUCERO

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. SCOTT McINNIS

                              of colorado

                    in the house of representatives

                         Thursday, May 24, 2001

  Mr. McINNIS. Mr. Speaker, I am extremely proud to rise today to honor 
a very special man--World War II Veteran Mike Lucero, a resident of 
Montrose, Colorado. During his time with the Armed Forces, Mike was 
stationed in the South Pacific. And what he didn't know is that he and 
his fellow soldiers were about to change the course of history. Because 
of what Mike did during World War II, I would like to thank him for his 
bravery and courage on behalf of Congress.
  On December 1, 1942, at the age of 19, Mike left the small town of 
Cuba, New Mexico for the open water of the South Pacific. ``My country 
needed me. I had to go,'' said Mike. At dawn on June 15, 1944, Coxswain 
Third Class Lucero maneuvered his landing craft along side the USS 
Livingston, where members of the 2nd Marine Division boarded his LCVP.
  They were headed toward Saipan, which is the northernmost of the 
southern four Islands in the Marianas 3,200 miles northwest of Pearl 
Harbor and 1,500 miles from Manilla. Over 29,000 Japanese troops waited 
and guarded the narrow beaches of Saipan. Mike's job was to land 
Marines on the shore. ``The bullets zipping into the water looked like 
raindrops hitting a puddle. They were striking on both sides of my 
boat,'' said the 79-year-old as he recalled the battle. ``They gave us 
the order to land over a loud speaker and we headed for shore. There 
were bodies floating in the water.''
  Mike delivered 8,000 Marines on Saipan's beach in less than an hour. 
It was the beginning of one of the bloodiest fights in the Pacific. On 
the shore looking at all the Americans coming toward him was the man 
who pulled the trigger on the surprise attack on Pearl Harbor, Vice 
Admiral Chuichi Nagumo. After the battle, almost 29,000 Japanese had 
been killed. The Marines, the 27th Army Infantry and the Navy were 
victorious. Mr. Speaker, it is with great appreciation that I ask 
Congress to recognize and honor Mike Lucero for all that he did for 
this country in World War II. Mike was just a boy when he was thrust 
into battle, but his bravery and the bravery of those who fought and 
died for this country will forever be etched in our minds. Mr. Speaker, 
I proudly salute Mike for all he has done.

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