[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 78 (Friday, May 23, 2003)]
[Senate]
[Page S7123]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        ALEUTIAN ISLAND VETERANS

  Mr. STEVENS. Mr. President, as Memorial Day approaches, our Nation 
reflects upon the courage and heroism of our Armed Forces. During this 
time of reflection, I hope the Congress and the Nation remember those 
who defended Alaska during World War II.
  The Aleutian Islands were a key part of our victory in World War II. 
The battle fought at Dutch Harbor contributed indirectly to our success 
at Midway, and the fight to reclaim Attu and Kiska deprived the 
Japanese of a base from which to raid Alaska and limit North Pacific 
operations. The geography, weather, and location of the islands made 
these missions particularly dangerous and difficult, and the members of 
the military who served there deserve special recognition.
  The Voice of Anchorage Times recently reported that these veterans 
will be traveling back to Alaska this month. I ask unanimous consent 
that this article be printed in the Record.
  There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in 
the Record, as follows:

               [From the Voice of the Times, May 4, 2003]

                Those Aleutian Island Veterans Are Back

                         (By William J. Tobin)

       Once again, as regular as the return of the long days of 
     summer, a six-man contingent of veterans of the Thousand Mile 
     War are back in town, preparing to leave tomorrow afternoon 
     for Kodiak, the first stop on a journey to revisit the 
     battlegrounds of Attu, where U.S. forces fought Japanese 
     invaders in 1943. The 60th anniversary reunion is being led 
     by Al King of Sunrise, Fla., who keeps Aleutian Island vets 
     in touch with each other through his Willawaw Letter--a 
     periodic newsletter packed with names and addresses of those 
     who served here back in those days. Each issue also is filled 
     with personal stories and photos provided by Willawaw 
     warriors sharing their war stories with their fellow vets. 
     Part of the reunion ritual again will be breakfast tomorrow 
     morning at Gwennies Old Alaska Restaurant on Spenard Road, 
     close by their Anchorage headquarters, the Puffin Inn.
       Veterans who fought with the 11th Air Force during the 
     Aleutian campaign and members of ``Americans Home from 
     Siberia'' will hold their annual reunion later this year in a 
     spot a bit more tourist friendly than Attu. They're going to 
     get together at the Riviera Resort and Racquet Club at Palm 
     Spring, Calif., for a four-day Halloween weekend beginning 
     Oct. 30, The ``Home from Siberia'' fliers include members of 
     the Doolittle Raiders, the 20th Air Force and Fleet Air Wing 
     4, all of whom shared in the aerial battles of World War II. 
     Herman Thompson of Talkeetna, secretary of the national 11th 
     Air Force Association, is the reunion treasurer. He's 
     collecting the $110-a-person registration fees that cover a 
     Friday luncheon at the Desert Willows Country Club and a Palm 
     Springs celebrity tour, a Saturday tour of the Palm Spring 
     Air Museum and an evening banquet at the Riviera. Thompson's 
     phone number, for those seeking more information, is (907) 
     733-2626.

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