[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 79 (Tuesday, June 8, 2004)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1068-E1069]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




RECOGNIZING 60TH ANNIVERSARY OF ALLIED LANDING AT NORMANDY DURING WORLD 
                                 WAR II

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                         HON. CIRO D. RODRIGUEZ

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, June 1, 2004

  Mr. RODRIGUEZ. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the 60th 
Anniversary of D-Day, the Allied landing at Normandy during World War 
II by American, British, Canadian and other Allied troops. Our nation's 
enduring gratitude goes out to the courageous veterans whose foresight 
and sacrifice brought the Allied forces perhaps the most crucial 
victory of World War II.
  The 60th anniversary of D-Day commemorates a pivotal point in the war 
and a unique moment in time when coordination and valor forged 
unprecedented advancement of the Allied forces against the Nazis and 
their Axis powers. Operation Overlord, the most extensive amphibious 
operation ever to occur involved 153,000 members of the Allied 
Expeditionary Force who stormed five separate beaches at Normandy. It 
was a battle labeled `The Great Crusade in Europe' by Allied Supreme 
Commander Dwight D. Eisenhower. Facing exceptional danger, 800 planes, 
full of airborne paratroopers carrying ninety to one hundred twenty 
pounds of extra weight on their back, invaded occupied Normandy with a 
mission to secure crucial high grounds, roads and bridges. In close 
succession, 30,000 vehicles charged the five separate beaches at 
Normandy, carrying soldiers who became the first to cross the 
formidable English Channel since 1688.
  Poised to attack the disciplined German Army and seized with the loss 
of most of their radios and 60% of their supplies during landing, the 
men at D-Day could not rely on superior technology. In one of history's 
defining moments, the liberation of occupied France depended on human 
skill and will power, on anticipating the enemy and charging 
courageously forward. Ultimately, on D-Day, bravery in combat changed 
history. The soldiers of six valiant divisions met the most uncertain 
of

[[Page E1069]]

risks to defend the freedom we cherish today, suffering close to 9,000 
casualties. As Winston Churchill said of his British troops, `Never in 
the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few.'
  Today, as we remember the invasion of Normandy as the turning point 
of World War II, we commemorate what the defeat of Hitler's army 
symbolized to the United States and to the world, a landmark in the 
struggle for Liberty and Democracy.
  June 6, 1944, marked the beginning of the end of Hitler's ambition 
for world domination.
  In honoring the anniversary of this democratic touchstone, we 
acknowledge the legacy of America's historic charge--wars fought for 
truly just causes. We etch this day into our Nation's profound memory 
so that we may convey to new generations the respect that liberty 
commands and the gratitude we owe to courage.

                       A TRIBUTE TO PAUL AZEVEDO

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. TOM LANTOS

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, June 8, 2004

  Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Speaker, I rise to pay tribute to Paul Azevedo, a 
resident of Pacifica, California, located in my Congressional district, 
who passed away on May 9th. Mr. Azevedo was a popular columnist at the 
Pacifica Tribune, a local paper, a historian of his beloved town, and 
above all, a family man.
   Mr. Azevedo was born in Sonoma County, California on March 20, 1931. 
He served in the U.S. Army and earned a degree from San Jose State 
University. Mr. Azevedo moved with his wife Lydia to picturesque 
Pacifica 41 years ago where they raised four children, Mike, Rena, 
Martin and Joane, in this picturesque Peninsula town.
   Mr. Azevedo joined the Pacifica Tribune in 1966 as an ad salesman 
and proceeded to hold almost every imaginable job at the paper before 
eventually settling into his role as a columnist. Known as ``The 
Reactor'', Mr. Azevedo eloquently opined on all matters that affected 
the Peninsula. Sometimes he merely related historical anecdotes that he 
thought relevant to the present day. A bit of a maverick, he did not 
always write the conventional column, but inspired praise nonetheless 
for engaging his readers on a variety of diverse and interesting 
subjects.
   Mr. Speaker, no one knew more about the Pacifica and no details 
escaped his steel trap of a mind. In the last “Reactor” 
column, his family recalled all of the places around town that he loved 
with no area left out.
   As one would expect of a vocal columnist, Mr. Azevedo had strong 
opinions about politics, however despite those opinions his overriding 
desire was to insure that his beloved democracy was upheld. That is why 
in addition to writing his column, he also worked in the local 
election's office, proofreading election material in English, Chinese 
and Spanish and although not fluent in Chinese and Spanish, he spotted 
errors in the materials that fluent speakers overlooked by finding 
inconsistencies in the text. Mr. Azevedo also looked to preserve the 
natural beauty of Pacifica as a member of the Open Space Committee.
   Mr. Speaker, Mr. Azevedo was as much apart of Pacifica as the fog 
that rolls in off the ocean and the waves that crash on his beloved 
beaches. Both his personality and his column will be sorely missed. I 
invite my colleagues to join me in paying tribute to him, and all that 
he meant to family, friends, and neighbors on the Peninsula.

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