[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 89 (Thursday, June 24, 2004)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1223]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                HONORING MERLE McDOUGALD ``DOUG'' WERNER

                                 ______
                                 

                             HON. TOM DAVIS

                              of virginia

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, June 23, 2004

  Mr. TOM DAVIS of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor and 
remember Merle McDougald Werner, a correspondent who filed one of the 
first reports of the D-Day invasion in 1944. Mr. Werner died May 19, 
2004 at his home in Falls Church, VA at the age of ninety-one.
  Mr. Werner was born January 28, 1913, in Bladen, Nebraska. He 
attended the University of Nebraska and received a bachelor's degree in 
journalism from the University of Missouri in 1934. During the years 
1934 to 1937, Mr. Werner worked for several newspapers in Nebraska and 
Wyoming when he became employed with the United Press, a precursor of 
United Press International located in Des Moines. In 1941, Mr. Werner 
transferred to United Press' Washington bureau and was appointed as a 
war correspondent based in London where he worked with Walter Cronkite.
  Surrounded by gunfire and deep cold waters, Werner stepped onto Utah 
Beach four hours after the beginning of the attack in which 156,000 
Allied troops took part. He pulled out his typewriter and began an 
account of the day from a foxhole that was dug for his protection. Mr. 
Werner's account became one of the first of the invasion to reach 
Americans in the states.
  During World War II, Werner also covered the German bombing of 
London, the liberation Paris in August 1944, the U.S. occupation of 
Berlin in 1945 and the Potsdam Conference.
  Additionally, Mr. Werner's recollections of his D-Day experiences are 
on display in a current online issue of the Newseum, a museum dedicated 
to journalism. He is also believed to be the last surviving journalist 
of those who accompanied the invasion forces.
  Mr. Werner was viewed as a calm and stoic man who considered himself 
to be very fortunate to have not only survived the war, but also to 
have participated in covering the biggest news event of his generation.
  Mr. Speaker, in closing, I would like to express my gratitude to 
Merle McDougald Werner for his service to his country. I call upon my 
colleagues to join me in applauding Mr. Werner's past accomplishments 
and remembering him for his dedication to his country and fellow 
Americans.

                          ____________________