[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 52 (Tuesday, April 26, 2005)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E763]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   HONORING THE LIFE OF THOMAS BROWN

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. DANIEL LIPINSKI

                              of illinois

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, April 26, 2005

  Mr. LIPINSKI. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to the memory 
of an outstanding American--Mr. Thomas Brown of La Grange, IL, who 
passed away on April 11, 2005.
  To say that Tom Brown devoted his life to service is an 
understatement. A native of Cicero, IL, Mr. Brown married his childhood 
sweetheart, the former Helen Sauer in 1942--right before joining the 
Army Air Corps as a bombardier. While flying a mission on March 26, 
1945, Lieutenant Brown's bomber was hit by enemy fire over Austria, and 
the father-to-be became a prisoner of war.
  Not satisfied to sit on the sidelines for the remainder of the war, 
Lieutenant Brown joined his fellow prisoners in overpowering the 
guards--and then stealing a German plane! The escapees flew the plane 
to Allied-occupied Yugoslavia, where they crash-landed the plane after 
being shot at by Allied troops. Lieutenant Brown received the Purple 
Heart, the Air Medal, the Victory Medal and the Distinguished Flying 
Cross for his part in the storybook escape.
  Upon returning to the states after the war, Tom Brown did what most 
veterans did at the time--he went to work, in his case, in the family 
plumbing business, and he raised a family with Helen.
  Mr. Brown's devotion to service led him into local politics, and he 
served on the La Grange Village Board from 1968 to 1973 and as Village 
President from 1973 to 1977. In 1983, Mr. Brown took a position as La 
Grange Code Enforcement Officer and Plumbing Inspector, working until 
his retirement in 2002.
  He was well-known around the community for his wit and easygoing 
personality. As current La Grange Village President Tim Hansen said, 
Tom Brown was ``the classic old Irish character.''
  ``He was just terrific at limericks and he had a knack for putting 
people at ease. Both he and Helen have been great friends to the 
village--just stalwarts in their commitment to helping the village or 
the church or whatever cause needed them,'' President Hansen said.
  Mr. Speaker, I extend my deepest condolences to Mrs. Brown and the 
Brown children, as on the passing of Tom Brown, who represented so well 
the ``Greatest Generation.''

                          ____________________