[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 60 (Tuesday, May 10, 2005)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E923]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




           IN HONOR OF SANFORD WALKE, PURPLE HEART RECIPIENT

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. GINNY BROWN-WAITE

                               of florida

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, May 10, 2005

  Ms. GINNY BROWN-WAITE of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor 
Mr. Sanford Walke of Hernando Beach, FL. A chief engineer in the Army 
during World War II, Mr. Walke received the Purple Heart for his heroic 
actions in battle.
  Mr. Walke was in the Army from November 1942 through November 1945, 
serving during World War II in the European Theatre. Assigned to the 
398th Bomb Group--8th Air Force, Mr. Walke was a chief engineer on a 
B17.
  On a flight to Germany on July 8, 1944, Mr. Walke's plane was shot 
down over France. The last one to jump out of the plane, Mr. Walke's 
parachute had a missing panel that made him fall to the ground faster 
than would normally occur. Ironically, the parachute malfunction saved 
his life because the enemy on the ground was shooting at him the entire 
time, but was unable to accurately target his fall.
  Mr. Walke was taken as a prisoner of war and held in a German prison 
camp. Months later, he and 2,000 other POW's walked for 75 days and 500 
miles on a forced march before he was able to escape with another 
British soldier. They were hiding in a barn in a German village when 
British tanks rolled in and took over the town. The British took care 
of him from there until he was able to reunite with Americans.
  Mr. Speaker, true American heroes like Sanford Walke should be 
honored for their service to our Nation and for their commitment and 
sacrifices in battle. I am honored to present Mr. Walke with his long-
overdue Purple Heart. He is truly one of America's greatest generation.

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