[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 73 (Friday, June 9, 2006)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1092]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




          TRIBUTE TO MASTER SERGEANT HENRY JOSEPH CORNELLISSON

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. MARILYN N. MUSGRAVE

                              of colorado

                    in the house of representatives

                          Friday, June 9, 2006

  Mrs. MUSGRAVE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to the 
patriotism and self sacrifice of Master Sergeant Henry Joseph 
Cornellisson of Greeley, Colorado because of his service to our country 
during World War II.
  Mr. Cornellisson was born on February 27, 1920 and was raised in 
central Kansas. A year after he graduated from high school, in May 
1938, he joined the U.S. Army Air Corps and was sent to the Philippines 
several months later. By July of 1941, he had been promoted to 
Sergeant. On May 10, 1945, he was captured by the Japanese on the 
Philippine island of Mindanao and spent the next 1,218 days as a 
prisoner of war in Japan.
  He was finally liberated from prison on September 6, 1945, exactly 
six years to the day from when he joined the Army Air Corps. After 
returning home to the United States, he decided to reenlist in the Air 
Force after only a few months. After getting married to Ruth Jordan, he 
served in the Air Force for three years in Brazil and was eventually 
promoted to Master Sergeant. After 21 years of service in the Air 
Force, Mr. Cornellisson retired in 1960 and went into the inactive Air 
Force Reserves. By this time he and his wife had three sons.
  From 1961 through 1967, he worked overhauling missiles and missile 
guidance systems for the Army. After that Mr. Cornellisson worked for 
the Air Force as an electrician until he retired in 1978. His wife 
Ruth, of 48 years, passed away in 1995 and he married Genie Payne a few 
years ago.
  Mr. Speaker, I am honored to represent Mr. Cornellisson and the other 
men and women who have given so much for our freedom. Like so many 
other members of the ``Greatest Generation,'' Mr. Cornellisson set 
aside his ambitions in service to our Nation. I urge my colleagues to 
join me in expressing my heartfelt gratitude and sincere appreciation 
for the patriotic service of Mr. Henry Joseph Cornellisson.

                          ____________________