[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 2 (Friday, January 5, 2007)]
[House]
[Page H90]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        HONORING ANATOLE MILUNAS

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Shimkus) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. SHIMKUS. Mr. Speaker, it is great to be back in session and back 
in Washington. I look forward to a very interesting new Congress.
  One of the great benefits of being a Member is the opportunity to 
talk about our national treasure, which is our citizens. We just lost 
one who became a good friend of mine, doesn't live in my Congressional 
district, is from the state of Illinois, name of Tony Milunas.
  Now, Tony, is the story of a lot of post World War II era emigres who 
came from the former captive nations, the former Eastern Bloc countries 
that immigrated here, became active citizens, not only supported this 
great country, served in the military, but also was very involved in 
the 50 years of totalitarian ruling of the Eastern Bloc countries and 
helped bring freedom to those countries. With that I am going to give a 
little background on Tony and mention how he was very important in my 
life.
  Anatole Milunas, ``Tony,'' as we knew him, was born August 3, 1936 in 
the City of Sauliai, Lithuania. During World War II, he left Lithuania 
to escape the second Soviet occupation and the subsequent 50 years of 
terror. While in exile in 1946, he finished high school and began 
studying for a degree in technology in Darmstadt, Germany.
  After he immigrated to the United States, he continued his schooling 
and graduated with a bachelor's degree from the University of Illinois. 
During the Korean War, he served in the United States Army, stationed 
in Germany as a translator and adviser to a staff officer.
  He actively participated in the presidential election of President 
Ronald Reagan and President George Herbert Walker Bush, and has been a 
strong supporter of the Illinois Republican Party. From 1979 to 1985, 
he was a chairman of the Lithuanian American Republican National 
Federation, and from 1994 to 2006, Mr. Milunas was the chairman of the 
Lithuanian American Republican League in Illinois.
  He died December 23, 2006. He left a widow, Dana, and two sons, 
Vytenis and Rimas, two good Lithuanian names, their families and many 
relatives here in Lithuania as well as friends and so many associates. 
He leaves behind a lasting legacy.
  Now, I met Tony way back in 1992 when he looked at the family name of 
politicians running for office, and my colleagues here, who I have 
served with for many years, know that I have focused some of my extra 
time on Baltic issues, which is Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. Not 
because I have a strong Baltic number of citizens in my district, and, 
in fact, it is very little, but Shimkus is ethnically Lithuanian.
  Tony, seeing that name said, and being Republican, says, oh, I found 
a guy who will help me remember the persecution of the Baltic countries 
and help bring freedom, NATO enlargement, EU ascension to the Baltic 
countries.
  He adopted me, in essence, and he encouraged me to not only be 
involved here on the floor, but really be involved in what for me is 
four generations removed. He is one generation, I am four generations.
  Tony gave me this photo back on October 18, 2002, to the Honorable 
John Shimkus, we are proud to have you as an honorary member while we 
continue the Reagan legacy, Lithuanian Republican League of Illinois, 
Anatole Milunas. This is a photo of President Reagan when he is 
campaigning in Chicago. Now I am a down-stater, I am more by St. Louis 
and what we call southern Illinois. This was a picture Tony was very, 
very proud of. This was at an ethnic festival, then candidate Reagan 
was there. Tony handed him this bumper sticker that said, ``I love 
Lithuanians,'' and here is President Reagan holding this up.
  As we know, it was President Reagan that was in Berlin and said, Mr. 
Gorbachev, tear down this wall, which is all part of the fall of the 
Soviet empire and the freeing of millions of people in what we call the 
captive nations.
  I was glad to play a small part in the movement to enlarge NATO and 
bring in the former captive nations that love democracy and freedom, 
willing to take and pay the sacrifice, transform their militaries and 
be true allies.
  One of the reasons why I was able to do that is because of the 
mentorship, the friendship, the love, the compassion of this U.S. 
citizen who was born in Sauliai, Lithuania, who came to this country 
with nothing, lived the American dream, was a great citizen, but had an 
appreciation for his homeland.

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