[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 63 (Thursday, April 19, 2007)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E792-E793]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




          TRIBUTE TO PURPLE HEART RECIPIENT EDGAR WILTON CARR

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. GINNY BROWN-WAITE

                               of florida

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, April 19, 2007

  Ms. GINNY BROWN-WAITE of Florida. Madam Speaker, I rise today to 
honor the late Edgar Wilton Carr, a native of Essex, Ohio who served in 
the U.S. Air Force during World War II. Assigned as an Aerial Gunner 
with the 453rd Bombardment Group 8th, Mr. Carr bravely encountered 
dangerous and life-threatening events during his time in the Air Force.
  As a pilot during the attack on Germany in 1944, Mr. Carr 
participated in the first night's bombing of Berlin. In one mission 
over Germany, his plane was shot down and he was forced to parachute 
from the damaged plane. The jump was so dangerous that part of his face 
and both his hands suffered severe freezing from the air temperature 
and altitude. Another time Mr. Carr was taken as a prisoner of war and 
spent fifteen months in a German prison camp.
  While the mental and physical injuries he suffered in the fight 
against the Axis powers were great and stayed with him throughout his 
life, Mr. Carr always maintained a positive outlook and shared his 
great sense of humor with everyone he met. This light-hearted attitude 
made such an impression on his family that even after his passing they 
tell stories about him with pride and with the comment, ``That's my 
father.''
  As General George Patton once said, ``Wars may be fought with 
weapons, but they are won by men.'' The soldiers of World War II will 
always be remembered as the greatest generation, a generation that gave 
so much for our country. Mr. Carr was no exception and

[[Page E793]]

will continue to be remembered as a defender of freedom.
  Madam Speaker, veterans like Edgar Wilton Carr should be recognized 
for their service to our nation and for their commitment and sacrifices 
in battle. I am honored to present Mr. Carr's family with his long 
overdue Purple Heart. All Floridians should know that we truly consider 
him one of America's heroes.

                          ____________________