[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 86 (Friday, May 23, 2008)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1065]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                HONORING ELWOOD A.D. ``WOODY'' LECHAUSSE

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. JOE COURTNEY

                             of connecticut

                    in the house of representatives

                         Thursday, May 22, 2008

  Mr. COURTNEY. Madam Speaker, it is with great sadness that I rise 
today to honor Elwood A.D. ``Woody'' Lechausse of Enfield, Connecticut, 
who passed away over the weekend at the West Haven VA Medical Center.
  For nearly 35 years, Connecticut veterans could rely on Woody to be 
their staunchest advocate in the state house and here in Congress. A 
veteran himself, Woody served in the United States Army from 1958 to 
1965, during which he served as a Sergeant in Izmir, Turkey, in Fort 
Campbell, Kentucky with the 101st Airborne Division, and Quin Huon, 
South Vietnam with the 178th Signal (Spt) 39th Signal Battalion. He 
returned home to Connecticut and, fueled with his desire to improve the 
lives of all those who have served our nation, began a long and storied 
career as a rigorous and unyielding voice for improving our nation's 
treatment of our veterans.
  As a member of several veterans service organizations, such as the 
Disabled American Veterans, Veterans of Foreign Wars, 82nd Airborne 
Division Association and the Vietnam Veterans of America Chapter 120, 
Woody served in countless leadership roles on both the state and 
national levels. Although a fighter on behalf of all those who wore our 
nation's uniform, Woody was especially dedicated to addressing the 
difficulties faced by our disabled veterans and those who returned home 
with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and other mental health 
challenges from their combat experience.
  Woody served on numerous government agencies, boards and taskforces 
that helped make tangible improvements in the health care, support and 
commemoration of all our veterans. And for his work, he was continually 
honored at all levels, most recently by being permanently inducted into 
the Connecticut Veterans Hall of Fame in 2007.
  I was honored to meet with Woody on numerous occasions both in 
Washington and Connecticut, and work with him closely on efforts to 
improve the quality of life for veterans in Connecticut and across the 
Nation. He was a trusted advisor to the members and staff of 
Connecticut's congressional delegation, and could always be relied on 
to help inform us of the needs of our veterans and help ``get the word 
out'' through his dialogue with veterans organizations and updates to 
his diverse and wide-ranging email list.
  Madam Speaker, all of us in Connecticut have lost a friend, a mentor 
and an unmatched voice on behalf of our veterans. I ask all my 
colleagues to join me in expressing our sincere condolence to Woody's 
wife Kathryn, his sons James and Ralph, and all his friends and 
families during this difficult time. And, I urge all my colleagues to 
honor Woody's service to our nation and lifetime of advocacy on behalf 
of our Nation's veterans.

                          ____________________