[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 92 (Thursday, June 5, 2008)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1157]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




           HONORING TECHNICAL SERGEANT WILLIAM F. LAUBENSTEIN

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. DOUG LAMBORN

                              of colorado

                    in the house of representatives

                         Thursday, June 5, 2008

  Mr. LAMBORN. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor TSgt William F. 
Laubenstein's service to our country in the Army Air Corps during World 
War II.
  On January 17, 1941 William Laubenstein enlisted in the U.S. Army Air 
Corps as a cadet at Maxwell Air Force Base in Montgomery, Alabama. 
After completing flight instruction he was assigned as a Radio 
Operator/Gunner of a B-17 Flying Fortress with the 384th Bomb Group, 
8th Air Force in England.
  From October 14, 1943 to May 8, 1944, TSgt William Laubenstein flew 
26 recorded missions during World War II over the Continental Europe. 
In April of 1944 the number of missions required to complete a tour had 
risen to 35; Bill had nine more missions left. On the 26th mission, May 
8, 1944, Bill's B-17 referred to as ``Little Barney'' was hit by 
antiaircraft fire and the crew were forced to bail. Over the course of 
the impact to the plane, Technical Sergeant Laubenstein was injured in 
his hip by flak.
  From the fields of France, Technical Sergeant Laubenstein was taken 
to a German Prisoner of War camp located in Poland. Bill was a Prisoner 
of War from May 8, 1944 until May 8, 1945. After almost a year at the 
POW camp he endured a 90-day forced march sometimes referred to as The 
Black March, which covered approximately 1,000 miles across the Polish 
and German countryside. On May 1, 1945 Bill was released from the POW 
camp when the German guards abandoned the camp.
  Technical Sergeant Laubenstein was awarded the Distinguished Flying 
Cross, the Air Medal, the European African Middle Eastern Campaign 
Medal with two Bronze Service Stars, and the Honorable Lapel Button.
  Madam Speaker, it is my privilege to honor Technical Sergeant 
Laubenstein who has now been appropriately awarded the Purple Heart for 
wounds received in action, the Prisoner of War Medal from May 8, 1944 
to May 8 1945, the American Campaign Medal, and the World War II 
Victory Medal.
  I would like to offer my sincere appreciation for his commitment to 
defending our country and the sacrifices he has made on behalf of the 
American people.

                          ____________________