[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 154 (Friday, September 26, 2008)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2031]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




               HONORING ALVINA ELIZABETH SCHWAB PETTIGREW

                                 ______
                                 

                     HON. STEPHANIE HERSETH SANDLIN

                            of south dakota

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, September 25, 2008

  Ms. HERSETH SANDLIN. Madam Speaker, I rise today to take this 
opportunity to honor the service of Alvina Elizabeth Schwab Pettigrew 
as a member of the Women Accepted for Voluntary Emergency Service, 
WAVES, during World War II.
  Born on a farm in Mina, South Dakota, Pettigrew is a true American 
hero who greatly contributed in the effort to end the war. In October 
of 1942, Pettigrew joined more than 600 women from across the United 
States and enlisted in the WAVES.
  The WAVES reported to the Naval Communications Annex in Washington DC 
at the height of World War II. They were given the top secret operation 
of cracking the Germans' complex codes that were used to radio 
instructions from German headquarters to the submarines that were 
sinking United States ships. This operation was so secretive that the 
women were warned that they could be shot for treason if they ever 
revealed their activities. Pettigrew and her fellow WAVES saved the 
lives of countless sailors by working around the clock to decipher 
German code until the end of World War II.
  To honor the WAVES' service to the United States of America, the 
Cathedral Heights neighborhood of Washington, DC will include, as part 
of a public arts project to restore turn-ofthe-century ``call boxes,'' 
Pettigrew's portrait and a description of the WAVES' secret operation 
that was conducted less than 200 yards away in the Navy Annex. It will 
be an everlasting tribute to their effort to end the war.
  Our Nation and the State of South Dakota are far better places 
because of Pettigrew's service and that of all WAVES. I join with all 
Members of the House of Representatives and South Dakotans in 
expressing my gratitude for their commitment to serving and protecting 
our Nation. They will never be forgotten.

                          ____________________