[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 3 (Thursday, January 8, 2009)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E50]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      HONORING FREDERIC VON RUEDEN

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. GEORGE RADANOVICH

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                       Thursday, January 8, 2009

  Mr. RADANOVICH. Madam Speaker, I rise today along with my colleague 
from California Mr. Costa to commend and congratulate Frederic Von 
Rueden, U.S. Navy Retired, upon being honored with the Citizen Soldier 
Award, Mr. Von Rueden was honored on November 7, 2008 at the Fresno 
City College Veterans Day 2008 Memorial and Dedication Ceremony.
  Mr. Von Rueden was born in Farihault, Minnesota, on October 25, 1917. 
In 1936 he enlisted in the Navy, went through ``Boot Camp'' at Great 
Lakes, Illinois, and underwent further training in San Francisco, 
California. From San Francisco he went to San Diego to board the Light 
Cruiser USS Richmond where he spent the next 9 years. The home port for 
the ship was Panama. He was in Valparaiso the day Pearl Harbor was hit. 
The ship escorted many convoys to the South Pacific and conducted 
regular bombardment off the coast of Japan in company with the USS Salt 
Lake City, where they often engaged the Japanese Fleet in battle. Mr. 
Von Rueden was a boiler technician. Most of his days were spent below 
deck in the engine rooms. At the end of World War II the USS Richmond 
was returned to Philadelphia and was decommissioned.
  In Philadelphia, Mr. Von Rueden went through some schooling and was 
reassigned to the Battleship USS Iowa out of Long Beach, California for 
about 6 months. After that he spent some time aboard the USS Topeka and 
the USS Los Angeles for tours. He decided to spend some time on land 
training at Port Hueneme, California. With this new training he was 
sent to Kwadjelien in the South Pacific for 18 months to do utility 
maintenance. After completing another tour aboard the USS Theodore E. 
Chandler he trained to be a Recruiter and was sent to the Fresno 
Recruit Center. He completed one more 18 month tour aboard the USS Iowa 
before returning to Fresno. In 1955, Mr. Von Rueden became a permanent 
resident in Fresno and retired to the Fleet Reserve on February 5, 
1957.
  After retiring from the Navy, Mr. Von Rueden was hired by the County 
of Fresno to work at Juvenile Hall. He attended school, part time, at 
Fresno City College on the GI Bill, and graduated with a degree in 
1961. In 1968 he transferred to the County Public Works Department and 
was a maintenance engineer at Fresno County Hospital until he retired 
on March 1, 1980. Mr. Von Rueden and his wife reside at a retirement 
home in Clovis, California. He is still active in the Fresno Branch 249 
of the Fleet Reserve Association.
  Madam Speaker, I rise today to commend and congratulate Frederic Von 
Rueden upon his achievements. I invite my colleagues to join me in 
wishing Mr. Von Rueden many years of continued success.

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