[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 67 (Thursday, May 6, 2010)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E783-E784]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




            HONORING MARY ALTMAN FOR SERVICE TO OUR COUNTRY

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                            HON. BART STUPAK

                              of michigan

                    in the house of representatives

                         Thursday, May 6, 2010

  Mr. STUPAK. Madam Speaker, I rise to honor centenarian Mary Altman of 
Lake Linden, who has served her county honorably and was a trailblazer 
for women in the Armed Forces as a First Lieutenant in the U.S. Army 
during World War II. Mary is being honored on May 15 as Grand Marshal 
in the 5th Annual Armed Forces Day Parade of Thanks in Hancock, 
Michigan. As the community pays tribute to Mary, I ask that the U.S. 
House of Representatives join me in honoring her service.
  Mary was born Mary Baril on March 10, 1907 in Lake Linden, located in 
the Keweenaw Peninsula of Michigan's Upper Peninsula. After graduating 
from Lake Linden High School in 1927, Mary attended nursing school at 
Hurley Hospital in Flint, Michigan, graduating in 1931.
  Her nursing skills were put to good use when Mary joined the U.S. 
Army in 1942, following in the footsteps of four of her brothers, two 
who served in World War I and two who served in World War II. In her 
rank as First Lieutenant, Mary took charge as chief nurse, leading a 
group of 18 other nurses in tending to the critically wounded, 
including amputees, during their rehabilitation at a field hospital in 
California's Mojave Desert. Following three years working with wounded 
soldiers, Mary was honorably discharged in 1945.
  Mary's dedication to the well-being of others continued after leaving 
the Army. She served as superintendent of a children's home in Flint 
and cared for her husband Otto through his illness, until his death.
  It is fitting that Mary be honored in the Armed Forces Day Parade of 
Thanks given her service in the U.S. Army and her devotion to helping 
improve the lives of those around her. Her personal and professional 
accomplishments over the past 103 years are a testament to trademark 
spirit and determination found throughout the Upper Peninsula.
  Madam Speaker, the Parade of Thanks is a chance to honor the men and 
women who have answered the call to serve our nation with honor and 
with dignity. Without their courage and sacrifices, the United States 
could not be the great nation we are today. Therefore, Madam Speaker, I 
ask that you and the entire U.S. House of Representatives join me in 
thanking Mary Altman for her commitment, recognize her service and 
applaud her on being named Grand Marshal of the Armed Forces Day Parade 
of Thanks.

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