[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 55 (Thursday, April 14, 2011)]
[Senate]
[Page S2504]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         TRIBUTE TO EDGAR PEARA

 Mr. WYDEN. Mr. President, on April 14, the Government of 
France will present the National Order of the Legion of Honor to Edgar 
Peara one of Oregon's more modest heroes.
  The Ordre national de la Legion d'honneur was established by Napoleon 
Bonaparte in 1802 as a way of recognizing exceptional merit regardless 
of rank, class, or privilege. The Order remains the highest decoration 
in France and is being bestowed upon Edgar for his service in that 
country during World War II.
  Already highly decorated by the United States for bravery and valor, 
Edgar's story is indeed remarkable and worthy of high praise. After the 
bombing of Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, Edgar immediately 
volunteered for the military. At first he was told he would be more 
valuable to the Nation if he returned to his engineer studies, but the 
call to action was too strong. By June 1942 he received a commission in 
the U.S. Army and was assigned as an officer in the 531 Amphibious 
Combat Regiment of the 1st Engineer Amphibious Combat Brigade.
  His unit specialized in supporting large amphibious invasions, 
clearing the way for the infantry and keeping the Army on the move. By 
November 1942, Edgar's outfit landed in Arzew, Algeria, where Edgar, 
determined to keep the situation as calm as possible, went from house 
to house telling anxious Algerians unfamiliar with war or Americans 
that ``we come in peace. We are not here to harm anyone. We simply want 
you to surrender any weapons so that all armed resistance ceases.'' He 
said later that ``No one gave us any trouble and we collected so many 
arms we could hardly carry them all.''
  This action set the tone for Edgar's entire war experience and his 
later life. As he prepared for the invasion of Italy, Edgar made a 
conscious effort to look for, and be grateful for, whatever there was 
to be appreciated that day, whether it was food, a dry place to sleep, 
reasonable weather, the friendships of comrades, and being well and 
safe. As Edgar put it, ``That change in attitude helped make me a 
happier person, for I stopped thinking that my contentment had to lie 
in the future when the war was over.''
  After participating in the invasions of Sicily and mainland Italy, 
Edgar was moved to the southwest coast of England in order to help 
ready allied forces for D-day. He landed at Utah Beach on the upper 
French coast on June 6, 1944. Early that morning he noticed a battalion 
medical aid station was under intense fire. Recognizing the danger to 
those helpless soldiers, he scrambled to find a more protected area. He 
came across an abandoned German concrete underground command post. 
Dodging bullets and shells, he ran back to help move the wounded to 
safety.
  Edgar would later be part of the invasion of Okinawa, Japan, making 
him one of the few veterans to serve in Africa, Europe, and the 
Pacific.
  Taking what he learned from his experiences in war, Edgar dedicated 
himself to a life of internal peace and became a staunch advocate of 
greater peace for all humanity. He used his GI Bill to train for 
ordination as a Christian Science practitioner. During the Korean war, 
Edgar served as a Christian Science chaplain at the U.S. Naval Training 
Center, Great Lakes, IL. After this duty he went on to become a 
Unitarian Universalist minister. Edgar has worked diligently to help 
others find the same peace he discovered in his own heart and to help 
all mankind achieve greater peace between neighbors and nations.
  As an Oregonian, I could not be more proud of Edgar, his wonderful 
story, and his life's work. He truly is a hero and embodies the best of 
our State. As our Nation continues to struggle in conflicts overseas, 
Edgar serves as a testament to the belief that sometime restraint is as 
powerful as force in times of war. I am very appreciative of Edgar's 
selfless service.The people of France are thanking him today with this 
award. Oregon thanks him for continuing to make us proud.

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