[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 142 (Thursday, September 22, 2011)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1684]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  HONORING THE WORLD WAR II VETERANS PARTICIPATING IN THE QUAD CITIES 
                              HONOR FLIGHT

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. DAVID LOEBSACK

                                of iowa

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, September 22, 2011

  Mr. LOEBSACK. Mr. Speaker, today I have the great honor of welcoming 
to our nation's capital 90 Iowa veterans of the Greatest Generation. 
Accompanied by over 70 volunteer guardians, these veterans have 
travelled to Washington, DC to visit the monument that was built in 
their honor.
  For many of these veterans, today will be the first time they have 
seen the National World War II Memorial. I am deeply honored to have 
been invited to join them when they see their memorial for the first 
time and to have the opportunity to personally thank these heroes.
  I am proud to have a piece of marble from the quarry that supplied 
the marble that built the World War II Memorial in my office. Like the 
memorial that it built, that piece of marble reminds me of the 
sacrifices of a generation of Americans. When our country was 
threatened, they rose to defend not just our nation but the freedoms, 
democracy, and values that make our country the greatest nation on 
earth. They did so as one people and one country. Their sacrifices and 
determination in the face of great threats to our way of life are both 
humbling and inspiring.
  The sheer magnitude of what the Greatest Generation accomplished, not 
just in war but in the peace that followed, continues to inspire us 
today. They did not seek to be tested both abroad by a war that 
fundamentally challenged our way of life and at home by the Great 
Depression and the rebuilding of our economy that followed. But, when 
called upon to do so, they defended and then rebuilt our nation to make 
it even stronger. Their patriotism, service, and great sacrifice not 
only defined their generation--they stand as a testament to the 
fortitude of our nation.
  I am tremendously proud to welcome the Quad City Honor Flight and 
Iowa's veterans of the Second World War to our nation's capital today. 
On behalf of every Iowan I represent, I thank them for their service to 
our country.

                          ____________________