[Congressional Record Volume 158, Number 92 (Monday, June 18, 2012)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1059]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       RECOGNIZING JOHN GUALTIER

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. BRUCE L. BRALEY

                                of iowa

                    in the house of representatives

                         Monday, June 18, 2012

  Mr. BRALEY of Iowa. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize John 
Gaultier of Vinton, IA for his years of service to veterans in Eastern 
Iowa.
  John's service to the veterans and his community in Eastern Iowa has 
been a lifelong endeavor, as he's drawn on his own experience in war 
and battling PTSD to ensure that returning veterans are better served 
and that students are aware of the service and sacrifice their elders 
made in the Second World War. At the age of 18, John served as an Army 
Medic in the European Theater of Operations where he saved many 
American lives and participated in the liberation of two concentration 
camps and a Russian POW camp.
  Since 1995, John has logged over 7,000 hours of volunteer service at 
the Iowa City Veterans Medical Center visiting with his fellow veterans 
and drawing on his own experience battling post-traumatic stress to 
help them recover. John has worked with psychiatrists at the Medical 
Center to help them in treating servicemembers with PTSD returning from 
Iraq and Afghanistan. John has also donated money and vehicles to 
ensure that veterans have transportation to VA facilities for their 
care.
  John's service to his community also extends to students at Vinton-
Shellsburg and North Linn Schools where he has shared stories of his 
experience in the war for the past eight years. John has turned his 
difficult experience in war into a lesson for our community's youth.
  For his work volunteering at the Iowa City VA hospital and sharing 
his experiences with students, John was honored earlier this year by 
Cedar Rapids' KCRG's ``9 Who Care'' Awards, and he was nominated to 
represent Eastern Iowa at the Jefferson Awards for Public Service, 
where he is a finalist for the Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis Award for 
``Outstanding Community Service Benefiting Local Communities.''
  As the son of a World War Two veteran, who landed on Iwo Jima when he 
was 17, I understand the service and sacrifice made by veterans like 
John. They truly are members of the Greatest Generation, and John 
deserves to be commended for continuing to serve after he returned home 
and turning his own trials from war into a learning experience for 
others.
  Congratulations John for this well-deserved honor. Thank you for your 
continued service to our community and work on behalf of Veterans. You 
represent the best of Iowa, having served your country and community 
for over half a century. Keep up the good work.

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