[Congressional Record Volume 158, Number 93 (Tuesday, June 19, 2012)]
[Senate]
[Pages S4294-S4295]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         ADDITIONAL STATEMENTS

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                    REMEMBERING JOSEPH A. LESNIEWSKI

 Mr. CASEY. Mr. President, I would like to take a few moments 
to commemorate a great Pennsylvanian who passed away on May 23, 2012. 
Those who worked alongside this high-spirited citizen of Erie, PA knew 
him as a hard worker, those who served alongside him in World War II 
knew him as a selfless soldier, while others who worked with him at the 
United States Post Office knew him as a devoted civil servant; still, 
many more around the world knew this great Pennsylvanian as World War 
II veteran Private Lesniewski, of the 101st Airborne Division, 
immortalized in the book and HBO series ``Band of Brothers.'' Today I 
would like to commemorate and take stock of this remarkable life: 
Joseph A. Lesniewski, an influential and inspirational citizen of 
Pennsylvania.
  Mr. Joseph A. Lesniewski passed away at a Veterans Affairs Medical 
Center at the age of 91; he was survived by his wife of 38 years, 
Phyllis Schindley Lesniewski; and his four daughters, two sons, two 
sisters, six grandchildren, and three great-grandchildren. From Mr. 
Lesniewki's work with General Electric, to his service in World War II, 
to his 37 years serving our country at the Erie Post Office, Mr. 
Lesniewski embodied the American spirit of dedication to country and 
unyielding resolve during several of our country's most trying times.
  After graduating from Erie Technical High School in 1940 and faced 
with a battered world economy, Mr. Lesniewski joined the Civilian 
Conservation Corps, a New Deal Program that helped weather the Great 
Depression and achieve the skills necessary for a position as a tool 
and die maker in General Electric's Erie, PA factory. Following the 
bombing of Pearl Harbor, Mr. Lesniewski enlisted in the United States 
Army in 1942, where he served in the storied 101st Airborne Division 
during the momentous Battle of Normandy, Operation Market Garden, and 
the Battle of the Bulge. Mr. Lesniewski and his comrades were later 
immortalized in historian Stephen E. Ambrose's book, Band of Brothers, 
which illustrated the common acts of heroism displayed in World War II 
by our soldiers. Ambrose wrote that Lesniewski took German-grenade 
shrapnel to his neck while alerting his fellow comrades to take cover 
after he discovered a machine gun nest and an entire company of SS 
soldiers just yards away. Lesniewki's selfless actions led to the 
capture of both the machine gun nest and the company of SS soldiers. In 
another incident, Private Lesniewski disregarded his own safety during 
a German artillery barrage and marked the spot where an unexploded 
German shell had burrowed itself into the ground. This action helped to 
ensure the safety of his fellow soldiers.
  After helping to keep others alive on numerous occasions, and serving 
as a source of strength and inspiration to the soldiers around him, Mr. 
Lesniewski re-entered the civilian workforce in 1945 and served for 37 
years at the United States Post Office in Erie, PA. A historian and 
close friend of Mr. Lesniewski once said:

       Over the years I saw a thousand acts of random kindness 
     come from him. He had a heart of gold. He never stopped 
     giving, as he was proudly involved in numerous charitable 
     causes in his community.

  As a testament to his heroism, Senator John Kerry invited Mr. 
Lesniewski to join him at the 2004 dedication of the World War II 
Memorial in Washington, DC.
  As we commemorate the valiant life of Joseph Lesniewski, we should 
not forget that our country has survived seemingly insurmountable 
challenges in our history. We survived these dire times due to the 
dedication to country and unyielding resolve found uniquely in our 
citizenry, symbolized so clearly through the life of Joseph A. 
Lesniewski. Let us not forget the words of Abraham Lincoln at 
Gettysburg, ``It is for us the living, rather, to be dedicated here to 
the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly 
advanced.'' So then, with reflection on the life of Mr. Lesniewski, who 
so nobly advanced our country in both military and civilian roles, let 
us continue our dedication to the unfinished work before us: the work 
of building a better country and ensuring that the lives of our 
children can and will be better than that of our own.

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