[Congressional Record Volume 159, Number 64 (Wednesday, May 8, 2013)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E618]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  HONORING THE DUGAS FAMILY OF IBERIA PARISH FOR THEIR SERVICE DURING 
                              WORLD WAR II

                                  _____
                                 

                     HON. CHARLES W. BOUSTANY, JR.

                              of louisiana

                    in the house of representatives

                         Wednesday, May 8, 2013

  Mr. BOUSTANY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to commemorate the service of 
the Antoine and Emma Dugas Family, who selflessly served as aircraft 
spotters during World War II in Iberia Parish, Louisiana. Their 
dedication to country, spending countless hours watching the skies of 
our Gulf Coast as a first line of defense against an aerial assault, 
deserves our thanks and recognition.
  Emma and Antoine Dugas moved from the Atchafalaya Basin area to Lake 
Dauterive, Iberia Parish, in 1927 following the great floods that 
predated our Louisiana levee system. At the advent of the war, due to 
the rural, isolated location of their home, the family was approached 
by the U.S. Army Air Force to serve as aircraft spotters. This required 
studying and memorizing various types of aircraft by sight, filling out 
reports of their surveillance and calling in any observations of 
aircraft they might spot in the skies. The family faithfully carried 
out this duty from June 24, 1943 until the war's end in 1945.
  Until now, Antoine and Emma Dugas, and their children, Claude 
``Nook'' Dugas, Mabel ``Pie'' Broussard, Melba ``Eunice'' Dugas Verret, 
Antoine ``Tan'' Dugas, Jr., and John Gabriel ``Creed'' Dugas, have 
received no special recognition for their service. Today I would like 
to take the opportunity to recognize and thank these citizens for their 
service and hold them up as an example of sacrifice and dedication in 
service of our country.
  This month, on May 19, 2013, the Dugas family will come together at 
Lake Fausse Pointe State Park--significant due to its approximate 
location as a midpoint between the Bayou Chene area where the family 
lived in the basin, and the Lake Dauterive area where the family moved 
to build their first home on land. As they remember their family 
history, we thank them for their service and commend them on a job well 
done.

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