[Congressional Record Volume 159, Number 65 (Thursday, May 9, 2013)]
[House]
[Page H2539]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




HONORING THE MEMORY OF WALTER ``FINCH'' KWIECINSKI OF DULUTH, MINNESOTA

  (Mr. WALZ asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. WALZ. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the memory and 
sacrifice of Walter ``Finch'' Kwiecinski of Duluth, Minnesota.
  Walter's story is the story of his generation and should make each of 
us reflect on the sacrifices that were made to allow us the precious 
gift of democracy and self-government.
  Born in 1914 on a farm near Duluth, Minnesota, to Polish immigrants, 
Walter enlisted in the Army at Fort Snelling, Minnesota, on February 6, 
1941. After basic training, he was sent to Fort Mills on Corregidor 
Island in the Philippines.
  Walter manned a 12-inch mortar on Battery Way and fought valiantly to 
repel the Japanese invasion of Bataan and Corregidor. Standing until 
the very end with his unit sustaining 77 percent casualty rates, Walter 
fought on until May 6, 1941, when Corregidor fell and General 
Wainwright cabled these words to President Roosevelt:

       There is a limit of human endurance, and that point has 
     long passed.

  Walter was taken prisoner by the Japanese and survived hellish 
conditions in POW camps and transport on the ``hell ships'' to be slave 
labor in Japan. His family presumed him dead. He was liberated in 
August 1945 and returned home December 5, 1945.
  He then humbly set about going back to work as a mechanic. Marrying 
Mary Anne Krebs, he raised a beautiful family and lived a life of 
dignity. Yesterday, May 8, marked the 25th anniversary of Walter 
Kwiecinski's death. We should all be thankful for his life.

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