[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 16 (Tuesday, January 28, 2014)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E130-E131]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   IN TRIBUTE TO MR. GEORGE ZLOTNICK

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. JOE COURTNEY

                             of connecticut

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, January 28, 2014

  Mr. COURTNEY. Mr. Speaker. I rise today to recognize George Zlotnick 
as he reaches his 90th birthday. A member of our ``greatest 
generation,'' George is a respected Connecticut veteran who 
participated in the last airborne deployment of World War II in 
Operation Varsity before embarking on a successful career in the 
construction industry.
  As a young 19-year-old from Willimantic, Connecticut, George enlisted 
in the Army in 1943. Beginning as an infantryman before joining the 
Army Air Corps, George's dream of flying a plane became a reality when 
he was sent to the Pre-Flight Training at Teacher's College in 
Pennsylvania. After completing his training, George was sent to Germany 
on March. 24, 1945, to participate in one of the largest airborne 
military assaults in America's history.

[[Page E131]]

  Praised as a key tactical success for the Allies in the fight against 
Nazi Germany, Operation Varsity dropped Allied troops behind enemy 
lines to secure the Rhine River in Wesel, Germany. As a paratrooper 
with the 464th Field Artillery Battalion of the 17th Airborne Division, 
George was tasked with carrying the barrel of a cannon weighing more 
than 200 pounds through enemy fire to deliver ammunition to Allied 
troops. Completing his mission with courage, George was honorably 
discharged from service in February 1946.
  After serving his country, George started his own construction 
company in Ashford, Connecticut in 1948. Like many great American 
success stores, George began his business from humble beginnings; 
assembling small buildings, chicken coops and barns for local farmers. 
Sixty-five years later, Zlotnick Contruction Incorporated remains a 
respected organization in Mansfield, Connecticut and has won contracts 
with key multinational firms. George and his wife Zenia have also 
remained an unwavering part of the business and Orthodox Church 
communities of Connecticut.
  As George prepares to celebrate his 90th birthday on March 9, 2014, I 
ask my colleagues to join me in congratulating this great American 
veteran and businessman and thanking him for his contribution to our 
Nation.

                          ____________________