[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 63 (Wednesday, April 30, 2014)]
[Senate]
[Page S2564]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     TRIBUTE TO JOHN ROBERT VIERECK

 Mr. WALSH. Mr. President, I wish to honor John Robert Viereck, 
a U.S. Army veteran from World War II.
  It is my honor to share the story of John's service, because no 
veteran's story should ever go unrecognized.
  John was born in Wilmington, CA, in 1924.
  John's father loved the sea and encouraged his son to join the 
Merchant Marines. John joined up but was so seasick after his first 
trip that his career in the Merchant Marines came to an end.
  On July 8, 1942, John enlisted in the U.S. Army.
  John was a radioman and cryptographer for the Big Red One--the Army's 
First Infantry Division, Antitank Company, 26th Infantry Regiment.
  He served in Algeria, Tunisia, Sicily, England, France, Belgium, 
Germany, and Czechoslovakia.
  John served in seven campaigns, including the Battle of the Bulge, 
and spent a total of 31 months in Europe and Africa.
  When John returned home to the United States in 1943, he was 
diagnosed with shell shock, something we know today as post-traumatic 
stress disorder.
  After World War II, John attended the Frank Wiggins Trade School to 
study TV and radio. John bought his first TV in the late 1940s and his 
daughter Fran remembers that from then on the Viereck household always 
had a TV.
  John worked as a truck driver in Wilmington, as a taxi driver in 
Gardena, and then as a Zamboni operator in Torrance, CA. He was also a 
ham radio operator.
  Weather, politics, war, and the military have been lifelong topics of 
interest to him.
  John moved to Helena in 2003 to be closer to his daughter.
  In the presence of John's family, it was my honor to present to him 
the Bronze Star Medal with 1 Oak Leaf Cluster; the Good Conduct Medal; 
the American Campaign Medal; the European-African-Middle Eastern, EAME, 
Campaign Medal, with 4 bronze stars, meaning he served in four of these 
campaigns; the WW II Victory Medal; and the Honorable Service Lapel 
Button.
  The medals are a small token but they are a powerful symbol of 
service and sacrifice.
  These medals were presented on behalf of a grateful nation.

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