[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 83 (Friday, May 30, 2014)]
[House]
[Pages H5028-H5029]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       70TH ANNIVERSARY OF D-DAY

  (Ms. KUSTER asked and was given permission to address the House for 1

[[Page H5029]]

minute and to revise and extend her remarks.)
  Ms. KUSTER. Mr. Speaker, this year, we celebrate the 70th anniversary 
of D-Day and the brave Americans of our Armed Forces who served our 
country with great courage and patriotism. Today I stand before you to 
honor their heroic sacrifice.
  As a fighter pilot in World War II, my father flew 63 missions in a 
P-47 Thunderbolt. He provided air cover while my father-in-law stormed 
the beaches of Normandy on D-Day. In a dogfight during the Battle of 
the Bulge, my father was shot down by the Germans. He spent the next 6 
months in a German POW camp behind enemy lines until being liberated by 
Allied forces on D-Day.
  But it was through my father's stories that I came to understand the 
courage, resilience, and sacrifice of veterans and military families 
all across our great Nation. And this is the reason that I am deeply 
committed to easing the transition for veterans back to civilian life, 
expanding their job opportunities, strengthening their health care 
benefits, and improving mental health services for the dedicated men 
and women who have worn the uniform of the United States.
  D-Day is a reminder of the great sacrifice borne by our servicemen 
and -women and their families.

                          ____________________