[Congressional Record Volume 161, Number 130 (Thursday, September 10, 2015)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1255]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




              HONORING THE SERVICE OF MR. GEORGE BUCHANAN

                                 ______
                                 

                             HON. ANDY BARR

                              of kentucky

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, September 10, 2015

  Mr. BARR. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize an outstanding 
individual, Mr. George Buchanan, of Lexington, Kentucky. Mr. Buchanan, 
a part of the Greatest Generation, answered his nation's call to 
service during World War II.
  Mr. Buchanan grew up in Hazel Green on a small subsistence farm. 
There were three boys in his family, all of whom served in WWII. 
Following high school, young George got a job in a drugstore, working 
behind the soda fountain. He was drafted shortly after the Pearl Harbor 
attack. Because of his drugstore experience he was chosen to be a 
medic, despite a great fear of the sight of blood and passing out 
several times during training. He completed his training and became a 
surgical technician 861. He was assigned to the 97th QM Battalion, 
where they packed onto the Aquitania for a very rough North Atlantic 
crossing.
  Mr. Buchanan landed on Omaha Beach just a few days following the D-
Day invasion. He and other medics treated the sick and wounded. They 
also checked the dead, tagged them, and took them to the morgue. They 
saw hundreds who were shot, burned, and mangled. His unit traveled 
across Europe, through France, Belgium, Luxembourg, Germany, and 
Czechoslovakia, continuing to treat the sick and wounded, tagging the 
dead and taking them to the morgue. They lived in foxholes along the 
way and showered about once a month when they got a clean change of 
clothes. During the Battle of the Bulge, the medics were armed for the 
first time as they were surrounded by German troops. They were thankful 
to be rescued by General Patton's troops.
  Mr. Buchanan never forgot all the death and injury he witnessed in 
the war. He went on to attend the University of Kentucky, where he met 
his future wife Margaret. They settled in Lexington and had four 
children. Buchanan enjoyed a long career with Commonwealth Life 
Insurance, where he rose to a prominent level and earned numerous 
awards. He and Margaret were charter members of Crestwood Christian 
Church where both were very active. Buchanan was also an active member 
of the YMCA, serving as a board member and a donor. He was awarded the 
prestigious Red Triangle Award for service by the YMCA. He was able to 
make a visit back to Normandy in recent years.
  After a full and productive life, Mr. Buchanan passed away on July 
20, 2015 at the age of 94. The bravery of Mr. Buchanan and his fellow 
men and women of the United States Army is heroic. Because of his 
courage and the courage of individuals from all across Kentucky and our 
great nation, our freedoms have been preserved for our generation and 
for future generations. He was truly an outstanding American, a 
patriot, and a hero to us all.

                          ____________________