[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 50 (Wednesday, March 22, 2017)]
[Senate]
[Pages S1931-S1932]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      REMEMBERING WILSON M. HALONA

 Mr. UDALL. Mr. President, I wish to pay tribute to Wilson 
Miles Halona, an outstanding member of the Navajo Nation, a loving 
husband and father, and a courageous American veteran. Sadly, at age 
95, he passed away February 28, 2017.
  Mr. Halona was born January 1, 1922, in the Chuska Mountains near 
Tohatchi, NM. His maternal clan was the Ashiihi, Salt People Clan, and 
his paternal clan was To'hani, Near the Water People Clan. He was the 
son of sheep herders, Barney and Annie Halona. One of his sons tells 
the story of Mr. Halona's mother going into labor with him as she was 
herding sheep in the middle of winter. She stopped to give birth, 
outside in the cold, and then went back to herding. He came from strong 
stock.
  This is the second time I have had the privilege to honor Mr. Halona. 
The first was on November 20, 2012, at the Pueblo Indian Cultural 
Center in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Mr. Wilson was a World War II hero, 
but had not received the recognition he deserved. Almost 60 years after 
the war, his family worked to make sure he received the acknowledgment 
and medals he earned for his bravery and service.
  Mr. Halona was part of the D-Day invasion. Serving in the Army, he 
and his fellow soldiers landed in Normandy, on Utah Beach, in July 
1944. They were part of the third wave of American soldiers to land, 
and there were already many casualties scattered on the beach.
  Mr. Halona was a gunner. As he and his battalion started moving 
inland, they encountered heavy gunfire from Germans who were dug into 
mountaintops along the beach in cement bunkers. The American troops 
returned the gunfire and fought for over 3 hours before they destroyed 
two German bunkers. Mr. Halona's battalion stopped further casualties 
and took control of the beachfront.
  They headed to Brussels and then on to Bonn and Luxembourg, where the 
U.S. had established a military base. Winter came upon them, and they 
were snowed in for 4 months. After the snow cleared, the battalion 
moved to take over Munich, where they saw firsthand the death and 
destruction of the Holocaust. In Stuttgart, they drove out the Germans, 
captured Hitler's top generals, transferred them to jail in Nuremburg, 
and kept guard. Mr. Halona himself guarded Reichsmarschall Hermann 
Goering for several hours. Mr. Halona credited his Navajo traditions 
and prayers for helping him during and after the war.
  When Mr. Halona was finally given the honors owed in 2012, he 
received the Good Conduct Medal, European-African-Middle Eastern 
Campaign Medal with one Silver Service Star, World War II Victory 
Medal, the Honorable Service Lapel Button WWII, and the Sharpshooter 
Badge with Rifle Bar Presentation. I was deeply honored that he asked 
me to present his medals.
  Mr. Halona served the Navajo Nation with distinction as well. He was 
a member of the Navajo Nation Council for four terms and president of 
the Tohatchi chapter for eight terms. He was first appointed to the 
advisory board for the Navajo Housing Authority and then served as its 
first chair. He was instrumental in developing the housing authority--
The Navajo Housing Authority was one of the first tribal housing 
authorities to be funded by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban 
Development--and making sure that Navajo people had better living 
conditions. He worked to develop the Indian Health Service within the 
Navajo Nation and to build schools on the reservation. He even helped 
create the Navajo rodeo association. Mr. Halona's service to his tribe 
stretched far and deep.
  Mr. Halona was married to his wife, Ruby Arviso, from 1942 until her 
passing in 2013. He had 7 children, and is survived by 5, along with 16 
grandchildren and 29 great-grandchildren.
  Wilson Miles Halona lived a life of service to family, tribe, and 
Nation. I honor his life and his work.

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