[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 89 (Tuesday, May 23, 2017)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E702]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]





 HONORING MAINE VETERAN TOM ALLEN FOR HIS SERVICE DURING WORLD WAR II 
                      AND HIS MANY ACCOMPLISHMENTS

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                          HON. CHELLIE PINGREE

                                of maine

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, May 23, 2017

  Ms. PINGREE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor my constituent, Tom 
Allen, a proud World War II veteran from Augusta, Maine. At 94 years 
young, Tom continues to impress those who know him with his commitment 
to out-ski, and out-kayak the grips of old age and the passing of time.
  When the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, Tom was 
a student at Harvard University in Boston, Massachusetts. He, like so 
many other brave men from his generation, felt the need to serve his 
country. In June of 1942, seven months after the bombing of Pearl 
Harbor, Tom willingly left Harvard and joined the United States Marine 
Corps. Recognizing his academic strengths, the Marines sent Tom to 
language school where be became proficient in Japanese. Upon the 
completion of his training, and with the war in full swing, Tom was 
sent to the Pacific Theatre where he first served in Saipan. In 1945, 
just months after the atomic bomb destroyed the city, Tom was 
reassigned to an intelligence position with the Second Marine Division 
and sent to Nagasaki, Japan. Among his many duties as an interpreter, 
Tom was tasked with working directly with the Japanese to uncover where 
they held their war materials in hopes of demilitarizing the Japanese 
War Machine. A year later Tom was honorably discharged from the Marines 
and chose to return to Harvard to complete his undergraduate education.
  At a relatively young age, Tom had accomplished more than most people 
do in their lifetime. His resume of resilience and his sense of 
determination are some of the many positive qualities Tom has 
maintained into his later years. Two years ago, at the age of 92, Tom 
was seen skiing in the mountains of western Maine. Less than a year 
later, at the age of 93, Tom slipped into a kayak for a paddle around 
Boothbay Harbor.
  Mr. Speaker, I truly admire Tom for his willingness to interrupt his 
Harvard education to answer our nation's call to serve. Lastly, I would 
like to thank him for reminding us all that age is simply a state of 
mind and that nothing is out of one's reach.

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