[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 96 (Tuesday, June 6, 2017)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E761]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         HONORING CLAUDE CARTER

                                  _____
                                 

                             HON. ANDY BARR

                              of kentucky

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, June 6, 2017

  Mr. BARR. Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor a very special person, Mr. 
Claude Carter, of Bath County, Kentucky. Mr. Carter, a veteran of World 
War II, is a member of the Greatest Generation.
  Mr. Carter enlisted in the United States Navy at the age of 18. After 
completing basic training at the Great Lakes Naval Base in Illinois, he 
was then placed on a troop transport train to San Francisco. There, he 
received hatchman and winchman training. The sailors were trained to 
load and unload tons of supplies from the merchant ships as quickly as 
possible. Mr. Carter and 3,000 others then boarded the U.S.S. Pondera 
for Honolulu. There they were transferred to a naval supply depot where 
they were in charge of transporting supplies to ships outside the 
harbor. Mr. Carter and others were struck by the destruction left 
following the attack on Pearl Harbor, and were always mindful of the 
sacrifices made there on December 7th, 1941. During his time in Hawaii, 
the names of all those in his company were listed on the wall, and 
every other man was chosen to transfer to Iwo Jima or Okinawa. Mr. 
Carter was not chosen and stayed on the island to finish his service. 
He reached the rank of 3rd Class Boatswain's Mate Coxswain and was 
discharged in June of 1946.
  Mr. Carter returned home where he attended Tennessee Tech, worked at 
the family hardware store, and built electricity and telephone line 
systems. He and his wife Lena have lived in Owingsville for 22 years 
where they enjoy retirement.
  Mr. Carter and so many other men and women accepted the call of their 
country and volunteered to serve. Their sacrifice protected freedom and 
preserved it for future generations. Mr. Carter is truly an American 
patriot. I am honored to recognize Mr. Claude Carter before the United 
States House of Representatives.

                          ____________________