[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 195 (Thursday, November 30, 2017)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1628]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     HONORING JOHN ROY DODSON, JR.

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. BILLY LONG

                              of missouri

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, November 30, 2017

  Mr. LONG. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Mr. John Roy Dodson, 
Jr., a World War II veteran and a shining example of patriotism. We in 
the 7th District of Missouri are proud to share our home with folks 
like him.
  In 1943, Mr. Dodson went to basic training at Camp Robinson in 
California. This was the first step in a fruitful career of service 
that took him from Hawaii to New Zealand on a troop ship to repel 
encroaching Japanese forces. He was part of the U.S. Army's 25th 
Infantry Division that secured Guadalcanal after the Guadalcanal 
Campaign, and from there he was sent to battle on Bougainville Island 
and later to the Philippines. There, half of the division was 
responsible for taking Manila while Mr. Dodson was part of the effort 
to secure the mountains. As a member of the planned invasion of Japan, 
Mr. Dodson was 50 miles away from the shore of Osaka when the U.S. 
dropped its atomic bomb. Finally, he was part of the occupying force 
that kept order in Japan.
  This December, Mr. Dodson will be honored for his service by peers 
and loved ones. Newscaster Tom Brokaw wrote that those who fought in 
WWII were part of the ``greatest generation any society has ever 
produced.'' They served not for fame or fortune but simply because they 
loved their country, and having grown up during one of the most 
tumultuous times in our nation's history, these men and women exemplify 
the resilient frontier spirit that makes America great.
  Mr. Speaker, I am proud to have the opportunity to honor Mr. Dodson 
and veterans like him any chance I get. The 7th District of Missouri, 
as well as the rest of the United States, are forever indebted to John 
Roy Dodson, Jr. We thank him for his service and wish him all the best 
in all future endeavors

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