[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 79 (Tuesday, May 15, 2018)]
[Senate]
[Page S2677]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        REMEMBERING JOSEPH BOYLE

  Ms. HASSAN. Mr. President, 75 years ago over Brech, France, an 
American B-17 bomber was downed by hostile fire. The copilot of that 
bomber was Second Lieutenant Joseph Boyle, a proud Granite Stater. 
Lieutenant Boyle was one of four survivors out of a crew of 10, and 
while two of the crew escaped capture, Lieutenant Boyle and another 
aviator were captured and interned in Stalag Luft III, a notorious 
prisoner of war camp operated by the German Luftwaffe. For his service 
during the Second World War, which included 16 bombing raids over 
enemy-occupied territory, Lieutenant Boyle was awarded the 
Distinguished Flying Cross and the Purple Heart.
  After he returned home, Mr. Boyle raised a family, opened a furniture 
business, and was active in his community. Mr. Boyle was a lifelong 
tennis player and golfer and cherished the time he spent with his eight 
grandchildren. Mr. Boyle passed away in 2009, after a life well-lived 
and full of love. He is missed by his family and all those whose lives 
he touched in New Hampshire and across the world.
  In 2001, before his passing, the people and government of France 
enacted a monument to Mr. Boyle and the other members of his aircrew. 
Standing outside the town of Brech, this memorial displays the names of 
the Americans who were in that downed B-17. As this year marks the 75th 
anniversary of the day that Mr. Boyle and his crew were shot down, the 
people of Brech have invited Mr. Boyle's family to join them to 
remember the events of that day and the sacrifice that many Americans 
made so that the people of France could once again be free.
  Ceremonies such as this one are so important, both to honor the 
service and sacrifice of the Greatest Generation and as a symbol of the 
enduring relationship between the United States and our oldest ally, 
France. It is critical that we remember all those who sacrificed in the 
fight against totalitarianism and helped keep our nations safe and 
free.

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