[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 155 (Tuesday, September 18, 2018)]
[Senate]
[Page S6219]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                          OPERATION TWIN LINKS

  Mr. NELSON. Mr. President, on the 11th of November 2018, the world 
celebrates the 100th anniversary of the end of World War I. America 
entered the Great War 2 years, 8 months, and 9 days after it started, 
but with our allies and through great sacrifice, defeated the Central 
Powers.
  In honor of the Great War centennial, two men have served as thankful 
ambassadors from our oldest ally: France. Mr. Christophe de Goulaine 
and Mr. Pierre Lauvergeat have undertaken a historic effort named 
Operation Twin Links. In tribute to American World War I veterans and 
their families, the two men traveled almost 5,000 miles of American 
countryside on a fully restored 1918 Harley Davidson 1000 18-J 
motorcycle. This is the very model our servicemembers rode throughout 
the Western Front. It is also the same model that Corporal Roy Holtz of 
Chippewa Falls, WI, rode into Germany on November 12, 1918, in the 
famous photograph titled, ``The first Yank and Harley to enter 
Germany.'' The motorcycle is named Bony, after the French commune which 
is home to Somme American Cemetery and Memorial, the final resting 
place for 1,844 American soldiers.
  Operation Twin Link's historic journey of remembrance and thanks 
began at Fort Caroline National Memorial in Jacksonville, FL, which 
shares a special linkage as twin city to Nantes, France. From there, 
Bony traveled to the Harley Davidson Headquarters in Milwaukee, WI, 
then to Las Vegas, NV. Along the way, these ambassadors made numerous 
stops, thanking Americans for their support during those dark times in 
history and reminding us all of the links shared between our two great 
nations. Bony's trip concluded on September 10, 2018, in Jacksonville, 
FL, where Mr. de Goulaine's ancestor, French explorer Rene de Goulaine 
de Laudonniere, founded the first European settlement in America.
  As we near the 100th anniversary of the end of World War I, I invite 
all Americans to remember the sacrifice of our great generation and our 
enduring allies in Europe. Furthermore, it is with gratitude and 
appreciation that I thank Mr. de Goulaine and Mr. Lauvergeat for 
reminding us of the deep friendship of the people of France and for 
undertaking this feat to bring home a symbol of American ingenuity, 
steadfastness, and resolve from World War I.

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