[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 58 (Wednesday, April 3, 2019)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E397-E398]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




HONORING THE LIFE AND LEGACY OF NATIONAL COMMANDER WILLIAM M. DETWEILER

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. CEDRIC L. RICHMOND

                              of louisiana

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, April 3, 2019

  Mr. RICHMOND. Madam Speaker, I rise to honor the life and legacy of 
William M. ``Bill'' Detweiler, a strong advocate for veterans who was a 
former national commander of the American Legion. He passed away on 
Wednesday, March 27, 2019 at the age of 79.
  Mr. Detweiler, a native of New Orleans, grew up near the St. Roch 
Playground. He graduated from St. Aloysius High School and earned 
undergraduate and law degrees at Loyola University.
  Mr. Detweiler served in the Army. After graduating from its Infantry 
and Intelligence schools, he was operations officer on the G-2 Staff of 
the U.S. Air Defense Command at Fort Bliss, Texas. After his discharge 
from active duty in 1965, Mr. Detweiler returned to New Orleans, where 
he served in the Army Reserve, rising to the rank of captain.
  Upon his return to civil life, Mr. Detweiler started practicing law. 
In 1978, he was elected constable of New Orleans' First City Court, a 
position to which he was re-elected twice and from which he stepped 
down at the end of 1996.
  In 1973, United States President Richard Nixon appointed Mr. 
Detweiler to the Veterans Administration's National Rehabilitation and 
Education Advisory Committee; he was named its chairman in 1975. He 
also served on military advisory boards for the governor, the Louisiana 
Senate and New Orleans' mayor.
  In 1995, United States President Bill Clinton invited Mr. Detweiler 
to fly with him on Air Force One to Russia to represent America's 
veterans at the 50th annual commemoration of the Allies' victory in 
World War II.
  Mr. Detweiler received the Andrew J. Higgins Award for Exceptional 
Leadership from the Mayor's Military Affairs Committee of Greater New 
Orleans in 1998.
  After Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans in 2005, Mr. Detweiler 
was a guiding force in getting the New Orleans VA Medical Center 
rebuilt, serving on the advisory committee for the project's design 
team. He was at both the new facility's groundbreaking and grand 
opening and is credited with crafting the words now engraved in stone 
at the front entrance of the medical center: ``THE PRICE OF FREEDOM CAN 
BE SEEN WITHIN THESE WALLS.''
  In 2010, Mr. Detweiler was appointed to lead the American Legion's 
committee assigned to investigate the existing science and procedures 
for treating traumatic brain injury and post-traumatic stress disorder.
  In 2013, Mayor Mitch Landrieu appointed Mr. Detweiler to the Board of 
Directors of the New Orleans Building Corp. He was elected its 
president in 2017, which was the year when the organization assumed the 
responsibilities of the Canal Street Development Corp.
  Mr. Detweiler also was instrumental in bringing what is now the 
National World War II Museum to the city of New Orleans. He served as a 
member of the executive leadership team for the museum until his death.
  In December 2018, Mr. Detweiler was presented the French National 
Order of Merit by Consulate General of France Vincent Sciama. He was 
honored for his work at the museum, including helping launch the annual 
World War II Conference at the museum in 2007 when it re-opened after 
Hurricane Katrina.
  Mr. Detweiler loved the city and the people of New Orleans. His 
legacy will forever be a part of the city and his dedication to 
community embodies the spirit of New Orleans. We cannot match the 
sacrifices made by Mr. Detweiler, but surely, we can try to match his

[[Page E398]]

sense of service. We cannot match his courage, but we can strive to 
match his devotion.
  Mr. Detweiler, in addition to his wife, survivors include two sons 
Scott Reed Detweiler and Keith Michael Detweiler; two daughters, Bonnie 
Detweiler Shor and Jeannie Detweiler Miller; and six grandchildren.
  Madam Speaker, I celebrate the life and legacy of National Commander 
William M. Detweiler.

                          ____________________