[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 87 (Thursday, May 23, 2019)]
[Senate]
[Page S3099]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      TRIBUTE TO THOMAS O'LOUGHLIN

  Mrs. HYDE-SMITH. Mr. President, each Memorial Day we, as Americans, 
take time to honor the heroes who gave their lives in service to our 
country, from those who died in the creation of this great Nation to 
those who today risk their lives in the most dangerous corners of the 
world.
  As we approach this Memorial Day, I want to take a moment to honor 
the heroes still among us who served in the Second World War. There are 
fewer than half a million of these veterans still living, and we lose 
more than 300 every day.
  These men and women of the World War II era are truly heroes here 
among us. In the great battle between good and evil, these heroes 
advanced over rough terrain against bombs and bullets and tanks.
  Today, their battle is against the unrelenting march of time and the 
inescapable effects of aging. For these veterans, whose valor many of 
us only know from history books or movies, we still have the 
opportunity and sacred duty to express our gratitude, so we honor them 
as we aspire to be greater than we are. If we desire to serve more than 
ourselves, we must honor them.
  On this Memorial Day, I take time to draw special attention to one of 
these heroes, who is now hospitalized in Mississippi.
  Ninety-four years ago, Thomas O'Loughlin was born in an Irish-
Catholic community in New Jersey. When his country called him to war, 
Tom responded and made his first trip to Mississippi, courtesy of the 
U.S. Army, for training at Camp Shelby. He deployed to the European 
Theater where, in January 1944, he was captured by the Axis forces and 
held as prisoner of war for more than a year before liberation. 
Following the war, Tom served as a guard during the Nuremberg Trials of 
Nazi war criminals. One of the prisoners in his charge was Deputy 
Fuhrer Rudolf Hess.
  Following the Nuremberg Trials, Tom continued serving his country in 
the Armed Forces, once again serving in combat with the 811th Engineer 
Aviation Battalion assigned to the Fifth Air Force in Korea. He 
returned to civilian life in 1952, eventually making his way back to 
Mississippi. Keeping his Jersey accent and Irish sparkle, Tom made 
Mississippi his home and married Rachel Pitts, a Southern belle. They 
settled down in Laurel, MS, and like many members of the Greatest 
Generation, Tom dedicated himself to serving his community as a sponsor 
for those facing addiction. Even now, he calls from his hospital bed to 
encourage sobriety and offer support to those who still turn to him for 
help.
  To honor Tom O'Loughlin, I had a U.S. flag flown over the U.S. 
Capitol. I pray his health returns, and I ask we all offer prayers of 
gratitude for Tom and the other World War II veterans across our 
country, for they truly are heroes here among us.

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