[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 102 (Tuesday, June 18, 2019)]
[Senate]
[Pages S3649-S3650]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   TRIBUTE TO STANLEY P. LAWRUK, SR.

  Mr. COONS. Madam President, on the 75th anniversary of D-Day, I wish 
to honor a member of our Greatest Generation, Stanley P. ``Lucky'' 
Lawruk, Sr., of Wilmington, DE. Stanley P. Lawruk, a lifelong 
Delawarean, served in the U.S. Army Air Corps at the Battle of Normandy 
and throughout World War II.
  On D-Day, June 6, 1944, 20-year-old Technical Sergeant Stanley Lawruk 
was on his fourth combat mission as

[[Page S3650]]

both the flight engineer and top turret gunner on a Boeing B-17G Flying 
Fortress. Sergeant Lawruk and his fellow crewmen were part of the 327th 
Bombardment Squadron, 92nd Bomb Group, known as Fame's Favored Few.
  His squadron's mission on D-Day was to target and destroy the 
marshalling yards and industrial center at Thury-Harcourt in Normandy, 
France. As the dorsal turret gunner, Sergeant Lawruk manned twin 50-
caliber machineguns located just above the cockpit of his bomber.
  ``I saw all the ships go across the channel,'' Stan said in a 2014 
interview. ``They were so thick, you could almost walk across the 
channel [on them]. And you could see the troops.'' Sergeant Stan Lawruk 
survived D-Day and the many follow-on missions of the Normandy 
campaign. After more than 20 combat flights, Lucky Lawruk had earned 
his nickname.
  On his 26th mission, Stan Lawruk's luck ran out. On August 25, 1944, 
Stan's B-17 was on a bombing mission to destroy a V-2 rocket 
experimental station located along the coast of Peenemunde, Germany. 
There, his Flying Fortress fell victim to anti-aircraft batteries 
below.
  ``A direct hit blew off the propeller on our number four engine. That 
in turn tore a large hole in our right wing,'' Stan said in a 1945 
newspaper interview. ``Another hit put our number three engine on fire 
and set another windmilling. We lost altitude rapidly.''
  Stan and his fellow wingmen were instructed to bail out over Germany; 
however, they decided to stick with the plane if possible. ``Over the 
Baltic we started to toss out everything we could move or pry loose,'' 
Stan said in 1945, stating that he even tried to drop the ball turret. 
``I didn't have a chance to finish the job before I jumped to my crash 
position. We came down in a slight crash near a fishing village. None 
of the crew was hurt.''
  A declassified document, Missing Air Crew Report 8275, recently found 
in the National Archives, verifies that all nine crew members survived 
the force of the crash landing near Sovde, Sweden. Weather conditions 
and visibility were described as ``cloudy smooth.'' The bomber, 
numbered 43-37596, was last sighted at ``1322 hours'' that day.
  Stan and his crew were rescued by Swedish troops and Red Cross 
workers; however, the American airmen would remain in neutral Sweden 
for 6 months. The bomber crew were considered prisoners of war until 
repatriated back to England. Stan, who originally enlisted in January 
1943, remained in the U.S. Army Air Corps until he was honorably 
discharged at New Castle Army Airfield in October 1945.
  After World War II, Stan did what many GIs did upon returning home. 
He picked up where he left off before the war. Stan went back to his 
grocery job at the American Store, now known as ACME, located at 
Chestnut and Franklin Streets in Wilmington.
  Shortly thereafter, Stan Lawruk married Pearl DeLucia in November 
1946. Together Stan and Pearl raised three children: Kathy, Stan, and 
Tim. Stan eventually landed a delivery job with the Tasty Baking 
Company, the maker of Tastykake treats. He worked there for 35 years 
until retirement. Topping that record was the nearly 69 years of 
marriage shared by Stan and Pearl Lawruk. His beloved wife passed away 
in 2015.
  Stan, who just celebrated his 95th birthday, is still well known in 
our community and in our State. He recently moved to Wilmington VA 
Medical Center's Community Living Center, where he quickly became a 
favorite among the residents, staff, and veterans.
  Stan still loves Tastykake treats and is widely known to be a bit of 
a card sharp who enjoys a game of Blackjack. Besides his interest in 
playing cards, he recently discovered his talent as an artist. In the 
last year alone, Stan has painted more than a dozen works of art. Folk 
who know Stan know him to be a loving, caring, social, and extremely 
positive person.
  In summary, Stanley ``Lucky'' Lawruk is truly part of our Greatest 
Generation. I offer him my thanks for his sacrifices for family, for 
State, for country, and for humanity.
  Stan, on behalf of a grateful nation, thank you for your dedicated 
service.

                          ____________________