[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 124 (Tuesday, July 23, 2019)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E966]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




            IN RECOGNITION OF JOHN FARRITOR'S 100TH BIRTHDAY

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. MIKE LEVIN

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, July 23, 2019

  Mr. LEVIN of California. Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize the 
100th birthday of veteran and integral part of the San Diego and Camp 
Pendleton communities, John Farritor.
  John was born on July 9, 1919 in Broken Bow, Nebraska. At the age of 
13, John dropped out of school to run his family's 720-acre hay farm. 
Although he wanted to enlist after Germany invaded Poland in 1939, he 
waited a year to help his mother at the ranch before joining the 
Marines.
  John started boot camp at the Marine Corps Recruit Depot in San Diego 
in July 1941 and was later stationed at Camp Pendleton as a member of 
the 3rd Marine Division Field Artillery. John is one of the few 
surviving Marines who marched 55 miles from Camp Elliot to the newly 
opened Camp Pendleton in Oceanside in September 1942.
  John's division played a crucial role in several battles in the 
Pacific, including the battle to liberate Guam and the battle of Iwo 
Jima. He remembers watching his fellow soldiers raising the American 
flag after the battle of Iwo Jima. The morning after the battle, he 
rose at dawn to make sure the flag was still flying over the hill.
  John continued his service after the war and joined the 11th Marine 
Regiment, 1st Battalion at Camp Pendleton. He served in the Korean War, 
where he received a wound to the hand from flying shrapnel. Despite his 
years of service, he has refused a Purple Heart and does not like being 
called a war hero. He says that ``all of the real heroes were buried 
over there.''
  During his 30 years of service in the Marines, he rose from the rank 
of private to first sergeant. He documented his experiences in his 
memoir Through It All: Stories from the Top, published in 2001.
  John Farritor has lived an incredible and full life. He is a true 
inspiration for our community, and we cannot thank him enough for his 
service to his country and to Camp Pendleton.
  John Farritor celebrated his birthday on July 9 with friends and 
family in Vista, California. I am honored to pay tribute to John, and I 
wish him a very happy 100th birthday.

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