[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 187 (Thursday, November 21, 2019)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1490]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       RECOGNIZING MICKEY GANITCH

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. ERIC SWALWELL

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, November 21, 2019

  Mr. SWALWELL of California. Madam Speaker, I rise to recognize Mickey 
Ganitch, World War II (WWII) Navy veteran and survivor of the attack on 
Pearl Harbor, who celebrated his 100th birthday on November 18, 2019.
  Mr. Ganitch proudly refers to his younger self as, ``just a country 
boy from Ohio.'' He was born into a large family and had 13 brothers 
and sisters. As a young man, Mr. Ganitch's curiosity resulted in a 
close following of world events and he began to see the deterioration 
of the situations in Europe and Asia. His concern about the human 
condition drove him to join the Navy in January 1941, less than 11 
months before the Pearl Harbor attack.
  When December 6, 1941 arrived, Mr. Ganitch was going about his 
business on the USS Pennsylvania in a football jersey. He was on the 
ship's team and was supposed to play a game against those serving on 
the USS Arizona that day. Shortly before a practice, the ship's phone 
rang, alerting the crew of an incoming attack. With rounds bombarding 
the ship and its crew, Mr. Ganitch climbed the main mast to the crow's 
nest. From there he was able to alert the gunners below of further 
incoming enemies, allowing them to bring them down and saving the lives 
of those on the decks beneath him.
  While his experience in Pearl Harbor was certainly a defining moment 
in his life, Mr. Ganitch continued to serve throughout WWII and the 
Korean War. He was later assigned to a recruitment post in Oakland, 
California, right back where his military career began, before retiring 
as a Senior Chief Quartermaster on October 10, 1963.
  Mr. Ganitch is a fixture in our community. He is immediately 
recognizable by his vivid and extensive wardrobe of Hawaiian shirts and 
larger-than-life smile. He was also known for how well he ``cut a rug'' 
during the musical numbers at every Veterans Day event. Even today, Mr. 
Ganitch devotes his time to volunteering with veterans' organizations 
in the Bay Area and educating school children about the war in an 
effort to never let the events at Pearl Harbor be forgotten.
  I thank Mr. Ganitch for his selfless service to our country. I hope 
to continue learning from his example of a century-long life well-
lived.

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