[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 4 (Wednesday, January 8, 2020)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E14]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     HONORING THE LIFE OF JOE WALSH

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. MIKE LEVIN

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                       Wednesday, January 8, 2020

  Mr. LEVIN of California. Madam Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute 
to Joe Walsh, who passed away on December 28, 2019 after a lifetime of 
service to his country.
  Joe was born on March 18, 1919 in East Orange, New Jersey. After 
enlisting in the Marines in 1938, Joe served in the Marine Corps' Third 
Defense Battalion at the Navy Yard in Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. 
He was attending a morning color guard ceremony when the attack began. 
He helped man three anti-aircraft guns to shoot down the invading 
planes.
  Joe believed that ``the guys who were over there who didn't make it 
back deserved to be remembered.'' Joe was the last surviving member and 
cofounder of the Pearl Harbor Survivor Association's North County 
Chapter 31. Since 1986, he organized an annual memorial at Oceanside 
Harbor on the anniversary of the Pearl Harbor bombing. He attended his 
last memorial service two weeks before he passed.
  I was honored to meet Joe and his wife Bea to celebrate his 100th 
birthday. Bea was one of 23,000 women who enlisted in the Marines 
during the war. She was a member of the Aviation Women's Reserve 
Squadron 21 at Quantico, Virginia. Joe and Bea were married for 73 
years and have six children.
  Joe Walsh lived an incredible and full life. He could talk to anyone 
and somehow make them laugh. He was a dedicated husband, parent, and 
friend. We are grateful for his service to his country and his 
contributions to the Southern California community.

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