[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 208 (Wednesday, December 9, 2020)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1126]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                 HONORING MAURICE R. ``HANK'' GREENBERG

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. ELIOT L. ENGEL

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, December 9, 2020

  Mr. ENGEL. Madam Speaker, it is incumbent upon us to acknowledge 
patriots who have fought to secure and strengthen the cherished 
liberties that every American citizen holds dear. Maurice R. `Hank' 
Greenberg is one of those patriots who has devoted his life to 
embracing and advancing the American spirit.
  Hank's father died when Hank was six years old. The family moved to 
upstate New York to a dairy farm where a very long and back breaking 
day's work was a common reality. Like so many others, he and his family 
were barely scraping by. Soon, America was at war.
  At 17, Hank left high school, enlisted in the Army and was attached 
to the 5th Ranger Battalion which stormed the beaches of Normandy. 
Later, Hank was a member of the forces that liberated the concentration 
camp at Dachau. Hank remained in the U.S. Army Reserves as a first 
Lieutenant. When the Korean War broke out, Hank returned to service, 
rising to the rank of Captain. For his extraordinary military service 
and sacrifice in the European Theater and Korea, Hank was awarded the 
Bronze Star and the Award for Meritorious Unit Commendation. He was 
also bestowed with the prestigious Commandeur of the French Ordre 
National de la Legion d'Honneur.
  Between his years of military service, Hank finished high school, 
college and then law school. He credits the G.I. Bill with the 
opportunities he has had in his life. ``It helped me build AIG 
(American International Group)'' he said, which, under his leadership, 
became the largest insurance company in the world. Hank is currently 
chairman and Chief Executive Officer of C.V. Starr, a diversified 
financial services firm.
  Hank's service in our Armed Forces warrants our gratitude. His years 
as an American and international corporate leader, a visionary of 
globalization, an innovator, and philanthropist who has changed lives 
for the better in the United States and around the world are equally 
stellar and illustrious. And, at the age of 95, Hank is as involved as 
ever.
  Hank is the Honorary Vice Chairman of the Council on Foreign 
Relations and Vice Chairman of The National Committee on United States-
China Relations. He is the past Chairman and Director of the Federal 
Reserve Bank of New York. Personally, and as Chairman of the Starr 
Foundation, one of the largest private foundations in the United 
States, Hank oversees disbursement of major financial support to 
institutions worldwide. I have personally seen the transformational 
change he has made in the lives of thousands of older adults at the 
Hebrew Home at Riverdale, a nationally renowned center for the aging, 
which I have had the great honor to represent for my 32-year term. In 
acknowledgment of Hank's longstanding support, the Hebrew Home has 
named its campus the Maurice R. and Corinne P. Greenberg Campus.
  Let us acknowledge the extraordinary accomplishments of a great 
American and veteran, a champion of freedom, a patriot, a man who has 
been able to unite countries and human beings for the betterment of our 
greater good.

                          ____________________