[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 58 (Monday, March 29, 2021)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E319-E320]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




             HONORING THE LIFE OF HERMON RUDOLPH NETHERLAND

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. BRIAN BABIN

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                         Monday, March 29, 2021

  Mr. BABIN. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the life of Hermon 
Rudolph Netherland, who passed away on Friday, March 19, 2021, at the 
age of 94. Hermon was a U.S. Navy World War II veteran, longtime 
resident of Tyler County, and deeply respected by all who knew him.
  Hermon was born on April 21, 1926, in Enterprise, Louisiana, to Anne 
and Neal Netherland. At a young age, his family moved to Port Arthur, 
where he was raised. Like many kids of his generation, Hermon worked 
from an early age. His family had a large garden and they grew an 
assortment of fruits and vegetables from bell peppers to cantaloupes. 
Hermon had the responsibility of tending the garden. His duties 
included hoeing, watering, and picking the vegetables. At the onset of 
WWII, Hermon felt led to serve his country and wanted to enlist. 
However, Hermon's father was against this decision, fearing his 15-
year-old son would go to war. After spending the next year convincing 
his father, Hermon was finally allowed to enlist in the Navy.
  After completing Basic Training in San Diego, California, and signal 
school in Chicago, Illinois, Hermon enrolled in underwater demolition 
training at Fort Pierce in Florida. He soon qualified as both a Navy 
signal man and frog man, (someone who assisted with underwater 
demolitions). After a deployment in Newport, Rhode Island, Hermon went 
on to participate in nearly every major campaign in the Pacific 
Theater. Throughout the war, he would be based on the USS Birgit, a 
troop transport and cargo ship. His duties would rotate between 
signalman, frog man, and manning a landing craft taking troops to shore 
on several of the most dangerous invasion campaigns. Hermon was present 
for the U.S. invasion of Guam, Sai Pan, Iwo Jima, Okinawa, the 
Philippines, and the Marshall Islands. While in the Philippines, Hermon 
and fellow Navy frogmen were tasked with helping to open the Straits of 
Hormuz.
  The USS Birgit returned to America after the war via the Panama 
Canal. Conveniently, its final stop was the Port of Orange, where the 
ship was then decommissioned and sold. Essentially, the ship he had 
spent the entirety of the war on, traveling across the Pacific Ocean, 
delivered Hermon to his own front door. Shortly after returning home, 
Hermon met Velma, the love of his life. They were married soon after 
she completed high school. They were blessed with 64 years of marriage 
and a wonderful baby girl. Following his time in the military, Hermon 
went to work for Texaco in Port Arthur and retired from there after 
many years of service. During his retirement, Hermon enjoyed spending 
time at his cabin located on Lake Amanda in Colmesneil to hunt and 
fish.

[[Page E320]]

  Hermon is survived by his sister-in-law, Charlene Netherland of 
Oregon, and numerous friends. He is preceded in death by his parents, 
Neal and Anne Netherland; wife, Velma Netherland; and daughter, Sharon 
Netherland.
  Madam Speaker, I honor my friend Hermon Netherland as one of the last 
members of the Greatest Generation. His faithful service to our country 
will not be forgotten, and my heartfelt prayers remain with his family 
and friends during this difficult time.

                          ____________________