[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 199 (Tuesday, November 16, 2021)]
[House]
[Page H6272]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




             HONORING THE LIFE AND LEGACY OF BERNARD MARIE

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
Virginia (Mr. Cline) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. CLINE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the life and legacy of 
Bernard Marie, who recently passed away at the age of 82.
  As a young 5-year-old living in Normandy, France, Marie often told 
the story of being rushed into his basement by his grandparents in the 
early morning of June 6, 1944.
  It was there that his family sat for 16 hours in the dark without 
food or water before his mother emerged from the cellar to hug an 
American GI after realizing their village had finally been liberated 
from German occupation.
  Marie said that witnessing the D-Day invasion instilled in him a 
lifelong respect for World War II veterans, and he was forever grateful 
for those who secured his country's freedom.
  Later in life, when he moved to the United States, he began hosting 
an annual luncheon to honor local World War II veterans wherever he was 
living to show his support for them and their families.
  When he settled in Roanoke, Virginia, in 2021, he brought the event 
with him. These luncheons served as a place for veterans to come 
together and share their experiences--some for the first time.
  Aside from the luncheons, Marie helped raise money for the National 
D-Day Memorial in Bedford. He sat at the bedside of servicemembers when 
they were ill. He even worked to award the French Legion of Honor medal 
to nearly 150 American veterans. He said that his goal was not only to 
honor these heroes but to ensure they were never forgotten.
  I was terribly saddened to learn of Mr. Marie's passing. He meant a 
great deal to western Virginia, and he will not soon be forgotten.

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