[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 211 (Tuesday, December 7, 2021)]
[Senate]
[Pages S8959-S8960]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       TRIBUTE TO CARL LEOGRANDE

  Mr. BLUMENTHAL. Mr. President, today I rise to recognize Mr. Carl 
Leogrande, a remarkable man and World War II veteran who turns 100 on 
January 3, 2022.
  Following the invasion of Normandy, Mr. Leogrande served as a tank 
driver for the 12th Armored Division. After his tank was hit with 
artillery, Mr. Leogrande was transferred to the medical unit. While 
there, he efficiently deployed his first aid training from his days as 
a Boy Scout. This methodical, effective work earned Mr. Leogrande the 
attention of an officer. Soon, he received warfront training and was 
quickly assigned as a medic on the front lines.
  Mr. Leogrande's division pushed eastward. Along the way, they passed 
concentration camps that were being liberated by other units. The 
indescribable sights and smells left Mr. Leogrande with trauma that he 
speaks of to this day.
  At the age of 22, Mr. Leogrande returned home unharmed. Not long 
after,

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he went on a blind date with a young woman named Annabelle. She ended 
up becoming the love of his life, and the two married a year and a half 
later.
  In the 1970s, Mr. and Mrs. Leogrande moved to Mystic, CT, which they 
would call their home for the rest of their lives. They became proud 
member-owners of the Steamboat Wharf Condominium Association. The two 
were married for over five and a half decades, until Mrs. Leogrande 
passed away in 2003.
  Mr. Leogrande continues to attend every reunion of the 12th Armored 
Division. Though 782 members were lost during the war, 14 of them still 
remain, and Mr. Leogrande looks forward to joining his fellow soldiers 
for their 2022 reunion, which will take place in Texas.
  Mr. Leogrande's tireless service will be an enduring legacy. I 
applaud his many accomplishments and hope my colleagues will join me in 
congratulating Mr. Carl Leogrande on this milestone of his 100th 
birthday.

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