[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 60 (Tuesday, April 5, 2022)]
[House]
[Page H4185]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




             HONORING THE LIFE OF ISIDORE ``TEDDY'' BERTONE

  (Ms. MALLIOTAKIS asked and was given permission to address the House 
for 1 minute and to revise and extend her remarks.)
  Ms. MALLIOTAKIS. Mr. Speaker, I rise to tell the Nation about the 
service of a World War II veteran, someone who became a friend of mine, 
Isidore Bertone, who on Staten Island we know as Teddy.
  He was born on September 13, 1925, in Castiglione, a small village in 
Sicily. Teddy came to the United States with his mother in 1937 to 
escape the fascist regime of Mussolini, who was recruiting teenagers 
into service.
  In October 1943, at the age of 18, Bertone volunteered for the U.S. 
Navy during World War II. He served with distinction for 2\1/2\ years 
aboard the USS Zircon as part of the crew that rescued American sailors 
in the accidental sinking of an ammo ship off Boston Harbor during the 
D-day invasion of Normandy.
  I first met Teddy after he wrote a letter to the editor on August 21, 
2020, pleading for assistance after his request for help with proving 
his U.S. citizenship went unanswered. Having his citizenship paper was 
the most important thing to him because he loved this country so much.
  I called President Trump's office, and within 4 days, on August 25, 
2020, the citizenship office was in his backyard, swearing him in just 
weeks shy of his 95th birthday. To me, seeing this World War II veteran 
at the age of 95 being sworn in as an American citizen, was the most 
beautiful thing I ever witnessed.
  Sadly, Teddy passed away on March 19, 2022, at the age of 96.
  We miss you, Teddy. We all remember your service, and you are a hero 
to so many of us on Staten Island and across the United States.

                          ____________________