[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 81 (Monday, May 15, 2023)]
[Senate]
[Pages S1640-S1641]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



            Remembering Corporal Marion ``Wayne'' Saucerman

  Mr. YOUNG. Cpl Marion ``Wayne'' Saucerman--there he is.
  He graduated from Dugger High School in Sullivan County, IN, in 1943. 
Two days later, he joined the U.S. Marine Corps. This is a decision he 
made after he listened to reports of the attack on Pearl Harbor over 
the family radio in 1941.
  Corporal Saucerman was ready to fight, and fight he did with great 
valor. In a year, he went from rural western Indiana to the volcanic 
beaches of Iwo Jima. He was part of an elite sniper platoon in the 24th 
Marine Regiment, 4th Marine Division.
  As he and other marines approached the shore, the battle was so 
fierce, the marines could barely make out the smoke-shrouded island.
  Days after landing, Corporal Saucerman and his 30-man platoon reached 
the frontlines. Only 10 returned. While Corporal Saucerman did not 
raise the Stars and Stripes on Mount Suribachi, he could see it waving 
high in the distance from his position down on the shoreline.
  That American flag would not have flown over the island had Corporal 
Saucerman and his brother marines not been there fighting for it.
  Weeks later, he led an operation to flush out Japanese riflemen who 
were hidden deep in caves. Wayne Saucerman was hit three times by enemy 
fire: a bullet to the right hand and two more in the left leg, one of 
which he carried the rest of his life.
  The Purple Heart was Corporal Saucerman's reward for his bravery at 
Iwo Jima. The bullet in his leg was a lifelong reminder of the service 
to his country.
  The sacrifices of those marines and sailors on Iwo Jima, men like 
Wayne Saucerman, saved the lives of 24,000 American air crewmen from a 
perilous fate in the waters of the Pacific and changed the tide of 
World War II. And then they came home. They built communities; they 
raised families; they continued to make history. In fact, for 35 years, 
Corporal Saucerman worked at Allison Transmission in Indianapolis, 
helping build the machines that took Americans across highways, into 
the air, and to the Moon.
  Corporal Saucerman passed away on May 2. He was aged 97.
  I rise today to give tribute to a life well lived in both heroic 
service to his country and dedicated service back home, a man who had 
great love for his family and friends and a Hoosier who was, in return, 
greatly loved.
  His passing is a reminder that the ranks of our World War II veterans 
grow thinner by the day. They have saved civilization by simply doing 
their duty.
  In what time we have, with what poor power each of us has, let us 
never forget or cease to thank these heroic veterans for doing their 
part.
  Semper Fidelis.

[[Page S1641]]

  I yield the floor.