[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 201 (Wednesday, December 6, 2023)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1186]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




          HONORING THE LIFE AND LEGACY OF LT. HOPE KIRKENDALL

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. SCOTT FRANKLIN

                               of florida

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, December 6, 2023

  Mr. SCOTT FRANKLIN of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to mourn the 
loss and honor the legacy of a World War II heroine from Lakeland, FL, 
Lt. Hope Kirkendall. She passed away at the age of 103, carrying her 
spiritedness, heart of service and witty sense of humor until her final 
days.
  During World War II, Lt. Kirkendall was a nurse in the U.S. Army and 
was one of the first women to land in Normandy shortly after the Allied 
Forces' D-Day invasion. She arrived one month after the initial 
invasion and achieved the rank of first lieutenant, working around the 
clock with her surgical team to care for soldiers who made the ultimate 
sacrifices in the Battle for Brest and the Battle of the Bulge.
  Decades after her service, Lt. Kirkendall recounted getting involved 
in military life because she was young and wanted to see everything. 
She certainly achieved that goal Among her adventures, Kirkendall 
traveled in an ambulance convoy, using a gas can for a seat. She moved 
with field hospitals, taking in the wounded near the front lines. And 
amongst the chaos and the tragedy, she said she found a home.
  In 2017, Lt. Kirkendall received the French Knight in the Legion of 
Honor award for her expertise and bravery during bombings and in the 
line of fire. Lt. Kirkendall went on to raise five children after the 
war and continued her duties off the battlefield caring for patients 
who needed psychiatric assessments. She is survived by two siblings, 
five children, nine grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.
  Sadly, we are losing more of the greatest generation each day. May 
Hope rest in peace. She is truly an American hero.

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