[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 206 (Thursday, December 14, 2023)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1231-E1232]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  CELEBRATING THE LIFE OF CORPORAL AMOS E. PIERCE, JR. A WORLD WAR II 
 VETERAN, BUFFALO SOLDIER, ARMY 24TH INFANTRY REGIMENT ATTACHED TO THE 
                       UNITED STATES MARINE CORPS

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. TROY A. CARTER

                              of louisiana

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, December 14, 2023

  Mr. CARTER of Louisiana. Mr. Speaker, today, I stand to honor the 
life of an exceptional New Orleans Serviceman, United States Marine 
Corporal Amos E. Pierce, Jr., who was

[[Page E1232]]

born on January 23, 1925, in New Orleans, LA, and peacefully passed 
away on November 29, 2023.
  Amos E. Pierce, Jr., was a proud resident of Pontchartrain Park, now 
recognized on the National Register of Historic Places, and a devoted 
member of St. Paul the Apostle Catholic Church for over 70 years. 
Pierce was a distinguished member of the ``Buffalo Soldiers'' during 
World War II.
  Known affectionately as ``Pops'' and ``Uncle Amos,'' he married 
Althea on July 26, 1952, and they had three sons: Stacey Anthony 
(deceased), Ron Paul, and Wendell Edward. Amos E. Pierce, Jr. was a 
dedicated employee of the University of New Orleans for 30 years.
  Survived by two of his sons, Ron and Wendell, his four grandchildren, 
Meghan, Logan, Janelle, and Natalie Pierce, daughter-in-law's Debra 
Pierce and Erica Young, along with his sister-in-law Maryann Edwards 
and numerous nieces and nephews, Amos E. Pierce, Jr. was preceded in 
death by his wife of 60 years, Althea Lee Edwards Pierce.
  His story of bravery in the Battle of Saipan was shared in his son's 
memoir ``The Wind in the Reeds,'' shedding light on the injustice his 
father faced upon discharge, where his heroic achievements were 
unjustly dismissed due to racial prejudice.
  The Defense Department realized its mistake and offered Mr. Amos his 
medals, but he declined. Despite the mistreatment, he didn't teach his 
sons to harbor resentment against the country.
  In 2009, Wendell discovered that his dad had been unjustly denied 
medals. Working with a local TV reporter and Senator Mary Landrieu's 
office, they successfully corrected the oversight. Amos Pierce, who had 
earned six medals, was finally honored in a special ceremony at the 
World War II Museum in New Orleans in October 2009.
  He received his medals, including an Asiatic Pacific Campaign medal 
with a Bronze Service Star and a World War II Victory medal, during a 
special Armed Forces Day ceremony at The National WWII Museum in 2009. 
One of the elder Pierce's last public appearances was at the museum's 
Patriot Awards Gala last month, where his son received the 
Distinguished Citizen Award from the Congressional Medal of Honor 
Society.
  ``He was a man of great resilience, a little boy who grew up in Gert 
Town, born at a time when everyone and everything around him said his 
humanity meant nothing, showed that he was something.''
  Drafted at the outset of World War II, he graduated from Gaudet High 
School after returning from the war and studied at Southern University 
and Agricultural & Mechanical College before moving to New York City to 
study photography.
  He is affectionately described as a man of great fortitude who 
switched gears and became a maintenance man. He changed his profession 
and found a way to work and support his family, he wasn't overwhelmed 
by the change. He just adjusted, as men of purpose do.
  Southern University held an exhibit of Amos Pierce's photographs, 
which were lost in August 2005 when Hurricane Katrina's floodwaters 
destroyed the family's home in Pontchartrain Park, a Gentilly 
subdivision established in the mid-1950s when segregation was still 
official policy, to give African Americans the opportunity of home 
ownership. The Pierces were among the first Pontchartrain Park 
residents.
  The Pontchartrain Park Community Development Corp., started to buy 
back homes in the subdivision that had been sold to the government. In 
2012, slightly more than five years after moving back into 
Pontchartrain Park, Amos Pierce's wife, Althea Pierce, died. Amos 
Pierce kept going.
  He was a parishioner of St. Paul the Apostle Catholic Church, where 
he was a member of the Knights of Peter Claver. He was praised for 
giving ``the most precious things ever: love and time.''
  The Greater New Orleans Community has lost an incredible gem. I am 
proud to have connected with him during my time as a Member of 
Congress, appreciating the guidance and support he provided. I'll 
always carry his direction as I serve the constituents of the 2nd 
Congressional District of Louisiana. May he rest in peace forever.

                          ____________________