[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 215 (Wednesday, January 3, 2024)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1267]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




     CELEBRATING THE 100TH BIRTHDAY OF WWII VETERAN CHARLES PLATZER

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                           HON. BRIAN HIGGINS

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                       Wednesday, January 3, 2024

  Mr. HIGGINS of New York. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the 
100th Birthday of Williamsville, New York resident and World War II 
Navy Veteran Charles Platzer.
  Mr. Platzer was born on December 24, 1923 in Depew, New York and 
worked at the Chevrolet plant on Delavan Avenue. At the young age of 18 
he enlisted in the U.S. Navy and was sent to bootcamp in Sampson, New 
York. He then received training at the quartermaster school in Newport, 
Rhode Island where he learned to navigate the ocean. Afterwards, he 
began his amphibious training in Virginia where they learned the 
important skill of attacking the land from the sea which would 
obviously prove to be important during World War II.
  When it was time to put his skills to the test he sailed through the 
Panama Canal, around through the West Coast and eventually ended up in 
the Marshall Islands. They landed during a battle.
  Eventually he headed back to the United States and went through the 
Panama Canal again on his way to the Philippines where he waited to 
invade Japan. He was part of the armada that was about to invade Japan 
but thankfully the war ended, and he was one of the lucky ones who 
headed safely home on January 12, 1946.
  After the war he returned to school to finish what he started and 
earned his bachelor's degree in business administration from the 
University at Buffalo and his master's degree in education from 
Canisius College. The skills he learned in the military helped him 
focus on pursuing an education while raising his family and working. 
When he was 46 years of age, he began teaching at Erie Commmunity 
College as an assistant professor and eventually became a full-time 
professor. He believes that living honestly is the key to living a long 
life. Today, I am asking all present to join me in celebrating the 
wonderful life of Charles Platzer.

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