[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 36 (Wednesday, February 28, 2024)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E184-E185]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        HONORING RAYMOND FLORES

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. JOAQUIN CASTRO

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, February 28, 2024

  Mr. CASTRO of Texas. Mr. Speaker, today I rise in honor of Mr. 
Raymond Flores, a World War II veteran and native of San Antonio, Texas 
who recently celebrated his 102nd birthday at San Antonio's Boss Ross 
Senior Center. Born February 28, 1922, to Mauro Flores and Dorothea 
Martinez, Mr. Flores has spent his life dedicated to public service.
  Following his graduation from Luther Burbank High School in 1941, Mr. 
Flores spent the greater part of a year working for the Civilian 
Conservation Corps in Dallas Texas, helping the country recover from 
the Great Depression. In December of that year, Mr. Flores answered the 
Nation's call and enlisted in the U.S. Army Air Corps to help defend 
freedoms overseas. Mr. Flores completed a tour of duty in the Southern 
and Western Pacific where he served as Air Freight Master in Papua New 
Guinea and as First Cook in Australia. Mr. Flores then returned 
stateside, where he served as First Cook at Camp Kearns in Salt Lake 
City, Utah, before being transferred back home to Fort Sam Houston in 
San Antonio, Texas. It was there on September 30, 1945, that Mr. Flores 
received his honorable discharge along with other accommodations for 
his time in service.
  After his return to civilian life, Mr. Flores attended San Antonio 
College. In early spring 1948, Mr. Flores met Margarita Gomez and they 
were married later that year on June 27, 1948, at San Fernando 
Cathedral. Over the following three decades, Mr. Flores continued his 
tradition of service, working for the United States Postal Service 
until he retired, with commendation from President Jimmy Carter, in 
December 1980.
  Mr. Flores is currently living in a VA assisted living care facility 
where he brings life and joy to those around him. Before his beloved 
wife Margarita passed in 2019, she and Mr. Flores celebrated seventy-
one years of marriage together. When asked what he is proudest of, Mr. 
Flores cites his fifty-two years of volunteer service to the St. 
Vincent De Paul Society, where he was an officer from 1952 to 2004 at 
the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Little Flower. When asked 
what lesson he wishes to pass onto the next generation, Mr. Flores 
asked that we all pray and keep the Lord in our lives.
  Mr. Speaker, please join me in recognizing the long life and 
honorable achievements of Mr. Raymond Flores. His story is a testament 
to his character and his status as the pride of San Antonio. May God 
bless him and his family for all their years to come.

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