[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 125 (Wednesday, July 31, 2024)]
[Senate]
[Page S5677]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       REMEMBERING CARVER McGRIFF

  Mr. YOUNG. Madam President, I rise today to in honor of Hoosier Hero 
Carver McGriff.
  A great Hoosier is gone, and with him, another link to our Greatest 
Generation is lost. Carver McGriff of Indianapolis, who died on July 20 
at the age of 99, never considered himself a hero or sought the many 
honors he received.
  After all, thousands of other boys stormed the beaches of Normandy. 
As Carver would remind us, he was just among the fortunate who came 
home. But a few of those honors bear mentioning: the Bronze Star, two 
Purple Hearts, the French Legion of Honor medal. Characteristically, on 
his induction into the Indiana Military Veterans Hall of Fame, Carver 
said, ``I have no idea what I did to deserve it, not very much.''
  Let the record show, here is what he did to deserve it and why he was 
a hero:
  As part of the 90th Infantry Division, he manned a machine-gun on 
Utah Beach, surrounded by the enemy during Operation Overlord. He took 
artillery fire in both legs and one arm, was captured by the Germans, 
and spent a month as a prisoner of war. Injuries prevented further 
Active Duty, but after his rescue, he remained with the Army until the 
war was won and the Axis defeated.
  Like so many other Americans, he then came home, started a career, 
raised a family, and contributed to his community. He tried his hand at 
business, but Carver's calling was the ministry. He served for 26 years 
as the senior pastor at St. Luke's United Methodist Church in 
Indianapolis, growing its congregation dramatically during his tenure.
  Carver rarely celebrated his part in winning the war and spoke of his 
service humbly. What he took from this difficult period of his life was 
a sense of grace, inspired by the humanity he saw in the worst moments 
of combat: the French priest who offered him and other hungry Americans 
food and the common citizenship among soldiers that mattered more than 
color or creed.
  What he thought of most often, though, were those boys who did not 
come home. In later years, when he would guide tours across Normandy, 
Carver would point to the crosses standing in the American Cemetery. 
Then he would ask his companions to pick one out, say the name engraved 
on it, and offer a prayer for the soldier resting under it. ``It has 
been a long time since someone has said a prayer for that boy, but you 
can,'' he would remind them.
  And we can do the same. I ask my fellow Americans to join in saying a 
prayer for Carver McGriff and extending condolences to his beloved wife 
Marianne, their three daughters, and nine grandchildren. But as we 
mourn his loss, we also celebrate an incredible life, full of years and 
purpose, led with humility and courage.
  If, in the decades ahead, future Americans ever wonder why we 
referred to this generation as the Greatest, they need only look to the 
example of Carver McGriff, not simply because of his valor in a war, 
but because of how he lived his life and served his country long after 
it was over. Great, indeed.

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