[Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 104 (Monday, June 22, 2026)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E595]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




RECOGNIZING PRIVATE FIRST CLASS MICHAEL GRIECO, SR. FROM BUCKS COUNTY, 
                              PENNSYLVANIA

                                 ______
                                 

                       HON. BRIAN K. FITZPATRICK

                            of pennsylvania

                    in the house of representatives

                         Monday, June 22, 2026

  Mr. FITZPATRICK. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor a man whose life 
reflects the very best of America, a member of the Greatest Generation, 
a United States Marine, a devoted husband and father, and a proud 
centenarian and United States Marine Corps veteran, Private First Class 
Michael Grieco, Sr.
  Born in Chicago, Illinois, on May 26, 1926, and raised in 
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Michael came of age during some of the most 
difficult years in our Nation's history. At just sixteen years old, 
while many young men were still deciding what they wanted from life, 
Michael knew what he wanted to give. In 1943, he left school and 
enlisted in the United States Marine Corps, determined to serve his 
country during its hour of need.
  What followed was a journey that carried him across the Pacific, and 
into some of the fiercest battles of World War II. He would later fight 
at Tinian, landing in the first wave with the 2nd Marine Division, and 
he would go on to serve in the Battle of Okinawa, where so many 
Americans paid the ultimate sacrifice.
  For Michael and so many of his generation, service was never about 
recognition. It was about duty. It was about standing beside those who 
depended on you. It was about carrying burdens that others would never 
see and asking for nothing in return.
  After the war ended, Michael set out to build a life for himself. 
Michael became a tailor, dedicating more than four decades to his 
craft. In 1950, he married the love of his life, Eleanor. Together they 
built a family grounded in love and devotion, raising two sons, Michael 
Jr. and Gary, and sharing thirty-four years of marriage before 
Eleanor's passing in 1984.
  Yet what makes Michael's story so remarkable is not only what he 
accomplished in war or work, it is the way he embraced life itself. He 
discovered a love for skiing in 1950 and continued to ski in his 
nineties. At age fifty-eight, he took up cycling and never looked back. 
In many ways, that determination and spirit reflected the Marine he had 
always been, always moving forward, always embracing the next 
challenge.
  Today, as Michael Grieco celebrates a century of life, he is 
surrounded by the family that stands as his greatest achievement: two 
sons, four grandchildren, and five great-grandchildren. Through them, 
his legacy continues.
  Mr. Speaker, men like Michael Grieco helped save the world from 
tyranny and then returned home to build lives defined by service, 
humility, and love. Their generation asked for little, gave much, and 
left our Nation stronger than they found it. The example he has set is 
now ours to honor and ours to carry forward.

                          ____________________