[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 148 (2002), Part 12]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages 16113-16114]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                      IN HONOR OF AMBROSIO SOLANO

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. DIANA DeGETTE

                              of colorado

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, September 4, 2002

  Ms. DeGETTE. Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor one of my constituents, 
Ambrosio Solano, who served bravely and honorably in the U.S. Army 
during World War II. Mr. Solano was drafted when he was 18 years old 
and participated in the D-day invasion at Normandy. After suffering 
shrapnel wounds, Mr. Solano returned to the United States following 
almost 2 years of dutiful service.
  Yet, Mr. Solano never received official recognition of the pain and 
suffering he gave for his country. Mr. Solano never received any of the 
medals owed him by the federal government. Now, 56 years later, on 
August 28, 2002, Mr. Solano finally received his 14 medals, including 
two Purple Hearts, a Bronze Star, and an Oak Leaf Cluster.
  I am honored to count Mr. Solano as one of my constituents and I 
would like to include for the record the following editorial praising 
Mr. Solano. It appeared in the Denver Post on August 30, 2002.
  ``We're gratified that Ambrosio Solano finally received the 14 medals 
he earned fighting for his country during World War II--although we're 
dismayed that the Army veteran of the Normandy invasion had to wait 56 
years for recognition.
  Even his family knew little about Solano's combat experiences because 
he seldom talked about the war with his wife or children. After keeping 
his own counsel for nearly half a century, Solano began to open up to 
his son, former U.S. Attorney Henry Solano, as they motored cross 
country from Boston to Denver in 1994.
  Solano, 76, is a native of Chapel, N.M., who grew up in New Mexico 
and Colorado. He was drafted into the Army in 1943 and went ashore

[[Page 16114]]

at Normandy on June 6, 1944, among the first waves of invading American 
troops who spearheaded the liberation of Europe.
  Initially, Solano served in the 29th Infantry Division but later 
became a paratrooper and transferred to the 101st Airborne Division.
  He recounted the horrors of the amphibious invasion on the Normandy 
beaches, recalling the clank of the landing craft's ramp as it dropped 
and going forward into German gunfire that awaited the invading troops. 
He remembered standing waist-deep in water and seeing the bodies of 
slain American soldiers floating by.
  After he joined the paratroops, Solano jumped into the battle for St. 
Lo, where he suffered shrapnel wounds. Later, as American troops swept 
into the Rhineland, Solano was wounded in the leg.
  Among Solano's belated decorations, in addition to two Purple Hearts, 
are the Bronze Star for combat service, Good Conduct Medal, American 
Campaign Medal, World War II Victory Medal, European-African Middle-
Eastern Campaign Medal, Combat Infantry badge and World War II 
Honorable Service button. Solano was discharged from the Army in 1946 
and returned to Colorado, where he worked for Ideal Cement Co. for 36 
years. Because the war kept him from going to college, Solano, who's 
been married 52 years, was determined that his four children would do 
so. Son Henry is a lawyer and another son, Ambrose, is a doctor.
  About three years ago, Solano wrote to the government, hoping to 
finally get his medals, but to no avail. Then Representative Diana 
DeGette, D-Denver, stepped in and made it happen.
  You may not know Ambrosio Solano personally, but the mere fact that 
you are free to read these words means you owe him thanks for fighting 
to preserve your freedoms by helping defeat Nazi tyranny.
  We can never adequately repay Solano and his comrades, but the medals 
he finally received are his country's way of thanking them, however 
belatedly, for their noble service and sacrifices.''

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