[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 148 (2002), Part 9]
[House]
[Page 12811]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




         REMEMBERING OUR VETERANS THROUGH SERVICE ORGANIZATIONS

  (Mr. GEKAS asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. GEKAS. Mr. Speaker, 1941 was a banner year for American baseball 
and baseball in the American League, as it were. In that year Joe 
DiMaggio hit in 56 games straight, and Ted Williams batted 406. These 
are not the important historical facts, although they are great for 
those of us who follow baseball, but both of them did something 
extraordinary. Joe DiMaggio, very soon after that wonderful streak, 
entered the United States Army and served until 1946 as a 
noncommissioned officer in the United States Army. Ted Williams went 
into the Air Force, or Army, and served the balance of the war in his 
branch of the service.
  Then dramatically twice after that, Ted Williams reported back for 
duty and served in the Korean conflict. These are the great Americans 
that we remember and we will continue to remember through the service 
organizations which we will discuss a little bit later.

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