[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 152 (2006), Part 17]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 22010]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




RECOGNIZING WWII VETERAN AND POW RAY KNISLEY, JR. OF CHIEFLAND, FLORIDA

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                         HON. GINNY BROWN-WAITE

                               of florida

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, November 14, 2006

  Ms. GINNY BROWN-WAITE of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor a 
Prisoner of War from World War II, Ray Knisley, Jr. Born in 
Massachusetts, Mr. Knisley served in the U.S. Army and was captured by 
the Nazi Army.
  Mr. Knisley served as a medical aid man with the 117th Cavalry 
Reconnaissance Squadron. While encamped near the German border of 
Alsace Lorraine on New Year's Eve, 1944, his entire unit was overrun 
and he was taken prisoner. For the next several months, Mr. Knisley was 
transferred between several prisoner camps, finally being rescued by 
the Russian Army on April 28, 1945.
  Following World War II, Mr. Knisley raised his family in 
Massachusetts. He and his wife have five children, nine grand children 
and six great grand children. In 1985 Mr. Knisley moved to West Palm 
Beach, where he worked as a volunteer at the local Veterans Affairs 
Hospital for twenty years. He specialized in working with fellow 
prisoners of war; eventually assisting more than two hundred former 
POWs receive a one hundred percent disability rating. He recently moved 
to Chiefland about a year ago.
  Mr. Speaker, prisoners of war like Ray Knisley, Jr. should be 
recognized for their service to our nation and for their commitment and 
sacrifices in battle. With thousands of World War II veterans passing a 
way each year, it is incumbent on all Americans to hear their stories 
and preserve their memories. Ray Knisley, Jr. should know that we truly 
consider him one of America's heroes.

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