[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 153 (2007), Part 21]
[Senate]
[Page 29101]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                   TRIBUTE TO LOUISIANA WWII VETERANS

 Ms. LANDRIEU. Mr. President, I would like to take a moment to 
pay tribute to a group of 84 World War II veterans from the Acadiana 
region of Louisiana that is making its way to Washington this weekend. 
Here the veterans will visit the World War II, Korea, Vietnam and Iwo 
Jima memorials as well as Arlington National Cemetery to lay a wreath 
at the Tomb of the Unknowns.
  The trip to the Nation's Capital this Saturday is being sponsored by 
a group in Lafayette, LA, called Louisiana HonorAir. The organization 
is honoring each surviving World War II Louisiana veteran by giving 
them a chance to see the memorials dedicated to their service. So far 
this year, there have been four trips to these Washington landmarks, 
and this weekend's trip will be the final one this year.
  World War II was one of the greatest achievements in American 
history, and was also the deadliest conflict. More than 60 million 
people worldwide were killed, including 40 million civilians, and more 
than 400,000 American servicemembers were slain during the long war. 
The ultimate victory over enemies in the Pacific and in Europe is a 
testament to the valor of American soldiers, sailors, airmen, and 
marines. The years 1941-1945 also witnessed an unprecedented 
mobilization of domestic industry, which supplied our military on two 
distant fronts.
  In Louisiana, there remain today about 44,000 living WWII veterans, 
and every one of them has their own heroic tale of their experience in 
achieving the noble victory of freedom over tyranny. Veterans in this 
group began their service in 1940 before the bombing of Pearl Harbor, 
and served as late as 1957, between the Korean and Vietnam wars. They 
served in every branch of the military--35 members in the Army; 
including a Buffalo soldier based in Italy; 27 in the Navy; 16 in the 
Army Air Corps, now the Air Force; 5 in the Marines; and 1 in the Coast 
Guard. The spent their service in the European and Pacific theaters as 
well as stateside and participated in many famous battles, including 
the attack on Pearl Harbor, the Battle of Normandy and the Battle of 
the Bulge.
  I ask the Senate to join me in honoring these 83 men and 1 woman, all 
Louisiana heroes, that we welcome to Washington this weekend and 
Louisiana HonorAir for making these trips a reality.

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