[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 154 (2008), Part 14]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 19871]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                       TRIBUTE TO RAYMOND E. DAY

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. DENNIS MOORE

                               of kansas

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, September 18, 2008

  Mr. MOORE of Kansas. Madam Speaker, I rise to honor the service and 
sacrifice of an honorable and proud American, Mr. Raymond E. Day. Mr. 
Day is an 84-year-old World War II veteran living in Kansas City, 
Missouri. In February 1945 Mr. Day was assigned to the 155th Machine 
Gunner's Battalion, 5th Marine Division during the assault on the 
island of Iwo Jima, as part of Operation Detachment.
  The mission of Operation Detachment was to secure two strategic 
airfields, located on the well-defended and heavily fortified island. 
On February 23, just 4 days after arriving on Iwo Jima, Mr. Day's 
machine gun position took nearly a direct hit, knocking his gunner's 
mate, Irra Arrington, unconscious, and rendering the gun inoperable.
  After successfully reviving Irra, the pair continued the fight, 
destroying several nearby enemy positions. The pair often dodged 
obstacles such as barbed wire and land mines and repeatedly came under 
relentless attack from Japanese small arms fire, mortar fire, and 
artillery barrages. Again, just a few short hours later, both men were 
injured when an enemy artillery round destroyed their position. Mr. Day 
was wounded by shrapnel in the hip and left leg.
  Both men were evacuated to a nearby merchant marine vessel, treated 
for their wounds and returned to duty on the island. Mr. Day continued 
to fight, despite his wounds, risking death or permanent injury because 
that was his job, to keep the battlefront moving forward as American 
forces moved to secure the island.
  Earlier this year, I was contacted by my constituent, Norman Polsky, 
with a request for assistance to obtain the Purple Heart medal for his 
friend, Raymond Day. After researching medical records, reviewing 
morning reports, I have learned that Raymond Day's files were destroyed 
during the 1973 fire at the National Personnel Records Center. There 
exists no record of Mr. Day's injuries or treatment for the wounds he 
sustained in action either in his medical records file or in existing 
morning reports.
  It is a shame that Mr. Day is still without the Purple Heart Medal, 
despite the fact that the he bears the scars from the residuals of 
shrapnel embedded in his leg and hip, not to mention the painful 
memories that America's warriors guard so closely for a lifetime.
  It is for these reasons that I ask my colleagues to join me in 
honoring Mr. Raymond E. Day. Without the service and sacrifice of Mr. 
Day, and the men and women of the ``greatest generation,'' our Nation 
would not be as resilient and flourishing as it is today. By continuing 
his mission, despite being wounded, Mr. Day lends great credit to 
himself, the 5th Marine Division, and the United States of America.

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