[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 154 (2008), Part 5]
[Senate]
[Page 7411]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                   TRIBUTE TO LOUISIANA WWII VETERANS

 Ms. LANDRIEU. Mr. President, I am proud to honor a group of 94 
World War II veterans from Louisiana who are traveling to Washington, 
DC, this weekend to visit the various memorials and monuments that 
recognize the sacrifices of our Nation's invaluable service members.
  Louisiana HonorAir, a group based in Lafayette, LA, is sponsoring 
this Saturday's trip to the Nation' s Capital. The organization is 
honoring each surviving World War II Louisiana veteran by giving them 
an opportunity to see the memorials dedicated to their service. On this 
trip, the veterans will visit the World War II, Korea, Vietnam and Iwo 
Jima memorials. They will also travel to Arlington National Cemetery to 
lay a wreath on the Tomb of the Unknowns.
  This is the eighth flight Louisiana HonorAir has made to Washington, 
DC., and there will be one additional flight this spring.
  World War II was one of America's greatest triumphs, but was also a 
conflict rife with individual sacrifice and tragedy. More than 60 
million people worldwide were killed, including 40 million civilians, 
and more than 400,000 American service members 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 to 1945 also witnessed an 
unprecedented mobilization of domestic industry, which supplied our 
military on two distant fronts.
  In Louisiana, there remain today more than 40,000 living WWII 
veterans, and each one has a heroic tale of achieving the noble victory 
of freedom over tyranny. Veterans in this HonorAir group range in age 
from 79 to 91. They began their service as early as 1939, before the 
bombing of Pearl Harbor, and some members of this group served as late 
as 1976. They served in various branches of the military--37 members in 
the Army; 17 in the Army Air Corps, including one in the Women's Air 
Corps; 28 in the Navy; 3 in the Naval Reserve; 4 in the Marines; 1 in 
the Marine Corps Reserve; 2 in the Merchant Marines; and 2 in the U.S. 
Coast Guard.
  Our heroes served across the globe in the Pacific, Atlantic, Asiatic 
Pacific and China Burma India theaters. Others served in North Africa, 
Japan, Korea, the islands of the South Pacific and in other areas of 
Europe and stateside. Our service members battled at Iwo Jima, 
Guadalcanal, Okinawa, Saipan, Tinian and the Solomon Islands.
  Many of these veterans earned Purple Hearts, Bronze Star Medals and 
Croix de Guerre medals. They served on famous battleships such as USS 
North Carolina, and they participated in the liberation of the 
Philippines.
  I ask the Senate to join me in honoring these 94 veterans, all 
Louisiana heroes, that we welcome to Washington this weekend and 
Louisiana HonorAir for making these trips a reality.

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