[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 154 (2008), Part 6]
[Senate]
[Page 7944]
[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 97 
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 servicemembers.
  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 ninth flight Louisiana HonorAir will make to Washington, 
DC.
  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. The oldest in this Honor-Air group was born in 
1913. They began their service as early as 1938, before the bombing of 
Pearl Harbor, and some members of this group served as late as 1979. 
They served in various branches of the military--34 members in the 
Army; 14 in the Army Air Corps; 37 in the Navy; 8 in the Marines; 1 in 
the USO; and 3 in the U.S. Coast Guard.
  Our heroes served across the globe, participating in major invasions 
such as those at Iwo Jima, Okinawa, Guadalcanal, Leyte, the 
Phillippines, and southern France. One was a prisoner of war in Italy, 
another served under General Patton, and one flew 35 bombing missions 
over Europe.
  Many of these veterans earned Purple Hearts, Bronze Star Medals, Air 
Medals and Navy Crosses.
  I ask the Senate to join me in honoring these 97 veterans, all 
Louisiana heroes, that we welcome to Washington this weekend and 
Louisiana HonorAir for making these trips a reality.

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