[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 154 (2008), Part 9]
[Senate]
[Pages 12439-12440]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




            TRIBUTE TO SECOND BLUEGRASS CHAPTER HONOR FLIGHT

  Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I rise today to pay tribute to the 
second Bluegrass Chapter Honor Flight. I had the privilege of meeting 
38 World War II veterans from the Commonwealth of Kentucky who arrived 
in our Nation's Capital yesterday morning to see the memorial on the 
National Mall dedicated to them.
  Thanks to the national nonprofit organization, Honor Flight, which 
transports World War II veterans from anywhere in the country to see 
their memorial, and a group of dedicated volunteers, veterans from all 
over the state are able to make this memorable trip, free of charge.
  The World War II Memorial was completed in 2004 and is a fitting 
tribute to the men and women who put on their country's uniform to 
fight the greatest and most destructive war the world has ever seen. 
Anyone who has ever visited this special place will agree that its 
stateliness is nothing short of awe-inspiring much like the men and 
women for whom it was built and who are so deserving of their title as 
``the Greatest Generation.''
  On the memorial's field of gold stars, known as the Freedom Wall, the 
inscription reads ``Here We Mark the Price of Freedom.'' The veterans 
from my home State of Kentucky who visited today paid that price with 
their blood, sweat and tears; their families paid with sleepless nights 
and constant fear for the safety of their loved ones; and many of their 
fellow fighters paid with their lives.
  We should remember the bravery of the men and women who served, and 
the World War II Memorial is a fitting tribute for all those who 
sacrificed in defense of our Nation and our way of life.
  Mr. President, it is really a moving experience to be in the company 
of

[[Page 12440]]

some of the men and women of the ``Greatest Generation,'' and I ask 
unanimous consent that the names of the World War II veterans from 
Kentucky who were here yesterday be printed in the Record.
  There being no objection the names were ordered to be printed in the 
Record, as follows:

                     Kentucky World War II Veterans

       Elmer Morgan, William Coffey, Curtis Lesmeister, Lewis 
     Grahm, Morgan Bradford, Leslie Spillman, Ralph Holman, 
     Richard Thompson, William Richmond, Frank Parks, Vaiden Cox, 
     James Wells, Daniel Rateau, Kenneth Becker, Morris Alford, 
     James Hartman, Richard Doty, Melvin Campbell, Sr., Salvador 
     Miceli, Veachel Lile.
       Alexander Fehr, Kenneth Fehr, Charles Nichter, George 
     Johnides, Jarl Harris, J.B. Price, Bernard O'Bryan, Robert 
     Emerson, Harold Mauck, Gordon Mauck, Kelvin Keath, Asa Elam, 
     Harold Staton, Benjamin Rau, Robert Blakeman, Edward Wilson, 
     Jean Pogue, John Pogue.

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