[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 155 (2009), Part 13]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages 17924-17925]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




  HONORING COLONEL VAN R. MAYHALL ON THE OCCASION OF HIS 90TH BIRTHDAY

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. BILL CASSIDY

                              of louisiana

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, July 15, 2009

  Mr. CASSIDY. Madam Speaker, I rise today to lead the 111th Congress 
of the United States of America in honoring Colonel Van R. Mayhall, 
USAR (Ret.), on the occasion of his 90th birthday.
  Born near Baton Rouge, Louisiana on July 24, 1919, Van Robinson 
Mayhall has lived in Baton Rouge nearly all his 90 years. In fact, the 
longest he was ever away from home was while fighting to defend America 
overseas. Colonel Mayhall graduated from Catholic High School and 
attended Louisiana State University until the outbreak of World War II. 
He joined the Louisiana National Guard at age 17, and in December 1941, 
after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, enlisted in the United 
States Army. He rose to the rank of Captain in the European Theater, 
serving as aide to General William Weaver and seeing combat in France 
and Germany, including the Battle of Hurtgen Forest and the Battle of 
the Bulge. In

[[Page 17925]]

recognition of his courageous service in combat, Colonel Mayhall 
received numerous awards and honors, including the Bronze Star and the 
Silver Star for his bravery under enemy fire. Colonel Mayhall was 
honorably discharged from the Army following the war, and his 
commitment to his community and his country continued. Then-Captain 
Mayhall remained in the Army Reserves until retirement, achieving the 
rank of Colonel.
  After his five year deployment, he was reunited with his wife, Marie 
Roques Mayhall, with whom he raised five children, fourteen 
grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren, with one more on the way. 
He fully dedicated himself to the Baton Rouge community, volunteering 
on behalf of his church, military and veterans groups, and charitable 
organizations. In 1999, his own World War II memoir, Cranking Up A Fine 
War, was released and received favorable reviews. In 2006, in 
recognition of an extraordinary lifetime of service and achievements, 
he was inducted into the Louisiana Veterans' Hall of Honor.
  Colonel Mayhall's life is a testament to the spirit of the Greatest 
Generation. It is also an ongoing tribute to his brothers in arms who 
never returned home to live the American dream as Colonel Mayhall has. 
It is a great honor that the position to which I have been elected 
offers me the opportunity to lead the Congress of the United States of 
America, on the occasion of Colonel Van R. Mayhall's 90th birthday, in 
expressing the respect, admiration and thanks of a grateful Nation for 
his service to his country, as well as a very happy birthday on July 
24, 2009.

                          ____________________