[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 157 (2011), Part 12]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 17534]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




HONORING CAPTAIN JACK WILSON FOR HIS LIFETIME OF SERVICE TO THE UNITED 
                                 STATES

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. DANIEL LIPINSKI

                              of illinois

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, November 15, 2011

  Mr. LIPINSKI. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in recognition of Captain 
Jack Wilson of Willow Springs, Illinois, a 100 year-old veteran who 
landed at Omaha Beach during World War II, who I am helping to honor at 
a veterans' dinner in Bridgeview, IL on November 13.
  Captain Wilson began his military career serving in the Army National 
Guard from 1931 to 1940. There, he served in the distinguished 202nd 
Coast Artillery, anti-aircraft division. Following the attack on Pearl 
Harbor, his unit was activated and sent on the converted Queen Mary to 
England. A few days after D-Day, he was deployed on a landing craft to 
Omaha Beach in Normandy. This allied offensive would change the tide of 
the war.
  Following his courageous service, Captain Wilson was discharged from 
active duty in 1946. He continued in the Army Reserves until his 
retirement in 1971 when he retired as a Captain at the age of 60.
  For over fifty years, Captain Wilson has continued to support the men 
and women of our armed services through his leadership in the American 
Legion, serving as the Commander for the William R. Edmondson branch as 
well as its adjutant. He is currently an honorary member. He has also 
served the nearby Lemont Veterans of Foreign Wars Post. In both of 
these positions, he illustrates his dedication to his fellow armed 
services members and his country. Following his active military 
service, Captain Wilson was employed as a driver for the Chicago 
Transit Authority until 1975.
  Honesty, integrity, hard work, responsibility, and patriotism are the 
core principles by which Captain Wilson lives and these are the same 
principles he has bestowed upon his children, Nancy and Judith. He also 
was a loving husband to his wife Helen, who passed away in 1978. He is 
a man who defended our country at a time of tremendous adversity, and 
who continues to serve his fellow men and women in the armed services. 
Please join me in honoring his lifetime of service, his bravery, and 
his dedication to family and neighbor.

                          ____________________