[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 157 (2011), Part 5]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 6345]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                 IN RECOGNITION OF CAPTAIN RAY MARTINI

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. JACKIE SPEIER

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                         Friday, April 15, 2011

  Ms. SPEIER. Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor Ray Martini, a World War II 
veteran and distinguished resident of Half Moon Bay, California.
  Mr. Martini entered the European theater of war at age 23. In his 
five months of deployment, this young plumber accomplished 
extraordinary achievements. He arrived as a lieutenant in the Air Force 
and left as a Captain. He won an Air Medal, the Distinguished Flying 
Cross and eleven Oak Leaf Clusters.
  He flew over 50 bombing and strafing missions as a one-man crew of a 
Thunderbolt Fighter. One of the challenges of these missions was the 
weather, as Captain Martini described in his letters from France: 
``It's the worst weather to fly in. We've lost four boys in bad weather 
flying . . . The weather man said the ceiling was 700 ft. but I believe 
he meant 70 ft. because as soon as we got air borne we lost sight of 
the ground. Well, we climbed up through the stuff and got above it a 
5,000 ft. and proceeded to the target. Once over the target area it was 
clear. We bombed a rail bridge and knocked it out. Then started home. 
Well, over the base it was raining and we were flying right on the tree 
tops and could hardly see the ground. Lucky we found a field on the way 
home and we landed . . . That's the kind of weather we run into and 
lose good men in it. Sometimes we climbed from ground to 20,000 ft. in 
solid clouds before we break out of it. Boy, that's hard on your 
nerves.''
  In 1998 France allowed one of its highest honors to be awarded to 
Veterans from Allied Countries fighting in defense of France. Today, 
Mr. Martini receives the Medal of Chevalier of the French Legion of 
Honor by Deputy Consul General Mrs. Corinne Pereira.
  After his military career, Mr. Martini returned to his trade as a 
plumber. For many years he ran ``Reliable Plumbing'' and he has trained 
just about every plumber on the coast.
  Mr. Martini is the loving husband of Cathy Martini and proud father 
of his son, Mark Martini.
  Mr. Speaker, I ask this body to rise with me to honor Captain Martini 
for his service to our country and our Allies on the day he receives 
the Medal of Chevalier of the French Legion of Honor, April 1, 2011.

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