[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 158 (2012), Part 1]
[House]
[Page 1102]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                    HONORING THE LIFE OF ALF LARSON

  (Mr. PAULSEN asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. PAULSEN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the life of Alf 
Larson, a Minnesota World War II veteran who survived the infamous 
Bataan Death March. Alf passed away just last week, on January 30, at 
the age of 93.
  Despite experiencing one of the worst aspects of war, Alf kept his 
faith in the Lord. During his 41 months in captivity as a prisoner, Alf 
would read the New Testament and the Book of Psalms, which he kept 
hidden.
  After the war, Alf returned home, got married and then reenlisted in 
the Air Force in 1948. He left the Air Force 6 years later, and came 
back to Crystal, Minnesota, and raised a family--his three children. 
Like most heroes, Alf insisted that he was just a regular guy who was 
doing his duty, saying, I'm not a hero. I was just doing my job.
  Mr. Speaker, last week Minnesota and our Nation lost one of our 
greatest heroes.
  To Alf and all the other veterans who serve our country admirably, I 
want to say thank you for your incredible sacrifice.

                          ____________________