[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 158 (2012), Part 6]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 8361]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




  HONORING THE VETERANS OF THE JUNE 5, 2012 EASTERN IOWA HONOR FLIGHT

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. DAVID LOEBSACK

                                of iowa

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, June 5, 2012

  Mr. LOEBSACK. Mr. Speaker, I am honored to welcome Iowa veterans of 
the Greatest Generation to our Nation's Capital today. These veterans, 
accompanied by volunteer guardians, traveled to Washington, DC to visit 
the National World War II Memorial that was built in their honor.
  I proudly have in my office a piece of marble from the quarry that 
supplied the stone from which the World War II Memorial was built. That 
piece of marble, just like the memorial it built, reminds me of the 
sacrifices of a generation that, when our country was threatened, rose 
to defend not just our Nation but the freedoms, democracy, and values 
that are the basis of our great Nation. They did so as one people and 
one country.
  The sheer magnitude of what they accomplished, not just in war but in 
the peace that followed has stood as an inspiration to every generation 
of Americans since. The Greatest Generation did not seek to be tested 
both abroad by a war that fundamentally challenged our way of life and 
at home by the Great Depression and the rebuilding of our economy that 
followed. But, when called upon to do so, they defended and then 
rebuilt our Nation. Their patriotism, service, and great sacrifice not 
only defined their generation--they stand as a testament to the 
fortitude of our Nation.
  I am tremendously proud to welcome eastern Iowa's veterans of the 
Second World War to our Nation's capital today. On behalf of every 
Iowan I represent, I thank them for their service to our country.

                          ____________________