Lorraine Knuth's 100th Birthday

Floor Speech

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Mr. SCHNEIDER. Madam Speaker, I am most proud today to rise today to recognize Ms. Lorraine Knuth, a long-time resident of Waukegan, Illinois, who will celebrate her 100th birthday on October 31.

I first met Lorraine through Mary Carmody at Midwest Veterans Closet where she has volunteered for many years. In honor of her centenary year, Lorraine has asked for donations to be made to Midwest Veterans Closet to help her construct a new building and expand their service capacity to our men and women veterans in the area.

To mark her lifetime of service, I wish to share Lorraine's life story today, for it clearly embodies so much of the opportunity, perseverance, and sacrifice that makes her and our nation so special.

Lorraine was born on October 31, 1920, in Langlade, Wisconsin, the seventh of nine children. She excelled in school, entering high school a year early. During the Second World War, Lorraine enlisted in the U.S. Army as part of the Women's Army Corps. After basic training at Daytona Beach, Florida, she headed west to Camp Stoneman in northern California. She served there until the war ended, working in the camp hospital as a Special Diet Cook.

After the war, Lorraine met her husband and travelled the world through his military service. She decided to move to Waukegan after visiting her late sister, who was already living in the area. She has lived in the same house for more than sixty years, where she raised her three sons. Today, Lorraine is both a proud grandmother and great-grandmother.

Lorraine is a longtime volunteer with Midwest Veterans Closet, and now serves as the organization's Chair. Midwest Veterans Closet provides food, clothing, and other household items for veterans of all ages in the local area, all free of charge. Employment and housing assistance are also offered at no expense as well.

In addition to her incredible work at Midwest Veterans Closet, in 2017, Lorraine was just the fourth woman veteran to participate the Lake County Honor Flight trip to Washington, D.C. In 2019, she was one of a select group of women veterans to be honored by the James A. Lovell Federal Health Care Center Annual Women Veterans Lunch.

I wholeheartedly congratulate Lorraine Knuth on her 100th birthday and thank her for her service to our community and nation.

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