Recognizing Lloyd Rice's Service to the Nation and His Family

Floor Speech

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Mrs. DINGELL. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to celebrate Lloyd Rice, a resident of Michigan, on the occasion of his 100th birthday. His dedication to his family, community, and Nation is worthy of commendation.

Lloyd was born in Green County, Indiana, and moved to Jackson, Michigan, at the age of 16. The following year, he was leaving a movie theatre when he heard the news that America had been attacked at Pearl Harbor. He graduated from Jackson High School in 1943 and received his draft notice in the mail the day of his graduation.

Lloyd joined the Navy and became a diesel mechanic for a destroyer escort that patrolled the Atlantic for German submarines. Many of their missions included escorting ships carrying troops and supplies across the ocean, deterring the enemy submarines that prowled the area. These efforts were part of a continuous 18-month patrol in the Atlantic. After the deployment, Lloyd returned on leave to the United States, and then deployed on a ship headed for the Pacific when they received word that the Japanese had surrendered.

After the war, Lloyd became a carpenter and played a major role in the post-war manufacturing boom of his community, taking part in the building of 15 schools and being the foreman on 3 of them. He married his first love, Dorothy, in 1947, and had two children. Sadly she succumbed to her battle with cancer in 1962. A couple years later, Lloyd met his last love, Evelyn, and they married in 1965, and had 2 children. They were married 67 years until Evelyn passed in 2022. After recovering from heart surgery in his early 70s, Lloyd started working again at his local Home Depot for 19 years, before retiring again at the well-seasoned age of 96.

Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me today in honoring the lifetime of service that Lloyd Rice has been so kind to share with us. After serving his country as a young man, he spent the rest of his life building schools, churches, and houses in order to make his communities more welcoming and prosperous for all. We thank him for his service and wish him the happiest birthdays. I thank Lloyd.

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