-9999

Floor Speech

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Mr. MORAN. Madam President, this afternoon I rise here on the Senate floor to recognize a fellow Kansan, to honor the life of a soldier, a servant, a great man, Olen Mitchell.

While Olen was born in Oklahoma, Kansas is the place he called home, and we are honored to call him our own.

Growing up in Western Kansas teaches you a lot about discipline, service, and hard work, and I know that Olen's time in Elkhart and Hutchinson, KS, taught him valuable lessons. The values he learned in Western Kansas provided him with a love of country and taught him to love his neighbors as himself. His character was further defined alongside thousands of other young men like him who fought in World War II.

Olen received a Purple Heart after being shot 2 weeks before D-Day in 1944 during his service in Italy. Even after being injured, he continued his service to his country in the military police. After his service, Olen received a Bronze Star, the Combat Infantryman Badge, and several other medals and service ribbons.

In June of last year, I had the opportunity to call Olen on the 80th anniversary of D-Day while he was visiting Normandy and seeing the beaches of France. It was my honor to thank him for his service during World War II and let him know how much of a privilege it was to know him and his story.

The ``greatest generation'' has left a permanent impact on the world, and that is why the loss of another World War II veteran is cause for mourning in this Nation and around the globe. We remember not only their grit, sacrifice, and bravery but also their kindness, their dedication, and their humility, which has changed communities across America, and changing those communities changed America.

Olen embodied the compassion, kindness, and courage we all remember, and he changed the Hutchinson community for the better. I know every time I was in Hutchinson, I had the opportunity to be with him. It was just a great experience for me, but you could also tell that those around us admired and respected him. He was a pillar in the community and so often involved in everything good.

Occasionally, he would drive me in the Fourth of July parades, and you could tell how the community responded not to the U.S. Senator going down Main Street but about how good it was for them to see their friend Olen.

He was a loving husband who was married for 68 years until his wife passed away. Olen was also an uncle, a great-uncle, and a great-great uncle. Three generations of family and loved ones had an exemplary role model as an inspirational figure who showed them kindness, love, and devotion.

A few times a year, veterans visit Washington, DC, on Honor Flights, and Olen visited our Capital in 2014--10 years ago. Meeting veterans during these visits brought me, certainly, great joy, and I am always moved by the veterans who see for themselves the memorial built to honor their comrades and themselves.

My own father was able to see the World War II Memorial. Before he saw it, I called him to tell him about it. So I am at the World War II Memorial with my flip phone. I call my dad at home in Kansas to tell him I love him, I respect him, and I thank him for his service. I told this story before. My dad then calls me back and says: Gerald, you left me a voicemail, but I didn't understand it. Would you repeat it?

Olen is no longer in a position in which I can tell him what I told my dad, nor is my dad. So on behalf of all of us and communicated to Olen and all of his comrades, we today again say: We love you. We respect you. We thank you for your service.

After Olen's passing, the Kansas Honor Flight Foundation shared in their post that ``Heaven needed a hero just in time for Christmas.'' Olen is a hero to his country, to his family, to his loved ones, and to his community. His story will not be and should not be forgotten, and the State of Kansas, our country, and the world are forever grateful for his life of service and dedication.

Olen, thank you for your life of service. Thank you for your friendship. Thank you for being such a great member of a great family.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Source