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Floor Speech

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Mr. HUSTED. Madam President, I am going to take us back 100 years to August 5, 1926. It was in the midst of the Roaring Twenties. Calvin Coolidge was the President. Babe Ruth was ruling professional baseball. There was no television. Horses and cars shared the streets together. Life expectancy was 57 years. The Great Depression was still off in the future.

On August 5, 1926, a remarkable person was born, and I want to recognize him today. He is a World War II veteran and a loving husband, father, and grandfather. His name is SGT Wayne Franklin Phillips, and he is approaching an extraordinary milestone--his 100th birthday. Pretty amazing. We rise today to honor him, to reflect on his service and sacrifice as part of a generation that secured the freedoms that we enjoy today.

I grew up in rural Northwest Ohio, nearly in the same neighborhood as SGT Wayne Franklin Phillips, and I am always proud of the people of rural Northwest Ohio. SGT Wayne Phillips is from Henry County, where he was born and raised on a farm and became a farmer in an area outside a small town--Hamler, OH--alongside his three brothers and three sisters.

If you are ever in Hamler, OH, it is one of those places that are the heart of agriculture in Ohio. You can see to the horizon in all four directions, and I know the Presiding Officer from Iowa understands what I mean by that. It is just farmland as far as you can see.

He graduated from Hamler High School at the age of 17, and he joined the Army's 81st Readiness Division just months after receiving his high school diploma. Of course he did. That is what a lot of people his age did during that period of time.

During his military service, Sergeant Phillips was briefly involved in the Battle of the Bulge. I think all of us who study our history know that was one of the largest and bloodiest battles fought by the American forces in World War II and really was the final battle to defeat Hitler's Nazis.

Over the course of 41 days, hundreds of thousands of Allied troops fought to halt that Nazi offensive in Western Europe, and they were successful in winning the final battle that led to the end of World War II.

His service took him to Germany, the Philippines, and Japan. Following Japan's surrender, Sergeant Phillips quickly rose through the ranks and earned the rank of technician fourth grade, becoming the youngest man in charge of a motor pool servicing trucks and military equipment. As you might expect, farm boys from Ohio knew how to fix things, and SGT Wayne Phillips was one of those.

Like so many members of the ``greatest generation,'' Sergeant Phillips helped defeat tyranny, liberate Europe, and preserve freedom for future generations. Because of the service and sacrifice of many Americans like him, our Nation and much of the world have enjoyed liberty and peace and prosperity for most of his life since then.

We owe an enduring debt of gratitude to our veterans and more than 400,000 Americans who made the ultimate sacrifice during World War II.

After being honorably discharged in 1946, Sergeant Phillips married his wife Eileen. Together, they raised three children: Wayne, Paul, and Martha. Today, he is also a proud grandfather, great-grandfather, as well as a devoted uncle.

His commitment to service did not end when he returned home. When service is in your DNA, you serve your country, you serve your family, and you move home and you serve your community, and that is exactly what he did. As a respected civic leader in Henry County, he served 16 years as a Henry County commissioner and 4 years on the Deshler Village Council.

Even as he approaches here in just a few days his 100th birthday-- this may be the most amazing thing when I think about it--SGT Wayne Phillips continues to drive to work each day, at age 100, to the Phillips Oil Company, the family business that he founded and continues to operate alongside and with many members of his family. Pretty amazing. He is also a devout man of faith. He is an active member of the Deshler United Methodist Church and also a part of Deshler American Legion and the Maumee Valley Sportsman's Club.

Sadly, the number of our surviving World War II veterans grows smaller each year. I have celebrated 100th birthdays of several of them. I always love to hear their stories. You know, you put yourself in their position--17 years old and you just graduated from high school, and you decide you are going to go off and serve your country in a war. So many of that generation stepped up and did that. That is why, when we honor someone like Wayne Phillips, we honor him and many others who are part of the most consequential chapters in our Nation's history. It is our responsibility to ensure that their stories and their sacrifices are never forgotten.

I say this often: We should honor what we value. We should honor what we value. And I hope that every time any of us--and I give remarks about veterans and World War II and the sacrifices that many generations of Americans have made--that we honor that so that our children hear that service and sacrifice are valued, are important.

So on August 5, SGT Wayne Franklin Phillips will celebrate his 100th birthday. It is an honor for me to share his story with my colleagues today--a life defined by service, family, faith, community, and in support of our freedom. SGT Wayne Phillips is richly deserving of recognition as he reaches this remarkable milestone.

I thank my colleagues for allowing me to honor this extraordinary Ohioan, and I extend my heartfelt congratulations to SGT Wayne Phillips on his 100th birthday.

Congratulations. We celebrate you and your service. God bless you, and may God continue to bless America.

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