Honoring the Life of Mr. Thomas A. Massarone

Floor Speech

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Mr. BARR. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to celebrate the life, and mark the passing, of an outstanding individual and a decorated World War II veteran, Mr. Thomas A. Massarone of Lexington, Kentucky.

As a young man, Mr. Massarone began his service in the United States Navy and quickly rose to the rank of Petty Officer Third Class. Mr. Massarone entered the war in 1944 by fighting within the U.S. Pacific fleet and did not stop until the Allies achieved victory.

Mr. Massarone participated in combat operations while assigned to the Navy's Southern Attack Force `ship-to-shore' detail, within the III Amphibious Corps (MA), in order to help liberate Guam. He was assigned a dangerous mission to search for and capture Japanese soldiers still at large on the island and then to guard the captured Japanese prisoners of war.

In addition, Mr. Massarone was assigned the task of securing the Japanese Type C submarines located on the island of Guam.

After helping the Allies achieve victory, he was honorably discharged from military service in 1948 and returned home to begin a successful 40-year career with IBM. Mr. Massarone became one of the original members of IBM's electric typewriter division and was instrumental in creating the ``Selectric'' typewriter, which helped pave the way for the use of typewriter keyboards as the primary method for people to interact with computers.

Mr. Massarone spent his life giving back to his community. He helped form the first Little League baseball teams to play at the IBM Park in Lexington. He was particularly active with his parish, St. Paul Catholic Church, where he served as council president, chairman of the school board, and later became the oldest serving member of his church.

Rising to the leadership position of Grand Knight within the Knights of Columbus in Lexington, Mr. Massarone devoted much of his time raising money for charities and helping others in need. As a member of the American Legion, Mr. Massarone committed himself to supporting local programs to mentor youth and provide support for service members and fellow veterans.

Mr. Massarone embodied the best of America's ideals, values, and ingenuity. His bravery and that of his fellow men and women in uniform liberated the world from tyranny and secured our American freedoms for future generations. He was truly an outstanding American and an inspiration to us all.

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