Message from Senator Lugar

Dear Friends:

Honoring Those Who Served

Army Specialist Michael J. Wiesemann, 20, of North Judson died May 29 of non-combat related injuries in Iraq.

Specialist Wiesemann was assigned to the 1st Squadron, 14th Cavalry Regiment, 3rd Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division. He passed away at Quyarrah Air Base in Iraq.

Specialist Wiesemann’s death brings the number of Hoosier casualties to 23. I encourage you to keep our troops and their families in your thoughts and prayers as they serve bravely in trouble spots around the globe.

Progress Report

As of May 31, 2004, I have collected 3,309
completed interviews to be included in the Veterans History Project.

I have notified 6,813 friends and family members that these interviews have been submitted and will be publicly available.

I am pleased to announce that several new organizations have partnered with my office to participate in the Veterans History Project. I welcome the following partners:

I am looking forward to working with these partners to continue documenting the oral histories of Hoosier veterans.

World War II Open House

On Friday, May 28, I was proud to host Hoosier veterans and their families in my Washington D.C. Office. Refreshments, tours of the Capitol, Senate Foreign Relations Hearing Room, and my personal office were offered to veterans attending the World War II Memorial Dedication.

I am pleased to announce that I made a statement in the Congressional Record about that visit. The following was entered into the Record on June 1, 2004:

Hoosier Veterans Visiting Our Nation’s Capital

Mr. Lugar. Mr. President, I rise today to share with my colleagues the names of many of the Hoosier who made the journey from the State of Indiana to Washington, DC, to take part in the festivities this past weekend surrounding the dedication of the new World War II Memorial and in remembrance of Memorial Day.

My staff and I were pleased to have the opportunity to meet with these honorable veterans and their families and to listen to their vastly different experiences throughout World War II and henceforth. In addition, a few of these veterans were able to participate in interviews that will be submitted to the Library of Congress as part of the Veterans History Project.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the following names of my constituents who visited my office on Friday, May 28, 2004 be printed in the Record.

There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in the Record, as follows:

J. Louis Martinez from Merrillville and his family.
Sam Slevin from Nineveh and his family.
Carl Myers from Marion and his family.
Henry Jones from Indianapolis and his family.
Warren Wilson, now from Clearwater, Florida, and his family along with William Dang, formerly from Indianapolis.
Joseph Dolezal from Michigan City and his family along with Steve Jones from LaPorte.
Carol Hany from Hoagland, Jean Boyer from Fort Wayne, and Lorraine Schubert from Fort Wayne.
Richard Rooker and his family from Warsaw.
John Mohney from Bloomington and his family.
Jim Downard from Michigantown and his wife Mary.
Joe Carey and his wife Sue, and Dick Gratham and his wife, Polly, all from Delphi.

Nelson Gray, his wife, Christine, his daughter, Janet Pflum, and grandson, Marques Pflum, all from Indianapolis.
John Davis from Indianapolis and his wife, Betty. They were joined by family members John, Molly, Kevin, Michael, Dorothy, Donna, Joe and Pam Davis.
Carl Weisheit from Fort Wayne and his wife, Doris, as well as Eric and Cris Brueggman.
Russell Sutton and his family.
The Ridenour Family from Frankfort and the Reed Family from Fort Wayne.
Jim, Patsy and Bill Perry from Winamac.
Dick, Tim and Rick Courtney from Muncie and Newburgh.
Loren, Deb, Jonathon and Chris Meyer from South Bend.
Bill Leburg from Fowler and his family.
Mary Jungemann and her family from Indianapolis.

I would also like to share with you pictures that were taken in my Washington Office during this event.

World War II Veteran Richard Rooker and his family, from Warsaw attended the dedication. Mr. Rooker’s grandson, Zachary Rooker, made a presentation, “Pearl Harbor: 60 Years Later” as part of the Open House. Zachary was able to attend the commemoration of the 60th anniversary of Pearl Harbor and he made a video to honor the service of his grandfather and other World War II veterans.

 

Mary Jungemann, of Southport High School, attended the World War II Memorial Dedication with her father. Mrs. Jungemann’s classes at Southport have contributed greatly to the Veterans History Project.

 

 

Veterans enjoyed looking at photos of the Nunn Lugar Cooperative Threat Reduction Program. Below, Foreign Relations Committee staffer Mark Helmke explains photos to a group in my office.

 

 

Revisiting Normandy

As I mentioned earlier, Adam Kirschner, of Schererville, will be among a group of 100 veterans to be recognized by the French government on the 60th anniversary of the D-Day invasion. The French are planning several ceremonies, including a ceremony to present the Legion of Honor to U.S. veterans who participated in the liberation of France.

It is my hope that Mr. Kirschner, and the thousands of others that assaulted the beaches of Normandy on June 6, 1944 will be forever remembered through the Veterans History Project. I am pleased to note that Adam Kirschner’s story is among the 3,300 stories of Hoosiers that have been preserved.

Highlights

Students at Perry Meridian High School recently completed interviews for the Veterans History Project. They focused their interviews on Purple Heart recipients, and hosted a World War II theme party to celebrate the completion of their book.

Cascade High School, led by first year teacher Tammy Stuart, submitted interviews for the Veterans History Project.

Evansville Central High School completed additional materials to be sent to the Library of Congress

Evansville Westside Catholic High School submitted interviews to be included in the Veterans History Project.

Joy Etcheson, a partner in Owen County, recently completed another interview to be sent to the Library of Congress.

Louis Abbott, of Monticello, submitted interviews with White County veterans to be included in this project.

The Monroe County Historical Society, led by Bud Lynch, once again completed interviews for the Veterans History Project.

Students at Northview High School, in Brazil, recently participated for the first time in the Veterans History Project.

Eastern High School, in Howard County, submitted additional interviews for the Veterans History Project.

For more information on the Veterans History Project, please contact my Indianapolis Office at (317) 226-5555 or via email at vetproject@lugar.senate.gov.

I hope you enjoyed this Veterans History Project Update. Best Wishes!